# Ticked off at Petfart groomer



## Purple-peep (May 14, 2009)

I took Libby for a little trim at Petfart last week. For puppies, they charge 15 for a bath, nails and a light trim. 

The groomer trimmer her legs so silly. They look really out of place. I can deal with that but she also pulled the hair out of Libby's ears!  The groomer told me that she had a ton of hair in her ears for a puppy. I was not told that this would be done. Now my poor girl has little sores in her ears. 

Is it normal to pull the ear hair? Should it be done if there is a lot of hair in there?


----------



## dwerten (Oct 6, 2007)

omg i just fell out of my chair when i saw this lol PETFART LOLLLLLLL 

i do not pluck any of my 3 as my dex had ear infections from that - your poor baby


----------



## Starsmom (Jan 31, 2009)

Ear hair removal is part of a normal grooming. But the sores are a another matter. Keep the ears clean, dry, and you may want to put a tiny bit of Neosporin on them if she has open sores from the hair pulling. If she shows signs of obvious discomfort see you vet. 

I guess you'll be looking for a real groomer now?


----------



## ilovemymaltese (Oct 9, 2008)

That is normal for groomers to do, but I was advised not to do this by my very experienced breeder so we don't pluck ears at all. They do create little sores in their ears.


----------



## sophie (Jul 9, 2006)

Aw, poor baby. I think more and more groomers are getting away from plucking the ear hairs.

Linda


----------



## Purple-peep (May 14, 2009)

I don't know what I was thinking. :embarrassed: I can give her a bath and trim her nails. Now, I'll be shopping for a clipper and some good sizzors and learn how to do it myself.


----------



## ilovemymaltese (Oct 9, 2008)

QUOTE (Purple-peep @ Aug 4 2009, 12:01 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=813336


> I don't know what I was thinking. :embarrassed: I can give her a bath and trim her nails. Now, I'll be shopping for a clipper and some good sizzors and learn how to do it myself.[/B]


Most dog clippers are too big for malts so you should get cat clippers, they work great for my Gigi!


----------



## roxybaby22 (Feb 25, 2009)

QUOTE (Purple-peep @ Aug 4 2009, 12:01 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=813336


> I don't know what I was thinking. :embarrassed: I can give her a bath and trim her nails. Now, I'll be shopping for a clipper and some good sizzors and learn how to do it myself.[/B]


That's great! I have found that groomers (at least in my experience) never give you exactly what you want, especially at Petfart. :smrofl:


----------



## LJSquishy (Feb 27, 2008)

If there is too much hair in their ears, they are more prone to ear infections because the air cannot circulate in them properly -- so just watch for any signs of prolonged moisture, smells, excess buildup, etc if you choose not to pull the ear hair.  I never have to do it with London, but Preston had an ear infection when I got him so I think I will keep his hair plucked regularly, and of course, I check his ears daily to make sure everything is okay -- after being on meds, his ears have stayed clean.

I'm sorry they messed up Libby's legs...they will grow back, though!  I'll be taking Preston into our groomer in the next month or so to get his first trim and chop off his topknot (I chopped London's off so I don't want a girl without one and a boy with one! lol).


----------



## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

if you are thinking about showing her (even casually) DO NOT take her to a groomer. Not even for a causual trim. They will screw her up. Maybe not this time, or the next -but it pretty much inevitable that someone will take it upon themselves to shave between her eyes or shave most of her butt hair off. That takes MONTHS to grow back out so definitely learn to do it yourself!


