# plucking hairs in ears!!



## my baby (Aug 22, 2006)

Hello everyone!
This is the first post I have sent, but I have been getting alot of advice from the forum over the last two months about how to look after my furbaby.. so thankyou everyone!!








My furbaby is called Snoop, he is five months old and is adorable, the problem I have is that he has an ear infection which the vet has put down to the hairs in his ear canal not being plucked. I have always trimmed them short with scissors thinking I was being kinder. Is it necessary to have them plucked? Or is trimming OK? Snoop has so much hair in his ears that I think it would be really painful to pluck them all.
What does everyone else do?
Thanks in advance for all your help!


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## I found nemo (Feb 23, 2006)

I can't even pluck my eyebrows so I couldn't do Nemos..So my groomer plucks Nemo ears, thats all I know about it..Sorry..
Andrea~


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## Lizzie (Jan 26, 2006)

My short answer is Yes. Yes dropped ears dogs need their ear hair plucked since the hair traps moisture which leads to infections. Riley is my first maltese, but not my first drop earred dog and I've never had any indication that plucking the hair hurts them. At most, they get bored sitting there while you do it. You can buy ear powder that is supposed to prevent any discomfort, I've bought it, used it, never seen any difference with my dogs when I used it verses when I haven't.


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## Tina (Aug 6, 2006)

> I can't even pluck my eyebrows so I couldn't do Nemos..So my groomer plucks Nemo ears, thats all I know about it..Sorry..
> Andrea~[/B]


When I was a groomer, there was a controvery on hair in dogs ears. Some vets and people think it is better to pluck the hair out of the ear. They think that it prevents ear infections and fungus. Then there are some that believe when you pluck the ear hair you are opening up the pores and inviting infection to occur. 
A groomer uses ear powder which is supposed to open the pores and make pulling the hair easier. It is supposed to help prevent causing infections in the ear. The powder drys any moisture in the ear to help keep fungus from occuring.
If there is lots of hair it is best to do a little at a time. I've had some who could care less and some who come unglued the minute you flip the ear up and start to put the powder in. 
Again when I was a groomer I felt that it was important to get the hair out of the ears with dogs with heavy dropped ears. Such as poodles and cockers. And it is important to make sure the ear is dry. I saw in my regular customers that it cut down on problems with their ears. Not to mention my own dogs.


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## wagirl98665 (Jan 5, 2006)

I think it's a good idea to keep the hairs plucked. I think the ears stay much cleaner
and get less infection if they're plucked. I have the groomer do it.


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## Dove (Feb 12, 2006)

I pluck Di's ear hairs...I tried it without the powder and had a problem getting ahold of the hairs that need to be pulled...I got the powder and tried it and found it is much easier with the powder...I can hold on the hairs and pull...If they pull easy I pull them out if they pull hard I let go and try again...I figure if they are pulling hard then those are ones that shouldn't be pulled out...I did both Di and Squid (who's ears where really bad with wax) and they both did fine just got tired of sitting there...I have them lay on thier sides with thier heads on a pillow on my lap and when they get fidgety I let them get up run around for a bit then go back a little bit later...I had to give Squid several breaks because his was really bad and looked like it had never been done and he was a year old when we got him...


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## dr.jaimie (Mar 23, 2004)

> there are some that believe when you pluck the ear hair you are opening up the pores and inviting infection to occur.[/B]


 

this is what i believe just from personal experience..seems like they get ear infection when i pluck them. now the other vets i work with believe the hair needs to go

so it depends on who u talk to


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## Morkie4 (Oct 13, 2006)

> > index.php?act=findpost&pid=272476
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Yes, I take the hair out of the dogs ears (maltese & Yorkie) but I only do a few pulls at a time. I am going to try to put the powder in and see if that helps. The last time I had the Maltese to the vet for a dental, I had them pull the hair out and when I picked her up, you culd see blood coming from the ear AND they left a huge bruise on her chest where they had put the IV............needless to say, I am not going back to that vet, time for a change. And by the way, We NEED some more pictures of Tina.......my Yorkie sits and drools over her (lol). She is beautiful and so petite. Please post some more.


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## my baby (Aug 22, 2006)

Big thanks for all your advice







, I think the overall opinion is to get the hairs plucked so once the infection is cleared up, I will take snoop to the groomer and get the hairs plucked!!!
It will be his first trip to the groomers!! So I will have to take a camera with me to mark the occasion!!!


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## NONNY (May 21, 2006)

Izzy used to HATE to have her ears touched and only had her ear hair plucked while she was under anesthesia for other things. I was warned by every vet that she has seen that letting ear hair stay in their ears is going to cause problems sooner or later. Of course Izzy put up such a fight that the vets couldn't do her ears either. 



