Spaniel ears: how to properly care? Possible diseases and their treatment

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Spaniels are the most popular hunting dog today. This friendly creature is ready to walk many kilometers next to the owner through forests and swamps, help drive the duck out of the shelter and pull the shot prey out of the lake. At the same time, the spaniel has good he alth, which is very important if you are an avid hunter.

However, spaniel ears need constant care and attention. If you decide to choose this breed, then prepare cotton buds and tune in for a daily inspection. Charming ears are a kind of hallmark of this breed, but they create additional difficulties in care.

Prevention is the best cure

A spaniel's ears need to be ventilated first. The hanging position contributes to the accumulation of sulfur and the development of various infections. An additional factor is the overgrowth of the ear from the inside with wool. Thus, ideal conditions are provided for the development of pathogenic infections.

Therefore, spaniel ears are recommended to be carefully shaved or plucked from the inside. If the pet is not accustomed tosimilar procedures, you can, in extreme cases, cut the hair short with scissors.

Natural ventilation

There is another available preventive measure. Spaniel's ears can be raised above the head by fixing with a soft clip or hair elastic. This is especially true during meals. If this is not done, after the meal, you will have to wash the outer and inner surface of the ear, while there is a high probability that water will get inside the auricle. Often this leads to inflammation.

On a walk

Representatives of this breed love to walk very much. Active games and exercises in the fresh air strengthen the immune system, normalize the work of all organs and systems. Spaniel's ears get very dirty during a walk. The dog runs with its curious nose pressed to the ground, and long "canvases" dangle along the ground, collecting dust and germs.

Coming home, any owner will try to clean his pet. A wetted but not completely rinsed ear becomes an ideal incubator for bacteria. Therefore, before going out, take care to fix your ears high on your head. To do this, you can come up with a bandage-band made of soft elastic. The simplest option would be a piece of nylon stocking. It's fast, cheap, and great for keeping your ears clean.

Regular inspection

We have already mentioned that it is necessary to regularly inspect the entire ear cavity. Before that, prepare cotton swabs and discs, warm water. Lay your pet on its side and caress it to lie downcalmly during the procedure. Now turn the ear completely inside out and examine carefully.

Since cleaning the ears of a dog is not difficult, there is no need to go to the veterinarian every time. We offer you a general scheme, following which you can keep them in perfect condition.

Basic steps

If inside the cavity is heavily overgrown with hair, then take nail scissors and cut out all the long hairs, opening the ear canal. Now you can evaluate the presence of sulfur deposits. If there are few of them, the skin is pale pink, then you can do without special cleaning this time.

And how to clean the ears of a dog if you see that a lot of sulfur has accumulated? In this case, take a cotton pad, lightly moisten it with warm water and wring it out well. You don’t need to get into the depths of the ear with a wand, you remove only what is visible. If in recent days you have noticed that the dog is scratching his ears, it makes sense to connect special drops. However, be sure to check with your doctor.

Return from hunting

If you often spend time in nature, then the ears of the Cocker Spaniel need more care and attention. It is most important to keep moisture out of the ear canal to minimize the chance of inflammation. The working dog swims into lakes and rivers to provide game. If while bathing in the bathroom we can plug the ear canal with cotton balls, then on the hunt the dog must maintain perfect hearing.

To protect your ears,it is recommended to carefully shave the wool inside and lubricate the entire skin with sunflower oil. This will prevent water ingress, but does not guarantee 100% protection. Therefore, after the end of the hunt, it is necessary to immediately perform a number of procedures:

• Carefully examine the coat and ears for parasites.

• Dry the cavity with cotton balls.

  

Practical Tips

How does the owner determine when to intervene and when the condition of the auricle is completely normal? A hunting dog with long ears is a very beautiful creature, but the anatomy suggests that the owner must have certain grooming skills and know what to do in this or that case.

1. Opening the auricle. If the skin inside is pink and slightly warm, then you can finish the preventive examination on this. Do not forget to praise your pet for endurance.
2. The presence of thick brown sulfur is a reason to immediately arm yourself with special napkins or cotton swabs and remove it from the sink.
3. If you find blood-sucking insects, it is extremely important to quickly remove them with tweezers. In the summer, especially if you regularly visit the forest, such inspections should be regular.
4. If a dog shakes its ears, it is a warning sign. For the first time, you can pour a little special lotion into your ear and do a gentle massage of the auricle. After that, using cotton balls, you need to remove excess liquid. If every time after sleep the dog shakes his ears orscratches them with a paw, then be sure to consult a doctor. Probably an ear mite.
5. It's much worse if the dog's ear hurts. This is easy to understand as the pet loses activity, begins to lie down more, bows its head low, groans when trying to scratch or touch the ear.