----------



## godiva goddess (Nov 19, 2007)

QUOTE (LJSquishy @ Aug 4 2009, 12:15 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=813345


> If there is too much hair in their ears, they are more prone to ear infections because the air cannot circulate in them properly -- so just watch for any signs of prolonged moisture, smells, excess buildup, etc if you choose not to pull the ear hair.  I never have to do it with London, but Preston had an ear infection when I got him so I think I will keep his hair plucked regularly, and of course, I check his ears daily to make sure everything is okay -- after being on meds, his ears have stayed clean.
> 
> I'm sorry they messed up Libby's legs...they will grow back, though!  I'll be taking Preston into our groomer in the next month or so to get his first trim and chop off his topknot (I chopped London's off so I don't want a girl without one and a boy with one! lol).[/B]


do you feel that if the groomers dont pluck the ear hairs, they (our babies) scratch their ears more? i feel like Mia scratches her ears but i was advised to not pluck her ear hairs neither...her ears are fine, no infections, and i have been telling her groomer to not pluck, but i wonder if that is why Mia scratches her ears?


----------



## myfairlacy (Dec 28, 2007)

LOL Petfart made me laugh out loud!

Plucking the ear hair is pretty standard for groomers to do, just like anal gland expressing, but neither should be done routinely unless a dog has an issue with their ears or anal glands.

Some believe that you should pluck the ears to prevent ear infections. Others believe if it's not broken dont' mess with it and that plucking can cause irritation and lead to infections. So my opinion is that I don't mess with their ear hair...I leave it as is and have never had an issue. If you have a dog that gets a lot of ear infections then you might want to try plucking to see if it helps..otherwise I wouldn't do it.


----------



## maltlover1953 (Sep 28, 2007)

> I took Libby for a little trim at Petfart last week. For puppies, they charge 15 for a bath, nails and a light trim.
> 
> The groomer trimmer her legs so silly. They look really out of place. I can deal with that but she also pulled the hair out of Libby's ears!  The groomer told me that she had a ton of hair in her ears for a puppy. I was not told that this would be done. Now my poor girl has little sores in her ears.
> 
> ...


----------



## briones1980 (Aug 21, 2008)

Since you can't be there when they're doing to grooming - I'd suggest bringing at least two printed photographs to give to the person doing the grooming to get *closer* to what you want.

I have to specifically ask them to pluck Dex and Rollo's ears, as they both had some infection at their 5-month check ups and the vet attributed it to their really hairy inner ears. After each groom those inner ears look different though, sometimes clean pink, sometimes it looks like they just removed half of the hair. 

I write with a marker on the photos I bring in what i do/do not want:


pluck ear hair

don't cut tail

not too short on butt area

trim food pad hair extra short

do-NOT cut a "visor" into bangs

Etc.



Good news is that it really seems to grow out so fast, so it's never that big of a deal if they mess up.


----------



## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

I learned to do mine myself. Once in a great while I'll bring them to the groomer--but I recently bought a good pair of clippers so I don't think we'll need to go to a groomer any time soon.

Once in a while after his bath I'll wrap Ollie up snugly in a towel, lay him on my lap, and "trim" not pluck, the hair in his ears. 

As for plucking I have had groomers do it without leaving a single mark and others who left little, bloody spots inside the ears. I don't know how that happens but, evidentally, it CAN be done the "right" way without leaving boo-boos. I just don't take any chances at all. No ear problems whatsoever.


----------



## sassy's mommy (Aug 29, 2005)

Sassy is 6.5 yrs old and I have always plucked her ears. Some dogs don't have a lot of ear hair, but with all of Sassy's thick coat she has lots of ear hair. Sassy has never had sores or an ear infection caused from plucking. Personally, I believe in plucking the inner ears.


----------



## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

I pluck mine, but you do not need to pluck them clean. Just enough so the ear can breathe. There is no reason for the ears to have sores after a proper plucking.


