Ear care questions?
 

*New Yorkie owner here*
Nikko is 6 1/2 months old and we've had him for a little over a month. When we took him to the vet right after he came home the Dr mentioned ear infections then proceeded to pluck a bunch of hair out of his ears (to our horror lol). He said it had to be done and the dog didn't seem to mind, but I couldn't even watch and my husband almost vomited after seeing what he did. Needless to say, we won't be trying this at home :rolleyes:. I can't remember the vet commenting on how often this has to be done though. It's only been a little over a month and we're noticing that Nikko has been scratching at his ears a lot and there is a slight Dooreto (for lack of better word) odor coming from them. How often does this hair need to be pucked? Does the groomer do this during grooming (Nikko was groomed almost a month ago)? Should we schedule a grooming appt so this can be done?

I have no idea how to clean them! I do see some hair inside (which I tried to trim but with the dog fighting so much I'm afraid I'll cut him) and I can't bring myself to pluck it out. I might try cutting it again when my husband gets home so he can help hold him still. I'd like to use "something" to clean them out but I don't know what. I'm thinking rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide would probably be too strong? I read that you can buy something in stores, is this the only way to go? Should I bring him back to the vet for this? As you can see, I'm not really sure how to treat this. I'd hate to see him get an infection, but maybe he already has one :confused: I don't really see anything in there but there is an odor.

Also, not sure if this is related but Nikko had a small whitehead (that appears to be drying up after no treatment) towards the tip of his ear. His ears stand and are not at all floppy. Any advice is appreciated. TIA! :)

My two have never had an ear infection, but from what I have read on here, if there is an odor in the ear it is an indication of infection. I was so scared to pluck the hair out of the ears too, but it is not hard and they don't even act like they feel it at all. Hopefully someone will post in a few who knows more about ear infections. They do make products to clean the ear and you need one with a drying agent in it also.

We use Vet Solutions ear cleanser. It has a drying agent, which Jadabug indicated is important. Moisture in the ear can lead to a yeast infection or worse.

Maximo once had a pimple on his ear flap. It went away quickly.