#2Doods A to Z: EARS

Thursday, April 5, 2018

EARS

So you want a Goldendoodle. You love the looks, the face, the personality and more. But are you ready for THE EARS?
"Poodles are among a select group of breeds, which also includes cocker spaniels and golden retrievers, that are especially prone to ear infections." {source}
The long floppy ears and the extra hair inside the ears of doodles make them even more prone than their parents. We know this first hand. Cooper's very first vet visit showed an ear infection. The vet tech plucked the hair in the ears (for better air flow) and they sent us home with Zymox. A couple weeks later he was tilting his head to the right almost all the time and even the folks at his doggy day care mentioned it. This time he came home with antibiotics. It improved but the head tilt stayed, not as severe but apparent. When he went in to get neutered, we asked them to do an internal ear inspection (only done under anesthesia). Turned out he had a hole in his ear drum. More Zymox and antibiotics. All this before he turned six months old!

I now keep the OTC Zymox on hand and anytime he starts to tilt his head more than normal, I use it for a couple of days. Murphy has shorter ears and less hair and so far we've only had to use Zymox twice (when he was scratching them a lot).

If your pup is scratching his ears a lot, take him to a vet. It may not be an ear infection, it could be ear mites or allergies. But an untreated infection can cause permanent deafness!

Here you can see the difference in their ears - Murphy on the left and Cooper on the right.

Doodle on!

           
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24 comments:

  1. Dog ears a a problem in any breed that has folded ears. Ridgebacks being hounds also have real problems. One of the first behaviors I taught her was to rest her head on my knee and let me clean them. Hard to do on a 80 lb dog that does not want it done. Dog ownership does come with so many extra "joys" that you only find as the years go by.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Because he's had issues since he was little, Cooper really doesn't like it. He ended up with a yeast infection this time - drops daily. He's not a fan. Then we have a new type of cleaner to use after his checkup next week.

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  2. You can really see their different personalities in those Eyes!! Adorable!
    http://katytrailcreations.com

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    1. They truly do have different personalities. Cooper is the goofy one and Murphy the studious one. Sort of the jock and the nerd!

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  3. Poor pup! I'm glad you were so proactive with him. Those two are too adorable.

    Too adorable.

    @IsaLeeWolf
    A Bit to Read

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    1. Thanks...you're right. TOO adorable to get TOO mad at. LOL!

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  4. Oh my goodness! What cuties. Even with the ear issues!!

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  5. It is great that you notice these things and are proactive. I had no idea the infections could lead to deafness but it makes perfect sense.

    Emily In Ecuador | Emily in Puerto Lopez

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    1. We knew going in that Doodles can have issues with the ears and they also are prone to eat clothes (socks, especially). So we opted for the pet insurance and it's been a good investment. Fortunately, no socks. LOL!

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  6. Ear issues seem to be a big part of a dog's life - specially with golden doodles I guess because of the shape of their ears. The dogs look adorable and this is a useful theme.
    http://www.kalpanaawrites.com

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  7. Our lab gets a lot of ear infections especially after he's been swimming. We have to clean his ears out with special cleanser every time he swims. Weekends In Maine

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    1. Fortunately, Cooper can't get to our pond or I suspect we'd really have issues!

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  8. I find dogs with long floppy ears very cute, but now I understand the challenges too.
    www.volatilespirits.com

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    1. Challenges, yes. But lots of love to make up for it. Thanks for dropping by!

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  9. sorry to hear about the puppy's ear infections. I'm glad you are able to keep them under control now. Very cute pups!

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    1. Hi Marcy, thanks for stopping by to read and comment. Hope you'll be back for more fun photos & topics.

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  10. My daughter's labradoodle has had had no ear problems so far, but her labs and retrievers need ear cleaning operations on a regular basis. Love your dogs.

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    1. Hey Bob, so glad your daughter's labradoodle has escaped the ear issues. For some reason I think it has more to do with the goldendoodle mix. I know my old Golden Retriever often had both ear and skin issues. Ugh!

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  11. Murphy and Cooper are such cute pups! But yes, the pendulous ears! Bernie's ears are longer so he had one infection several months ago. Now when I do see him scratching his ears, I'm hovering over him checking the situation out too:)

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    Replies
    1. Most of the time Zymox takes care of it...but in this case, not so much. He is currently fighting a yeast infection. We now will have the groomer trim his ears every time he goes into doggy day care (7-10 days).

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  12. The pups are really cute! Obviously it takes a lot of effort and care to keep them healthy.. almost like humans!

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