Ear Care & The Truth About Ear Plucking

Ear hair serves as an important function in maintaining good ear health and is intended to act as a filtration system to protect the inner ear canal from dirt and bacteria. Leaving too much hair can cause the canal become impacted which prohibits air flow, trapping bacteria inside the ear and harboring a dark, moist environment perfect for infection. Pluck all of the ear hair, and you blast the doors wide open inviting dirt and bacteria to waltz right in. The answer to good ear health is a balance between the two.

Ear infections occur when there is a build up of bacteria or yeast in the ear and usually present themselves in the form of a strong odor, redness, itching, head shaking, and/or discharge. This painful condition can be the result of excessive or over-plucking ear hair, ear wax, ear mites, excessive cleaning or water build up in the inner ear canal. Chronic ear infections are also a common symptom of food allergies or genetic dispositions like shallow ear canals. Infections left untreated can eventually lead to severe pain, deafness or even facial paralysis. Consult with your veterinarian if you think your dog may have an ear infection.

Maintaining good ear care is important to your dogs overall health which is why we include ear cleaning in all of our grooming packages. Even healthy ears can get dirty, so make it a habit to check them regularly  in preventing a possible infection from developing. It's important to keep in mind that if an infection already exists, the safest way to treat is by your veterinarian. If your dogs ears need to be cleaned or you plan to clean them regularly, it's essential to use gentle cleansers that won't strip the natural protective oil layer in the ear