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Stinky ears

3K views 20 replies 10 participants last post by  kontiki 
#1 ·
So teddy has bellybutton ears. They smell like bellybutton. Don’t pretend u dont know what stinky bellybutton smells like 💁🏻‍♀️ Which last time was ear infection. How do I avoid him getting an ear infection every few months? I have ears cleaned every 6 weeks. I use the ear wash vet said to use. They r just too hairy and too floppy. No air flow. What’s the solution?!🤦🏻‍♀️
 
#2 ·
Mia sometimes gets ear infections after swimming - the water gets trapped in her big, hairy, floppy ears, and a few days later she smells like Fritos. I gently wipe her ear leather with diluted white vinegar (50:50) and it goes away. Sometimes I prophylactically treat her ears, e.g. right after coming home from the lake.
 
#5 ·
Ears are also naturally moist, so moisture gets trapped in there even when it's not been introduced by a lake or a bath.

Does Teddy show any signs of allergy? Itchy paws, GI upset, etc.? If so, this might be a more systemic issue, which you can treat holistically, possibly through diet.
 
#11 ·
I am no expert as Bobby is my first poodle. But we have a pretty good grooming routine in between his professional groomings. I actually inspect and clean his ears at least weekly. I use ear wipes but I used the vinegar solution like mentioned above with my last dog, a Great Dane and that worked great! After talking with the vet and groomer we decided Bobby needed his ears plucked because the hair was growing into his ear canal. Even the the breeder said he had extra hairy ears. He gets his plucked on his professional grooming days. Plucking isn’t needed for all poodles is my understanding and some feel it isn’t good to do but I think it depends on the dog. Maybe ask your groomer if you use one and the vet to determine if that would help if you don’t already pluck. Another thing I do when I clean his ears is I very lightly sprinkle ear powder in his ears and then cover my hands on the outside of his ears and message them so his ears are nice and dry. He loves it! 😊 So basically his ears get cleaned and dried weekly which is simple to do because I’m brushing and combing anyway and then plucked every 4 to 6 weeks. This routine has worked really well. He has never had an infection and his ears never smell. There definitely could be other culprits as mentioned by others but thought I’d share our routine. Poodles are most definitely a lot of work but it’s so worth it!😊
 
#12 ·
Raven has allergies and takes Cytopoint injections to control the symptoms. I can tell when she is due one because her ears get really grungy and stink as you describe. I find I can prevent a lot of it by using the vinegar wash proactively and keeping the hair plucked. The hair in her ears gets very long and dense and almost mats down in the ear canal. Wren’s ears never need plucking because it’s very thin and sparse and he doesn’t have allergies. They are all so different😜
 
#13 ·
Peggy's got a decent amount of hair in her ears, but our groomer prefers to pluck very sparingly (or not at all, if possible). The only time Peggy's shown ear irritation was after her first post-covid grooming, because it had been so long between appointments/ear cleanings. Our groomer warned us she'd be sensitive for 24 hours and she was.
 
#14 ·
Now that I think about it he has been skiddish and notices everything thing and was bothered by noise. He’s been difficult lately just growing teething and kinda changing but I wonder if that is ear infection. He was just at the vet two weeks ago and vet said ears looked fine. I’ll call vet in the morning. I tell ya this dog has been sooo high maintenance. I’ve spent more on him than my kids combined lately 🤦🏻‍♀️
 
#15 ·
Raffi had slightly stinky ears for a bit when he was younger.
I started plucking small amounts of hair (literally like 10 hairs) every few days, and I used ear powder.
The ear powder especially seemed to make a big difference, and also helps with the plucking.
Now I don't have to do either nearly as much. I just use the powder if he has been damp (out in the rain or splashing around in the pond) or if I notice that his ears are getting moist.
 
#16 ·
Dogs will floppy ears are more prone to ear infections as they do not get the air flow like dogs whose ears will stand. Poodles even more as their fur will grow deep into their ear canal. About every 6 weeks for a good clean out should be fine, thats about what I do. However weekly I examine the ears and if I start to see any wax I will use ear cleaner, massage it well into the ear the dry it as best I can with a cotton ball till I don't hear a lot of the squishy sound. Sometime I will even clip his ears up for an hour or so while they dry. I keep the (Inside) outside hair clipped too to help with the ventilation, lol Also if I suspect he has an irritation I use the zymox with hydrocortisone in his ear, which is why I also use after through cleaning. It soothes any irritation from plucking. We have not had a infection now in two years.
 
#20 ·
If Benadryl is helping his eyes, that confirms an allergy. Progress! Hooray!

If you're not already doing so, I'd start making a list of his symptoms and keeping track of all his food, treats, and products he comes into contact with (e.g. shampoo). When his ears flare up or he seems itchy, make note of that, too. You will start to connect the dots.

I wouldn't consider the Benadryl a longterm solution. And using it daily will prevent you from figuring out what he's actually allergic to. But it's good to have on hand for severe symptoms.
 
#18 ·
In my experience you don't want to pluck while the dog has any signs of irritation or yeastiness in the ears. Pulling the hair out leaves an open, irritated follicle and lets the yeast and bacteria get deep down in. Several times I've had a mild flare-up turn into a rip-roaring infection after plucking. Get the infection under control before going after the hair.
 
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