6. Inflammatory diseases, otitis - this is very serious, as they can give a complication in the inner ear. As a result, long and complicated treatment may be required. Therefore, if the dog has an earache, then do not self-medicate, but go straight to the doctor.

   

Brushing technique

Speaking about how to clean the ears of a spaniel, it must be emphasized that it is the anatomical features of the breed that give rise to some difficulties. For example, owners of a Rottweiler or a German Shepherd may never know what this procedure means. It is the long ears of short-legged dogs that are the most problematic. However, everything is not so difficult, and with a little practice, you will easily perform all hygiene procedures.

• Spaniel ear care requires regularity, so the first step is to teach your pet that this is necessary. Do not catch the animal on purpose, it is better to time this procedure for moments of affection. When the dog is lying quietly, open the sink and inspect.
• While cleaning, talk to and praise your pet. This is extremely important to make it easier for you to start your examination in the future, and for this you need to associate hygiene with positiveemotions.
• First of all, moisten a wet disc and run it several times over the inner surface. Now you can close your ear and perform a massage. With light movements, you will knead the ear, and all the dirt and sulfur will easily dissolve.
• Now you can start cleaning the sink. Sulfur is usually easily removed with a cotton pad. You can clean up the inside of the bends with a cotton swab. Dogs usually tolerate massage very well, moreover, it brings them a lot of pleasure.
• If the dog is big, then there is no point in using ear sticks. Just wrap your finger in a strip of gauze, soak in a special lotion and clean the sink. Residual dirt can be removed using a special disc.

Must remember

Each ear uses its own set of cotton pads, swabs and swabs. In addition, it is advisable to change the solution in which you moistened the discs after treating one ear and wash your hands. This will prevent the transfer of infection from one ear to another, provided that there is one.

After the procedure, be sure to dry the inner surface of the ear and open the sink until completely dry. To do this, it is most convenient to use a mesh elastic band. Just put it on your dog's head and tuck your ears under it.

The ideal option is to use a special powder after cleaning, which dries the surface well and removes residual moisture. Instead, you can use a small amount of starch. But make sure it doesn't fall asleep in your ear canal.

Watching the dog's reaction

If your pet is acting calm or showing signs of enjoyment, then everything is going well. You can lightly massage and wipe the sink and let him go for a walk. But if a dog scratches his ears and starts to worry, this may indicate a number of diseases, ranging from ticks to inflammation.

Usually, symptoms are activated by outside interference. Therefore, if your pet just shook his ears and calmly lay down in place, this is normal, he shook out the rest of the lotion or water. If he starts scratching his ears with his claws, then contact the veterinarian.

Using special tools

We deliberately do not name special products for the care of the auricle, as well as for the treatment of diseases of the hearing organs. The fact is that if the dog is he althy, its ears are dry and pink, odorless, no liquid flows from them, then the use of any means does not make sense. You can wipe off sulfur and dust with a simple cotton pad moistened with water.

Folk remedies (hydrogen peroxide, potassium permanganate and others) can burn the mucous membrane and bring more problems. In case of a serious illness, they will not help, and they are useless for prevention, so their use is a big question.

Special veterinary preparations for the fight against ear mites, as well as for the treatment of otitis media and inflammation of the hearing organs, should be prescribed by the attending physician. Using them at your own discretion is permissible only in an emergency situation, when a veterinarian is not available, and the animal is suffering greatly frompain. In all other cases, you must first identify the cause of the disease, and then get a prescription from your doctor.

Ear scabies

Ear mange in dogs, or otodecosis, is a common disease that is caused by extremely unpleasant and harmful parasites. They settle on the inner surface of the auricle and in the ear canal. They feed on blood and particles of the epidermis. A few mites in a dog's ear cause only slight itching. But the colony grows, the animal begins to shake its head, rub its head against the corners, scratch its ears with its claws, tearing them to blood. In the area of the ears, persistent wounds and abscesses gradually form.

The advanced form of this disease leads to damage to the eardrum, meningitis (inflammation of the membranes of the spinal cord and brain) and arachnoiditis (inflammation of the arachnoid and pia mater of the brain). Before treating your pet, you need to make the correct diagnosis. If the problem is only in the ear mite, then it can be de alt with with the help of special drops "Otibiovin", "Mastiet-Forte", "Tera-Delta", "Aurikan" or "Otovedin".

Otitis in dogs

As we have already said, ear mites can lead to the development of inflammatory processes in the ears, that is, to otitis media. However, overgrowth of the ear canal can lead to inflammation of the ear canal. In this case, surgery is required, drugs in this case will not help.

Allergic otitis media is another common cause. There are breeds that are more prone toallergies, but this can happen to any dog. In this case, the veterinarian relieves inflammation with antibiotics and prescribes antihistamines.

A tumor in the ear canal is another reason for the development of inflammation. But the list does not end there. The cause of otitis media can be a foreign body in the ear or hormonal imbalance, water in the ear.