The advice I got (from several vets) was to pluck a few hair every day. It should not hurt! I was told that a few hair a day wasn't painful, but if you waited until their ears were full and did them all.....that it was going to hurt. Izzy has finally gotten to the point that she....well.....she puts up less of a fight! I started early with Chipper and he allows me to do his. I do a few hair in each ear every time I brush/comb them....so it's never a big deal now.


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## paris (Apr 8, 2005)

I pluck Paris' hair out of her ears with my tweezers. She will lay her head down and wait until I am finished. It doesn't hurt her. The only ear infection she has had was when I first got her. (knock on wood







) The vet even showed me her ears on this monitor thingy (not technical here) at her last visit and he said they were in great shape.


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## my baby (Aug 22, 2006)

I think I will try and do it myself then the first time and see how that goes...he might put up less of a fight!!!!
Will let you know how it goes.


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## starry (Sep 4, 2006)

Help?
How far in should we pluck?
I would be afraid I would poke my dog with the tweezers!
Do you finish off with any ear wash like Oticalm or is the powder enough with out making a cocktail out of it.


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## paris (Apr 8, 2005)

I have never used any powder. I do dry her ears out with some solution (can't think of the name of it) after her bath. I don't go in too far when plucking. Just what I can see is all I pull out. Do NOT pluck the hairs on the flaps, that will hurt them, just the hair inside the ear. I do rub her ears when I am done. Don't know if it makes her feel any better but it makes me feel better.


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## thelittlepet (Apr 18, 2006)

I only pluck what I can grasp with my nails, no tweezers here. It comes right out and I don't worry about getting every hair, just most. Of course as stated before, not the hair on the flaps and don't dig down into the canal. Mine just sit there. Bentley and Gidget will nearly fall asleep. I use my other hand to pet them while I clean and pluck ears so they are pretty relaxed and ready to nap. None of mine have ever had an ear infection. Gidget is 11 1/2 years old and my malt Ivory was nearly 11 as well.
Aimee


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## sweetbabybe (Sep 24, 2006)

When do they start to get hair inside their ears? Chloe is only 13 weeks, so she doesn't really have any hair to speak of on the inside. Does it really start to grow in there more as they get older? Anybody know?


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## Katkoota (Feb 18, 2006)

good topic







I have Snowy's groomer who pluck Snowy's ears, but I was wondering how often should you do that?


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## jude'n'jools (Apr 6, 2006)

I dont pluck any of my kids but they have very little anyway.


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## ladypup (Oct 22, 2006)

Some dogs have more hair in their ears, some less.
mine have very little, but i pluck it out anyway.
their ears stay very clean this way and (thank GOD) they never had infections

i read somewhere, and from my experiece as well, they do not have nurves in the skin inside the ear, so IT DOES NOT HURT them at all, it might annoy them a little, but this is a different story...

i used tweezers and i mostly use my fingers, i just hold their head in one hand and get it all out with the other.


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## Matilda's mommy (Jun 1, 2005)

I never pluck Matilda's ear hairs, she doesn't have much


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## ourdonbi (Feb 25, 2006)

> I can't even pluck my eyebrows so I couldn't do Nemos..So my groomer plucks Nemo ears, thats all I know about it..Sorry..
> Andrea~[/B]












I feel the same ^______^

by the way







to you and to snoop








wish i could give you some advice but so far no infections, *knock on wood* and my groomer does the plucking for me. Im too scared to even think about doing it.


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## dr.jaimie (Mar 23, 2004)

ok so my therory proved itself after pixel's grooming..the groomers plucked her ears and now one of them is aweful! it hurts and she has been shaking..i just started medicating it..it was bleeding from her scratching it..i will be sure to tell them next time to NOT pluck her ears.


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## ladypup (Oct 22, 2006)

> ok so my therory proved itself after pixel's grooming..the groomers plucked her ears and now one of them is aweful! it hurts and she has been shaking..i just started medicating it..it was bleeding from her scratching it..i will be sure to tell them next time to NOT pluck her ears.
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you know, i would never let a groomer pluck the hair out of my babies' ears
god knows where those tweezers were before
i doubt they sterilize it after every dog


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## my baby (Aug 22, 2006)

> ok so my therory proved itself after pixel's grooming..the groomers plucked her ears and now one of them is aweful! it hurts and she has been shaking..i just started medicating it..it was bleeding from her scratching it..i will be sure to tell them next time to NOT pluck her ears.
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That sounds awful, your poor baby... I would not be at all happy with that groomer, she must have been very rough.


