The Zim Family Cocker Spaniel Forum

Hey everybody-

I am about to ask a really silly question, so just...be prepared. =P

Is it normal to have a Cocker that has zero ear problems? I know that sounds silly, but obviously we talk a LOT about Cocker ear issues on the forum and elsewhere, since so many of these pups seem to have ear infections. The first several months of Oliver's life, I made special attention to clean our his ear canals with the Zim cleaner every two weeks or so, regardless of whether or not he needed it. I haven't treated his ears in maybe two or three months now, and I just can't find any justification in doing it, since he's ears seem totally normal to me? I make certain to have his groomer shave the insides so moisture doesn't get the chance to build up in them, and I check them regularly to make certain they don't smell of yeast or look gunky.

By all accounts, his ears look totally normal to me, slightly pink and not sensitive to the touch. There is no odor at all.

Do I need to treat his ears anyway, and just call it preventative medicine? I know this is a perfect example a Cocker dad fretting altogether too much over something silly, but I just want to be sure.

Thanks for bearing with me and my silliness!

Sense you have no ear problems, several reasons why you have no problems, the canal could be large or normal size and the dogs food diet is great. (wonder if the sex of the dog matters here as boys heads are larger) I was told by an expert breeder they could drive a Greyhound bus into my Oliver's ears. We do treat his ears about every three to six months if needed or not. His ears flaps sometimes on our walk are like wings so lots of air flow there. Just do what your doing.

You are lucky like us.

I don't treat ears but rather clean ears every bath day. This involves ear cleaner, letting them shake their heads, and then carefully removing any excess or gunk with a cotton ball. Also keep the ears properly groomed allowing air to get into them is a big factor.

Not to scare you, but that is exactly how I felt about my Eb's ears and if you check for my recent thread on her ablation, you'll see me admit I wish I had just not been so confident and cleaned more often and had her checked more often. Your Oliver may not have the additional greasy skin issue Eb has but you know, for the little bit of effort it takes to clean their ears on a regular basis, you might just avoid what Eb has just gone through after 8 years of what I thought were healthy ears. She is a dog who her old vet used to complain he made no money from as her ears were always fine. As a result I just wasn't as consistent in regular cleaning as she just didn't seem to need it. I am sure regretting that now. Guess the bottom line is don't become complacent because it can really come back to bite.

JeanG

My Amy had problems on one ear, as long as we kept up on cleaning diligently, she was fine. She loved to swim in the pond so we had to really keep on her... Amber so far doesn't but I clean ears pretty well. She doesn't like to swim in the pond, so much easier to keep up on her...
I also keep the hair trimmed back on her ears too. That seems to help a lot...

Thanks for all of the input.



Jean, okay...you've got me convinced that regular cleanings are going to become the norm, even if it's not needed! I am not going to clean near as often as I was, because Oliver hates it...but I'll do it monthly or so, like Vickie said...I suppose better safe than sorry! I'm not too worried about ablation just yet, since it's only been a matter of weeks that we've skipped ;-)

Thanks again!

Adam,

My previous cocker didn't have any ear problems till she was over 10 years old! She was groomed frequently and the groomer kept her ears nice and shaved. I never cleaned her ears till she started getting infections. I was very lucky that no matter how much pain she was in, she never fought us medicating/cleaning her ears. In hindsight, I should have been handling them all along so that she was used to it. That's what I do now with Chesapeake... at least every other week I use K9 liquid health.

I agree with Lisa, my first cocker didnt have any ear issues until she got older,due to allergies kicking in, or more, that the immune system was breaking down. When she was younger the vet said it was nice to see a cocker who didnt have runny eyes and icky ears. Her temperment wasnt the best and having to medicate and clean the ears I would have her snapping at me. So get him use to having his ears cleaned now while he is still young. Snicky on the other hand needs to have her ears cleaned on a regular basis,her ears produce a lot of wax,I try to hold off to an every other week schedule, but sometimes its sooner, I smell her ears everyday and if I get a wiff of yeasty odor, in goes the ear cleaner.

It's pretty rare to have a dog with no ear issues at all. What some people think of as normal is really a yeast infection. One breeder I know of told her friend, who then asked me, that brown stuff in a cocker ear is 'normal'. It most certainly isn't.

Bigger canals which usually come with field bred dogs, definitely have less issues than a smaller canal.

Don't forget, what we can see is only half the dogs ear canal. What is brewing down deep can only be seen with an otoscope.

Is it possible to have no ear issues? Yes. Is it likely? No. Even if it's not a swollen, oozing mess, it can still be an infection, however minor.
I'm not saying this is the case with your dog at all. Just pointing out facts.

I groom for a living and do between 8-10 dogs five days a week. All dogs get cleaner put in their canal, swished around, and cotton stuck in during the bath. I would say the percentage of ALL dogs, including prick eared ones, that don't have some kind of gunk come out of their ears on that cotton is around 20%.

I subscribe to the ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure motto. Everyone hear gets a drying cleaner at least once a week. their cotton is always clean as a whistle.

Sense we have those lop ear dogs we get really close to our best friends. A good sniff of the ear canal is a great start. There should be no smell. As Julie said, we only see the better half, if we see it there it's worst deep inside.

Thanks again for all of the input everybody. I think I'm going to drop the frequency of his cleanings to once every two weeks, but there really is no reason not to do it if he's getting bathed anyway :-)

Thanks again guys!

Neither of my cockers (one American, one English) have ever had ear problems at all. However, I do use Thornit powder in their ears once or twice a month just to keep them in good condition and it seems to be working.

Gromit has never had ear problems. My vets says she's never seen such clean ears on a cocker. I started with the Zim cleaner every week, but found that was overkill. Now, I do them about every three weeks, when she gets bathed. The only exception is if she's been swimming, which lately has been several times a week. After swimming, I always give a squirt of the ear cleaner into each ear, to prevent any nastiness from trying to grow!