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maddy6 · Aug 2, 2012, 04:05 AM

Our long hair teacup chihuahua gets dirty ears a lot. I clean them with q-tips. They are gross. If I do not clean them at least once a month, he gets dark earwax spilling out of his ears and covering the inside. Immediately after I clean them he is thrilled and runs around in happiness, so I know they bother him. If I do not clean them and they begin to get bad, he will start shaking his head randomly. This has gone on for at least a year, may 2. It has hurt his relationship with me because he now associates me with cleaning his ears, which he doesn't like when I am doing it. He even kind of avoids me. No one else in the family will do it, so I am stuck with the dog not liking me because of it. We talked to the vet and other pet people and everyone just dismisses it and says some long haired dogs have earwax problems. I am talking, THIS is gross the amount of earwax the dog gets. I use about 7-8 q-tips on average and they are full of wax. When I try to let it go for several months so the dog will like me, it ends up smelling when you are near his head and being crumbly and spilling out of his ears on the side. Any suggestions? We have monitored his diet to see if there is a correlation any cannot find one. Any help is appreciated. Thank you :-)

Aurora_Bell · Aug 2, 2012, 05:34 AM

I bought ear wash, it was in a bottle and you squirt a little in, rub he ear and then wipe with a paper towel, and it smelled like peaches :p Unfortunately, you have to clean your dogs ears, just like you have to clean a kids. I have dogs with floppy ears and I can smell them coming when their ears need gleanings. It takes quite a few q -tips for me too. I am a single household, so I have to do all the dirty work too. When I bring out the nail clippers both dogs run for hiding and they won't come near me for a few hours after. Why not trying associating ear cleaning with treats. Before each cleaning offer a small treat, in the beginning, stop half way and offer another treat. Once you are done offer another small treat and praise like mad the entire way through. Soon your dog will associate cleanings with treat times.

Lucky098 · Aug 2, 2012, 12:05 PM

You should never clean a dogs ears with q-tips. You can cause a lot of damage and it's painful for the dog

Try ear lavage. It's less invasive and has a cooling affect on irritated ears.

The best ear cleaner to get is from your vet. You want an ear cleaner that will break down ear wax. Take a cotton ball and wipe away any discharge that comes out along with access ear cleaner

No one tested for bacteria or yeast? If not, get his ears tested. Excessive ear was is a good indicator of those things.

If his ears are truly that bad, they should be cleaned with lavage once a week to ensure the ears don't start to irritate the dog or cause an infection.

maddy6 · Aug 2, 2012, 02:53 PM

Lucky098: No one said anything about a test. I have questioned the vet at least 3 times and they just shrug it off and say some long haired dogs have more problems. I have never known of this problem and didn't know what else to do. What is lavage? When my son bathes him I always ask him to try and wash them a little with the washrag cause I thought it would help somewhat. I have tried using cream, and also antibacterial cream on the q-tip. I have been dumbfounded as to what to do. I did look and find an ointment at Petsmart yesterday and wondered if that would help.
So if I want to get them tested, what kind of test do I tell the vet I want when I call since they have dismissed me in the past.
I just cleaned them recently, so I am going to take a pic next time. Maybe you can tell me your opinion from a pic? Also the wax is always very dark, practically black.
Thanks for your help, I have been beside myself not having a clue how to help my poor dog.
Aurora Bell: thank you also. Perhaps I will try the stuff I found at PetSmart.

LadySam · Aug 2, 2012, 03:42 PM

Your vet can and should do a swab to look for the cause of the problem.
Three words stood out to me in your post. Dark, crumbly and smell.
Smell is a good indicator of a problem.
Yeast for instance has a very distinct odor. Bacteria-different smell.
The "crumbly" makes me want to think ear mites.
Ear mites are usually a cat thing, but dogs can get them, they will appear as black, dry and crumbly.
Either way the vet should do a cytology of the "goo" and see what is living on there and provide you with the proper medications to treat it. It may even be a combination of yeast and bacteria.
If the ears are excessively hairy they can be plucked by a groomer, uncomfortable for a short while but it helps.
Typically only very hairy dogs require plucking though, maltese, shih tzus bichons.
Very likely hers do not need this.

Lucky098 · Aug 3, 2012, 06:30 PM

An ear lavage is when you squirt some liquid ear cleaner into the ear and squish it around. Dog's ears are "L" shaped and q-tips cannot clean all the way down into the canal.. You don't want to use q-tips either.. Use a cotton ball to clean away the excess debris after the lavage.

If your vet isn't addressing your problems, I would suggest for you to find a different vet. Your dog obviously has a problem that you are concerned about. The vet should take earwax samples and see what, if anything, is growing in her ears and treat accordingly.