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## jude'n'jools (Apr 6, 2006)

> ok so my therory proved itself after pixel's grooming..the groomers plucked her ears and now one of them is aweful! it hurts and she has been shaking..i just started medicating it..it was bleeding from her scratching it..i will be sure to tell them next time to NOT pluck her ears.
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Awww poor little Pixel


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## Scoobydoo (May 26, 2005)

> ok so my therory proved itself after pixel's grooming..the groomers plucked her ears and now one of them is aweful! it hurts and she has been shaking..i just started medicating it..it was bleeding from her scratching it..i will be sure to tell them next time to NOT pluck her ears.
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Jaimie, I agree with you, when I took Koko to see my vet she also advised not to pluck his hair in his ears. Our groomer does Scooby's but it was never done till he was over a year old. Barb, my vet said when they are so young if their ears are plucked you risk tearing the flesh because it's so soft and tender. I won't be plucking Koko's till he is an adult if ever


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## Carole (Nov 1, 2005)

> QUOTE





> there are some that believe when you pluck the ear hair you are opening up the pores and inviting infection to occur.[/B]


 

this is what i believe just from personal experience..seems like they get ear infection when i pluck them. now the other vets i work with believe the hair needs to go

so it depends on who u talk to
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I think it also depends on the situation with each individual Maltese....how much hair growth they have in their particular ears....and if the Maltese REACTS after being plucked. I have found that when I have let groomers pluck Bella's ears that she bats at them for weeks afterword







as it has irriatated and inflamed the hair follicles so much. She is so uncomfortable.







She has never had an infection because of dampness, but boy has she been miserable after a plucking. With no plucking ...no batting at her ears. Because of this, and that Bella has little hair growth in her ears...we seldom have Bella's done, and when it is done I asked them to do only a very light plucking. Krista, on the other hand, has lots of hair in her ears, and her ears don't seem to react to the taking of the hair ...so her ear hair is taken more often.


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## samsonsmom (May 4, 2005)

The groomer plucks the hair out of Sam's ears using the powder and he has never objected in the slightest, and he's pretty much of a wuss. 

Samsonsmom

This from a woman who fainted when I got a shot.

Sammie.


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## dr.jaimie (Mar 23, 2004)

they used powder for pixel at the groomer...i thought they only did it if u asked which is why i didnt tell them not to...but i know for next time. now poor pixel has a greasy head from the ear meds


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## ladypup (Oct 22, 2006)

> they used powder for pixel at the groomer...i thought they only did it if u asked which is why i didnt tell them not to...but i know for next time. now poor pixel has a greasy head from the ear meds
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poor baby, i hope she feels better soon!


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## Carole (Nov 1, 2005)

My girl's ears have never been done without powder.........but it made no difference with Bella......her hair follicles still reacted unpleasantly.







Like Pixel......I just don't think Bella is a good candidate for the ear plucking procedure.


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## sweetbabybe (Sep 24, 2006)

Hi all. I got an update on the ear thing. I just came back from the vet. She said that she doesn't recommend plucking hairs it if there is not a lot of hair in the ears, because the plucking can sometimes lead to infections.







She said that it's usually only recommended if the dog has really hairy ears or has shown a tendency towards ear infections. 

She said just keep an eye on the ears to make sure they look pink and healthy. Also, she said you should not go into the ear canal to clean it, just wipe the outer area with an ear wipe if it looks dirty, making sure to dry it afterwards with soft tissue or cotton pad to keep the moisture levels low.


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## my baby (Aug 22, 2006)

Thanks for asking about that, its good to get another vets perspective on the issue.


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## Holliberry (Feb 5, 2005)

> ok so my therory proved itself after pixel's grooming..the groomers plucked her ears and now one of them is aweful! it hurts and she has been shaking..i just started medicating it..it was bleeding from her scratching it..i will be sure to tell them next time to NOT pluck her ears.
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Jaimie, I just went through the exact same thing. I posted not long ago about poor Phoebe's experience







Hope Pixel is feeling better by now with the meds. I will say that Phoebe is STILL having problems with that ear. I dont know if its because the hair is starting to grow back in, and that can be itchy, or if there is some remaining infection. Her poor ears got raw from the medicine. She's still shaking her head and scratching it.

The groomer felt so bad that she groomed her for free the next time. I tried to insist it wasnt her fault, but she left the money on the counter. Shes awesome.

Phoebe has alot of hair in her ears, but no issues until they were plucked. I think that the hair might actually prevent stuff from getting down in there. I'd say unless there is a problem, leave it. The thought of tearing their little skin in there...


