Hairy ears, pluck or not?

[Tinkerbee]

Ted has very hairy ears (inside) and gets recurring ear infections (although these are much less frequent after some suggestions from on here!).

He seems fairly happy for me to pluck the hairs out by hand, and they come out easily but just wondered if there was any strong argument for not doing so? I guess the hairs have some purpose in stopping other stuff from getting into the ear? But presumably less hairy dogs get along fine??

 

[CorvusCorax]

My younger dog has massive, ears with very little cover and does get sore ears all the time. The hairy one with smaller ears does not....I'd be tempted to leave them alone as much as is possible!

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I wouldn't touch them. What benefit to the dog do you think that would be? The hair is meant to keep dust and nasties out of the ears.

 

[Tinkerbee]

I wouldn't touch them. What benefit to the dog do you think that would be? The hair is meant to keep dust and nasties out of the ears.

Was vaguely thinking it might be keeping stuff in and for want of a better word, fermenting in comparison to the more streamlined pointer who never has issues. Will leave them be, he doesn't need another reason to be dramatic to be fair..!

 

[Bellasophia]

Both my dogs( schnauzer and st poodle ) have high grooming needs,so they go daily on the table for brushing and get their ears checked regularly.
I use thornit,or more recently ear kleer ,to dust the hairs in the canal and pull out the dead hair.If you do this monthly it is surprising how the very deep hair coming out of the canal will pull ear wax from deep in the ear.
I’ve had poodles for twenty years and never had an ear infection.
Thornit kills ear mites too.
Prior to this I had a rottie ,a dogue de Bordeaux and Small dogs who did not have the ear hair in the canals,so got their ears cleaned periodically with epiotic.
For those who say it’s not needed you probably have shepherds,smooth terriers,hounds etc who don’t have the ear hair...
in a hairy ear.if left it can totally block the ear,wax will accumulate ,the ear can become infected easily and even cankerous..

..both my dogs also have their feet shaved Which stops them getting seeds stuck in their pads .not many groomers in Italy do this for pet poodles and several dogs I’ve met have had issues with both Foxtail seeds and dermatitis.

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

I've noticed our cockapoos ears are plucked when we take her to the groomer and for a few weeks after she is much less irritated by her ears, the closer we get to her next groom appointment the more agitated she gets again by them. Like your pups they do get quite hairy (she got the long cocker spaniel ears!) and wax seems to get caught by the hair.

What suits some dogs may not suit others, I would be tempted to try plucking and see if it improves, if it does carry on and if it doesn't try something else?

 

[Tinkerbee]

I've noticed our cockapoos ears are plucked when we take her to the groomer and for a few weeks after she is much less irritated by her ears, the closer we get to her next groom appointment the more agitated she gets again by them. Like your pups they do get quite hairy (she got the long cocker spaniel ears!) and wax seems to get caught by the hair.

What suits some dogs may not suit others, I would be tempted to try plucking and see if it improves, if it does carry on and if it doesn't try something else?

That's a good point, his old groomer used to pluck the ears I think but this one doesn't. ? Can't think if the infections correlated in time though

 

[{97702}]

Makes me so glad I don’t have hairy ears..... ?

 

[scats]

I was taught to pluck ears when I trained to be a groomer. I hated it. Most dogs really hated it. I don’t offer it as a service but I have a few dogs that the owners request ear plucking are prone to infections otherwise.

 

[IngramsRoughDiamond]

I have a bichon cross that really suffers with his ears and the only way to help him is to pluck them. I will get him some Thornit thankyou Bellasophia for the suggestion.

 

[DabDab]

I sort of pluck the westie's - I just take out the ones that come out easily once a week when she has her bath. It seems to make her more comfortable. And since I've been doing it she's stopped doing that annoying slow inner ear itch where she sticks a back foot right inside her ear.

 

[Aru]

Depends what sort of infections your getting and if the ear is healthy when they are being plucked.

Plucking an ear with debris,inflammation or infection already present unless your planning on treatment immediately after= a bad idea as is causes trauma to the skin surfaces makes the areas pulled reactive and inflammed and leaves open pores at the hair roots that the likes of a bacterial infection can invade and colonise quite easily. The skin is a barrier we try and keep intact, adding little holes and inflammation does not help the barrier function of the skin. It occasionally has to happen to allow medication to be administered but its not an ideal situation.

Plucking a clean healthy ear to improve aeration because your getting repeated infection- particularly yeast infections where the climate - moisture level and degree of aeration within the ear is relevant however is helpful.In the same way as those dogs can sometimes benefit from cleaning to control debris and microorganism levels.
If the ear infections are down to allergies though its difficult to know if it will help as the hair isn't the underlying cause of the issue. The sensitivity/allergic response is.

I dont pluck ears or recommend it unless they have a history of ear infections.
If the current ear environment is working for the dog with 0 issues then don't change it and open it up to risk.

 

[Bellasophia]

Aru and scats...Vet and groomer...I respect your viewpoints...
but ,as a home groomer of my st poodles,who are on the table daily,and have their ear hair plucked when the hair in the canal is dead ,is IMO a completely different scenario. A home groomer knows their dogs,can handle their dogs and spot problems as they arise.
Vets and groomers take in clients dogs for this procedure on an irregular basis...the dog “hates” the ear pull because it is out of their comfort zone.
I am sure the groomer dreads the clients who say the dog needs his ears plucked,he’s always scratching etc..These are often the dogs who come in for a tranquilizer shave down to remove the annual matting buildup.

...returning to ear hair...
I never pluck the hairs around the opening of the canal...I either scissor or clip here...the hair here is live and will resist pulling.Pulling hair here hurts the dog ,so clipping is kinder ..
The dead hair inside the canal will pull easily ,especially with the use of a recommended ear powder. My dogs lay their head on my knee as I pluck ,a few hairs at a time.I swear they almost purr when the long deep ear hair( a harsher texture to the fluff hair in the ear lining) comes out of the ear. It is this deep hair that often brings the wax out of the ear.
I repeat I’ve never had a dog with an inflamed ear..if the hair isn’t ready to pull we leave it a week.

..a beagle owner told me she’d had repeated ear infections with her beagle..the vet kept prescribing antibiotics to no resolve.
I suggested thornit ,dusted in the ear, plus a deep clean withepiotic after a week or so.
Two years later the owner told me the dog has never had another issue with its ears..

 

[Bellasophia]

Dab Dabs post is a good example...
owner /groomer of her own dog,plucks ear hair when dog indicates it’s time..
ear hair pulls easily,because it’s dead hair..it’s the right time to pull...
dog benefits by stopping scratching.