Ear cleaning advice please!

Wellyboots6

I need to be able to clean my GSDs ears at home, but he HATES it!!

He lets me play with his ears, they are so gorgeous and soft and a great stress reliever
The minute I even think about trying to clean them though I won't see him for dust!

I have tried starting slowly with lots of treats etc but just can't seem to get anywhere with it.

Advice please

Katiehound

How slowly is slowly?? What I mean is can you hold ear as if to clean- then give treat and leave well alone? Hold ear drops, cotton wool etc in your hand, approach, give treat- do nothing else.
In other words VERY slowly spread over days, weeks.
My old boy hated his nails clipped. So I would approach with clippers, hold foot, give treat. Eventually I could clip a nail at a time as long as treats were seen and delivered after each clip!! Now I can probably clip one foot before a treat is stuffed in the mouth.......he's now 14!
The joke was when when of my other hounds saw what was happening she jumped on the bed and lay there as if to say "cut my claws, I want a treat!!"

Rev

Get some thornit powder. Works wonders. Put some around the outside of the eat each week and it will keep them clean.

Don't know how it works. Just know it does.

Wellyboots6

I mean slowly over a number of weeks. I can sit there with ear cleaning stuff and he is fine, I can play with his ears and mime cleaning and he is fine. The minute I combine the two he is out the door!

I am sure he is psychic.

He is sat looking at me all suspicious at the moment and all I am doing is writing about ear cleaning!!

Wellyboots6

Thanks Rev, just reading up on it and it looks good stuff if it does what it says on the tin!

Rev

katy721 wrote: »

Thanks Rev, just reading up on it and it looks good stuff if it does what it says on the tin!

It really does, my youngest dog is terrible at the vets, he gets aggressive and is generally completely terrified, so I try to avoid it unless there's no other option. His ear was getting gunky, I cleaned it but it came back, I thought I'd give thornit a try before taking him to the vets.

One dose, few days later ears were fine, I just use it once every few weeks now and they remain clean.

Wellyboots6

Still trying with the ear cleaning and it still isn't happening

If I take him to the vets to get it done how would they do it?

Tried this evening filling the end of his muzzle with dog food, then freezing it. Put his muzzle on him and waited for him to settle licking at it before trying the ears. They are quite smelly today so do need doing, so ended up trying to hold him while I did it.

He managed to escape from his muzzle, and his collar and went and hide upstairs. I'm not even sure I actually managed to get any ear drops in!

I cant even get thornit near him.

Too flippin clever for his own good

Fosterdog

Are the drops painful for him?

If a vet did it they would probably just muzzle him and hold him still (probably with help), if he react that badly though he could end up with a fear of going to the vet.

One of my fostered was the same with his ears and I had to get the drops ready, sneak up and quickly squirt what i could in before he bolted. I'd worry about cleaning them a bit later giving the drops more time to soak in. They would end up everywhere even shaken up the walls.

My girl is the same with getting her nails clipped, it doesn't matter how slowly we take it or how many treats and rewards are involved, four years on we have every bit the same trouble as when we first got her.

It takes two of us to do my boys nails, OH distracts him with treats while I quickly clip what I can before he realises what I'm doing, I do a paw a day for four days to get them all done.

Wellyboots6

I don't think the drops can be painful as I am not sure I have ever even got any in anyway.

It's not going to be possible to muzzle him and hold him still, he is so strong and if he feels like he is being restrained in any way he goes in to a sort of frenzy (which is why I use the muzzle when I even think about doing it as there is no doubt he would bite).

I am starting to think he is going to need sedating to do it, but I'm not sure if the benefits of clean ears outweigh the risk of sedation.

I think something must have scared him in the past about it, as it really is such an extreme reaction

krlyr

I would probably be tempted to have them looked at under sedation to rule out the aversion being caused by pain. Once they've looked and given them a clean, you'll have an idea of whether it's just something he dislikes or if there was a genuine pain issue. I don't think he's particularly old or at risk of reacting badly to sedation, is he?

Wellyboots6

As far as I know there shouldn't be any extra risks regarding sedation with him, but with him being a rescue I have no previous history.

I think you may be right though, I am really stuck as to what else to do.

Managed to get some drops in earlier as I took the ear drops with me on a walk and popped some in as I was loading him back in to the car after a walk. Totally took him by surprise and it was so out of context I don't think he had time to react.

He didn't wince or cry or anything though which suggests the drops don't cause him pain.

I am unlikely to catch him in that situation again though, he is a quick learner! Going to have to carry the blummin drops with me everywhere I think just om case there is an opportunity!