My puppy's ears hurt! Is ear hair causing pain after vet check?

Question

My poodle x puppy (6m) has been scratching his ears for the last month and shaking his head. Vet said they are perfectly clean after checking them with a "...scope". It has been a week and he scratches/shakes more + now he yelps when the ear is touched or when he scratches it. Can yeast/mites be invisible on the inside but still present on the outside? Also, she mentioned his ears may need to be plucked, is this a good idea to prevent infections, can his hair be causing the pain? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | unneutered | 5 months and 18 days old | 13 lbs

David Darvishian · Accepted Answer

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Barni. The hair could be causing most of the problem right now. 2 schools of thought on hair in ear canals- leave it alone unless it's causing a problem and the other school of thought is to keep them plucked not matter what. Lots of hair in the ear canal can cause excessive itching and can make ear infections worse. Hair is full of bacteria which can aggravate the problem. Normally wax and secretions are produced in the ear canal and those are normally pushed along to the outside of the ear canal. This is a normal process of the ear cleaning itself. Hair causes an obstruction to this process and can lead to problems. Possible reasons for scratching at the ears can be flea infestation on and around the head, too much hair in the canals, an ear infection (ear mites, yeast, bacteria), or some type of skin infection involving the ears. I would advise a recheck with your vet or another vet if you need a second opinion. Typically when I see ears like this and the history you provided, I advise plucking the ear canals and then evaluating the ear canals for signs of problems. Plucking the hair often times requires some sedation/anesthesia due to pain. If there is a discharge in the ears, that should be examined under a microscope to evaluate for ear mites, yeast, and bacteria. If the ears are just inflamed, this could indicate problems with allergies. Once a diagnosis is made or suspected, a sound treatment plan can be implemented. This may include ear plucking, ear cleaning, ear medication, medicine for pain/inflammation, etc. I hope this helps. Good luck with Barni.

My puppy's ears hurt! Is ear hair causing pain after vet check?

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