Abbey's ear smells funky!!

[abbey lee]

So the other day Ab's was sitting on my shoulder (don't ask, she just likes to be a parrot) and I smelt a badddddddd odor. Leaned in closer and it was def coming from her right ear. The other one smelt fine but the right one smelled TERRIBLE. I took her to the vet today for her last set of puppy shots and I asked the vet about the ear smell. She looked at it and said it def had gunk in it. She got a Q-tip and swabbed it and eeeew all this BLACK gunk came out.

I ended up leaving Abbey at the vet all day so they could watch her (she sometimes has bad reactions to shots and I had to work all day) and I sent my BF to pick her up. Well i told him to ask about the ear and he said that they checked for ear mites and it wasn't that.

And that's it. No medications or special instruction or anything. Vet just said to watch it and if it stinks again they can flush it out.

But my question is...does anyone have any ideas of what may have caused this so I can avoid it?? Or anything I can do to make it better?

This is a new vet and she is very helpful...but, I wanted to pick Abbey up myself bc the BF sometimes forgets to ask things/forgets to tell me everything so just wondering what everyone thinks.

Thanks!

[KitKatJam]

I'm surprised the vet didn't give you a solution to keep her ears clean.
I clean my puppies ears out with solution a couple of times a week.
I didn't get it from the vet, I just bought it online.

[abby2473]

I'm surprised also that your Vet did not give you anything to put in her ears. We've had this problem with both of ours...the smell is definately "icky". The vet sent us home with Vitro-max to put in their ears. He said it was common for dogs to get a yeasty build up in their ears. The stuff really works....

[abbey lee]

Originally Posted by abby2473

I'm surprised also that your Vet did not give you anything to put in her ears. We've had this problem with both of ours...the smell is definately "icky". The vet sent us home with Vitro-max to put in their ears. He said it was common for dogs to get a yeasty build up in their ears. The stuff really works....

Darn, I knew I should have gone instead of sending my boyfriend. She does need something!! It doesn't look like something that just "goes away on it's own."

[bettyeanne]

Patrick smelled that "yeasty" smell in Toto's ear and I naturally rushed her little red ear to the vet. This happened when I used to take her to a groomer. Seems the groomer was not pulling the hair from her ears but snipping them off way down inside. When she was bathed, that matted up mess pretty much stayed moist down in there all the time. It was a bad infection and her vet gave us a wash to clean the ear and medication to put in there. This had to be done twice daily and it took a while to clear it up. Needless to say, I am now her bather/groomer and when I am bathing her, she wears earplugs!! I also take her to her vet to have the hairs pulled properly. I hope your baby doesn't have an infection like that ... it was painful and made me feel that I had neglected her in some way ... I simply didn't know. I hope Abbey will be OK.

[abbey lee]

Originally Posted by bettyeanne

Patrick smelled that "yeasty" smell in Toto's ear and I naturally rushed her little red ear to the vet. This happened when I used to take her to a groomer. Seems the groomer was not pulling the hair from her ears but snipping them off way down inside. When she was bathed, that matted up mess pretty much stayed moist down in there all the time. It was a bad infection and her vet gave us a wash to clean the ear and medication to put in there. This had to be done twice daily and it took a while to clear it up. Needless to say, I am now her bather/groomer and when I am bathing her, she wears earplugs!! I also take her to her vet to have the hairs pulled properly. I hope your baby doesn't have an infection like that ... it was painful and made me feel that I had neglected her in some way ... I simply didn't know. I hope Abbey will be OK.

I was kind of thinking that was what it was. I watch Groomer Has It (so now I think I'm a pro haha). But Abbey has never been professionally groomed and I have never cut her hair except a few long one on the outside of her ear. But this did all happen after a bath one night and I am thinking maybe some water got in there and caused it. I'm perplexed as to why the vet said to do nothing for it. I guess we will see how it goes but I still wish I went and got her and not the BF so I could have asked more questions!! We go back in 2 weeks so hopefully it's better by then.

I will also be more careful when I bathe her and not get her ears too wet.

Bc you should have seen it...the Q-tip was COVERED in black gunk...

[simonandhallie]

Hallie's ears get really smelly when she has an infection. The vet gave me a solution to clean them with that I use once a week with a cotton ball. Maybe you could get some from your vet~