----------



## dwerten (Oct 6, 2007)

100% agree if it is not broke don't fix it -- I do not do plucking nor anal gland on any of my 3 


QUOTE (MyFairLacy @ Aug 3 2009, 11:53 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=813361


> LOL Petfart made me laugh out loud!
> 
> Plucking the ear hair is pretty standard for groomers to do, just like anal gland expressing, but neither should be done routinely unless a dog has an issue with their ears or anal glands.
> 
> Some believe that you should pluck the ears to prevent ear infections. Others believe if it's not broken dont' mess with it and that plucking can cause irritation and lead to infections. So my opinion is that I don't mess with their ear hair...I leave it as is and have never had an issue. If you have a dog that gets a lot of ear infections then you might want to try plucking to see if it helps..otherwise I wouldn't do it.[/B]


----------



## LJSquishy (Feb 27, 2008)

QUOTE (godiva goddess @ Aug 3 2009, 09:31 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=813356


> QUOTE (LJSquishy @ Aug 4 2009, 12:15 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=813345





> If there is too much hair in their ears, they are more prone to ear infections because the air cannot circulate in them properly -- so just watch for any signs of prolonged moisture, smells, excess buildup, etc if you choose not to pull the ear hair.  I never have to do it with London, but Preston had an ear infection when I got him so I think I will keep his hair plucked regularly, and of course, I check his ears daily to make sure everything is okay -- after being on meds, his ears have stayed clean.
> 
> I'm sorry they messed up Libby's legs...they will grow back, though!  I'll be taking Preston into our groomer in the next month or so to get his first trim and chop off his topknot (I chopped London's off so I don't want a girl without one and a boy with one! lol).[/B]


do you feel that if the groomers dont pluck the ear hairs, they (our babies) scratch their ears more? i feel like Mia scratches her ears but i was advised to not pluck her ear hairs neither...her ears are fine, no infections, and i have been telling her groomer to not pluck, but i wonder if that is why Mia scratches her ears?
[/B][/QUOTE]

Does Mia have a lot of hair in her ears, or just a thin amount? If she has a lot (to where it's hard to see in her ears), I would go ahead and pluck just a few hairs in each ear to give it better air flow. If she hasn't had ear infections by now, she should be fine as far as not plucking, but like I said if she has quite a bit of hair in her ears it might be itching her a little causing her to scratch more often.


----------



## godiva goddess (Nov 19, 2007)

QUOTE (LJSquishy @ Aug 4 2009, 10:22 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=813454


> QUOTE (godiva goddess @ Aug 3 2009, 09:31 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=813356





> QUOTE (LJSquishy @ Aug 4 2009, 12:15 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=813345





> If there is too much hair in their ears, they are more prone to ear infections because the air cannot circulate in them properly -- so just watch for any signs of prolonged moisture, smells, excess buildup, etc if you choose not to pull the ear hair.  I never have to do it with London, but Preston had an ear infection when I got him so I think I will keep his hair plucked regularly, and of course, I check his ears daily to make sure everything is okay -- after being on meds, his ears have stayed clean.
> 
> I'm sorry they messed up Libby's legs...they will grow back, though!  I'll be taking Preston into our groomer in the next month or so to get his first trim and chop off his topknot (I chopped London's off so I don't want a girl without one and a boy with one! lol).[/B]


do you feel that if the groomers dont pluck the ear hairs, they (our babies) scratch their ears more? i feel like Mia scratches her ears but i was advised to not pluck her ear hairs neither...her ears are fine, no infections, and i have been telling her groomer to not pluck, but i wonder if that is why Mia scratches her ears?
[/B][/QUOTE]

Does Mia have a lot of hair in her ears, or just a thin amount? If she has a lot (to where it's hard to see in her ears), I would go ahead and pluck just a few hairs in each ear to give it better air flow. If she hasn't had ear infections by now, she should be fine as far as not plucking, but like I said if she has quite a bit of hair in her ears it might be itching her a little causing her to scratch more often.
[/B][/QUOTE]

I just went over to Mia and looked into her ears..hehe...I can see into her ear fine, so I am guessing she has only a thin amt? I dont know what a thick amt is suppose to look like..lol. She doesnt scratch all the time but she does so periodically (maybe at least once a day?) so i always wondered if it were her ear hairs.


----------



## princessre (Dec 23, 2008)

Casanova has alot of ear hair (he has alot of hair in general), and has never gotten plucked, and has never had an ear infection. So I'm not inclined to change anything, either...