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## Lacie's Mom (Oct 11, 2006)

I raised Lhasa Apsos for years and the only time I had ear infections is when I plucked the hair from the ears. Clients would call me and tell me their baby had an ear infection and I would ask if the groomer was plucking the hair from the ears and they would always answer yes. I would tell them to instruct their groomer not to and the clients would tell me that they never had another ear infection.

All of the Vets and the Groomers seem to be trained that plucking the hair from the ears is best, but I have always had drop ear dogs (like my two adorable maltese now) and I don't pluck. I do clean the ears out gentlely with a q-tip and I make certain that the ears are dry after their baths, but I don't pluck.

Since I stopped plucking (about 25-30 years ago), I have not experienced an ear infection in one of my dogs.

Lacie's Mom


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## dr.jaimie (Mar 23, 2004)

> I raised Lhasa Apsos for years and the only time I had ear infections is when I plucked the hair from the ears. Clients would call me and tell me their baby had an ear infection and I would ask if the groomer was plucking the hair from the ears and they would always answer yes. I would tell them to instruct their groomer not to and the clients would tell me that they never had another ear infection.
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> All of the Vets and the Groomers seem to be trained that plucking the hair from the ears is best, but I have always had drop ear dogs (like my two adorable maltese now) and I don't pluck. I do clean the ears out gentlely with a q-tip and I make certain that the ears are dry after their baths, but I don't pluck.
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i was trained in vet school not to pluck..i think its the oldschool way..the dermatologist at school told me if it aint broke dont fix it when it comes to ear plucking


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## Gemma (Jan 19, 2006)

just like Pixel, same thing happened to Sparkey this time that he went to groomer. he plucked his ears and shaved the inside too. he was shaking his head like crazy but I looked inside with a flash light and it was really clean and didn't smell or anything. I thought maybe some hair went in there. when he scratched his ears he made a sad noise which means it hurts. he is not shaking his head now but I'm still watching him. it kind of smells a little. I'm going to have to learn to clean his ears and believe me no one will be plucking his ears anymore. this is good news since I decided to do his grooming myself


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## 2maltese4me (May 8, 2006)

> My short answer is Yes. Yes dropped ears dogs need their ear hair plucked since the hair traps moisture which leads to infections. Riley is my first maltese, but not my first drop earred dog and I've never had any indication that plucking the hair hurts them. At most, they get bored sitting there while you do it. You can buy ear powder that is supposed to prevent any discomfort, I've bought it, used it, never seen any difference with my dogs when I used it verses when I haven't.[/B]


I guess I'm super lucky. Cooper and Gracie have never had their ear hair plucked....and neither of them have ever had an ear infection......I don't use powders or any other product in their ears....Cooper will be 4.


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## gattirenata (Jul 28, 2006)

Mac's vet said the hair on his ears need to be plucked.
the funny thing is that he has more hair in one ear than the other.

the stupid vet (the other one, not his vet) pulled the hair so hard that now he doesn't let anyone to touch his ears. So it's been a battle.
but I've been doing it little by little. 
last night a got a nice chunk of hair and it really seems like it didn't hurt him. He just get upset because he doesn't want me to touch his ears. 
Every 15 dys I use this biogroom stuff on his ear to prevent wax build up. It seems to be good too. He doens't have too much wax and his ears always look clean and smell good. 

if that powder help to get the hair out of his ears a little easier, I would like to use it... but no one here mentioned the name!
is a specific powder or anyone (ear powder) does the job?

thanks


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## Aarianne (Jul 22, 2005)

I guess my grandpa who was a vet rubbed a little old school off on me... I'm of the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" group too. I looked at my pups' ears once, contemplated plucking and decided to leave their delicate ears alone after picturing the mess my sensitive skin is in after plucking.

The only ear upkeep I do is use a solution after baths to make sure they dry out well. I forget the name of mine too and am at work. I just put a couple drops in each ear, followed by ear massages to work it in, then I flip them up for a bit to be sure things are really dry. It smells a bit chemically for the first day but soon after they're completely odorless and we can go back to nuzzling eachother.









I flip my dogs' ears up once in a while randomly too when they're lounging with me and they flip up on their own when playing. One of my dogs has in between yorkie and malt ears though so I think they air out just fine... the other has more typical malt ears, so I do the ear flip with her mostly.


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## Carole (Nov 1, 2005)

The answer in general from a concensus of the EXPERIENCE of Maltese owners here is

don't pluck.









I believe in threads like these we get more great solid information than we can ever get from any one vet...especially if our vet went to school years and years ago....and they never owned a Maltese themselves.


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