The Zim Family Cocker Spaniel Forum

Our Samson had an ear infection about a month ago and we had to put antibiotic drops in his ear. No, we did not finish the meds because he refused to let us. It seemed to have worked for a little while, so we thought it was okay, but that odor is back, so I may have to take him in again. He shakes his head and rubs his ear on the ground, so I know it's hurting. Can anyone give us suggestions on how to distract him? When my husband and son even get near his ear, he tries to bite . We are not the kind of family who will fight a dog. He is a 40lb cocker. He stands taller than a 2-year old toddler. We can't hold him down. We are losing hope. This is the first time we've had to deal with ear infections and it's frustrating. Do you think the vet will do it for us? I'm ashamed to ask them, but he needs to be rid of the infection. Help Cocker Family! Thanks for the replies in advance.

If the infection is so bad that he is biting/fighting, I would go to the vet and have them do a surgical ear flush (he is put under anesthesia and the flush is done there) - then it's a matter of getting the "after" drops into his ears - at least you'll be able to sneak the antibiotic pill to him in a hotdog!

VET for sure. There is no way to calm him, he IS IN PAIN and it is only getting worse. Don't be ashamed to ask the vet for help. Good Luck and keep us posted

Simone,

First off welcome to the forum! You'll find this a wonderful place for help and support.

I'm so sorry your dealing with this! I know how frustrated and helpless you feel. One of my previous Cockers was a fighter/biter! It used to take two of us to hold her down to get meds into her ears. Of course she was only a 20 pounder not as big as your guy!

You've probably already tried lots of treats to distract him. So by all means ask the vet for help! Don't be ashamed! Your trying to do your very best to help your dog.. no shame in that!

I'd ask two things of the vet...

Would they be willing to administer Samson's meds as directed (as long as your able to transport him as needed) ... They will probably do it but may charge a fee.

Could they teach you how to safely hold him so you can administer his meds.

It may be that if they will do his meds for a couple days, and then help you to learn how to control him, that once the initial pain has been overcome, you would be able to do the meds yourself. By all means follow the vets instruction fully and don't skip the follow up exam to make sure the meds have worked.

This would be a circumstance where I would consider using a muzzle to protect against the biting. Placing a dab of peanut butter in the muzzle prior to putting it on will be helpful in getting it on and making it pleasant for Samson.

Do what ever is needed to get his ear infection under control. Once he is no longer in pain your job will be to handle his ears on a daily basis so that he becomes use to you doing it. Give him wonderful treats as you touch his ears. This will help him associate good things with getting his ears touched. Once he is comfortable with you and your family touching his ears by all means start him on preventative measures! Several of us use a product called Liquid Health K-9 Ear Solutions, others use the Zim ear cleaner recipe, to keep our dogs ears infection free. You can use what you like... that's another good thing to ask your vet.

Good luck.. .and keep us posted!

I'm it hurts when you put the meds in and massage it. Most dogs won't allow you to do what really hurts. Once it starts to clear up he will be more willing to allow you to medicate and clean his ears. Maybe the vet could get you on the path...like Lisa suggested, or after he did a procedure for them Any improvement will probably feel great to your big boy and make it possible to do it yourself.

I speak somewhat from experience. My first cocker suffered ear issues.

Shaking his head and rubbing his ears on the ground does NOT necessarily indicate that he is in pain! This is a normal reaction for a Cocker anytime you put any liquid in to his ears. You could put plain old tap water in to the ears of a Cocker that did not have an ear infection... and he would shake his head to get the liquid out, and he would rub his ears along the ground to try to dry them. Totally normal, any time you put anything inside the ear of a Cocker Spaniel. So, don't let the head shaking and ear rubbing lead you to a false conclusion that he is in pain. He may or may not be in pain, but the ear rubbing and head shaking are not good indicators of this.

You said that if your son or husband tries to get close, he tries to bite. What about you? Can you get close and put ear drops in? It's going to get real expensive if you have to go to the vet every time he needs ear drops.

If he will let you administer medicine in to his ears, you should take a look at http://www.zimfamilycockers.com/EarCleaner.html

I read it that he has a odor and is shaking his head and rubbing it on the ground withOUT meds. I believe that would indiciate pain?

When I clean my girls ears, they do rub and shake to get the liquid out. When I would treat my first cocker for ear infections he would cry. It hurt him to have them massaged to get the meds deep where I was told by my vet they needed to be. He never cried when I was cleaning them (when not infected)

Most of our Fosters .. after the initial surgical clean/flush at the vet, they then let us get close for the followup drops, and the once a week maintenance cleaning (I recommend that for every long earred dog!) with either Zim cleaner or my personal fave, K9 Ear Solution ... let us know how it goes! The fighting/biting is the only thing that would bother me (also, you shouldn't use either solution if the ear drum is perforated - but then all the fosters had an initial vet exam when coming into Rescue, so that question never came up).