----------



## Purple-peep (May 14, 2009)

Thank you all for your input!

I took Libby to the vet today for her last round of shots, heartworm and flea control.

The vet cleaned out her ears and they were discusting! OMG I couldn't believe the crud she pulled out of there. They're not infected though, so that's good. She does want me to pluck the ear hair and showed me how to do it. The vet didn't see any sore spots so we're wondering if it was crud that I was seeing, not scabs.

I also talked with the vet about a Bile acid test. She recommends getting a wellness bloodwork first and go from there. 

She doesn't see any reason for getting the bile test done yet, since Libby doesn't have any symptons. What do all of you think about that?


----------



## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

I think it is important to have a bile acid test done (after 20 weeks) for a couple reasons:
1. so that elevated bile acids are not found later in life when the dog is ill and then pursued with aggressive diagnostics. For example, my 11 year old, as a young dog, had a seizure. Bile acids were done and were elevated. It ended in him having exploratory surgery. Had they been done when he was a pup, we would have known he was an MVD dog and not pursued it. 
2. so that if the dog has MVD caution with certain medications is used throughout the dog's life. 
3. a dog can have a NORMAL CHEMISTRY PANEL AND NO SYMPTOMS and HAVE A LIVER SHUNT OR MVD

I do all of my dogs now around 6 months.


----------



## Purple-peep (May 14, 2009)

Thank you very much for your help!

I'm going to have the bile test done. I'd like to know for peace of mind.


----------



## dwerten (Oct 6, 2007)

agree - my dee dee has mvd and no symptoms just showed up on bile acids so we know to be careful with anesthesia and meds. She is on soloxine and temaril p and doing great - she just went under anesthesia today for dental and dentist said she did great -- it is good to know so you an vets can be aware of it so they can take extra precautions 

QUOTE (JMM @ Aug 4 2009, 07:36 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=813655


> I think it is important to have a bile acid test done (after 20 weeks) for a couple reasons:
> 1. so that elevated bile acids are not found later in life when the dog is ill and then pursued with aggressive diagnostics. For example, my 11 year old, as a young dog, had a seizure. Bile acids were done and were elevated. It ended in him having exploratory surgery. Had they been done when he was a pup, we would have known he was an MVD dog and not pursued it.
> 2. so that if the dog has MVD caution with certain medications is used throughout the dog's life.
> 3. a dog can have a NORMAL CHEMISTRY PANEL AND NO SYMPTOMS and HAVE A LIVER SHUNT OR MVD
> ...


----------



## mamapajamas (Apr 12, 2009)

QUOTE (dwerten @ Aug 4 2009, 09:11 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=813438


> 100% agree if it is not broke don't fix it -- I do not do plucking nor anal gland on any of my 3[/B]


I agree with this. Some breeds, like poodles, that have densely packed ear hair, NEED to have their ears plucked regularly because it's a rich breeding ground for ear mites. But breeds with sparse ear hair, like Malties, can usually get by with an "owner's preference" take on it. The hair in a Maltie's ears is usually sparse enough to tell whether or not the ears are having a problem, so keeping them clean as a regular part of the grooming usually keeps potential ear problems at bay. Groomers who are accustomed to working with poodles might be a bit hazy about this point, though. 

The shop where I worked back in the '70s had 5 Malties that came in on a bi-weekly basis for bath/nails/ear check, and that was pretty rare back then for Florida. So I had the advantage of learning something about the breed 30 years before I decided to get one. B)


----------



## Carole (Nov 1, 2005)

When the groomer used to pluck Bella's ear hair....her follicles would get all irritated and she would scratch and rub her ears for days afterwards. Now we pass on plucking and Bella is so much happier. Krista doesn't mind a little plucking and has more ear hair than Bella (and finer hair) Krista is okay with it.... so maybe it just depends on the particular situation.


----------

