Have you ever picked your dog up from the groomer and looked into the ears, only to find that they do not look clean?
Honestly, these concerns cause groomers to do more harm than good to a dog’s ears. Groomers often worry that if they don’t clean all of the gunk out of the dog’s ears, the client will be upset.
It’s true, healthy ears do not “look” dirty. The black or reddish coloured waxy substance in the ears may be a sign of an infection. Attempting to clean the ears may cause irritation, leading the dog to start shaking its head.
So, if your dog’s ears “look” dirty, have your vet take a look and prescribe the proper ear cleansing solution or medication if needed.
Have you ever taken your dog to the vet and heard the vet say that your groomer needs to remove the hair from the pets ears?
Plucking the hair from a dog’s ears is a widely debated subject among both vets and groomers.
Here at Smarty Paws, we do not always offer this service. Ear plucking can be beneficial for some dogs, in others it can cause trauma to the ear, creating a breeding ground for infection to set in. For some dogs, we simply believe it would be kinder and less problematic for the vet to do. Dogs who require occasional plucking, and who develop ear infections afterwards, may need a medication prescribed before the plucking to aid in the prevention of an infection. We will only offer this service on a case by case basis.
If your veterinarian insists that the groomer performs this service, and the groomer disagrees, then simply ask your vet to take care of it.
Healthy ears can have the hair removed but many specialists conclude that ‘if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it’. Leave something alone, avoiding attempting to correct, fix or improve what is already sufficient.
These are examples of healthy ears, as you can see even with the hair in place the ear is fine.
