Ecko's Vet Visit

Since I was under the weather with a nasty cold last week, Ecko didn't get as much entertainment as I would have liked, nor did I have the energy to get her into the vet for her shots. We made it into the vet's today for her 2nd shot and a quick checkup. The vet pronounced her weight to be good (16.8 pounds) and her ears clean. She distracted Ecko with a cookie while she gave her the shot so she didn't even notice.

The vet and I had a discussion on ear care philosophy. I've been fortunate that none of our PWDs over the years have had ear problems and we've only had one or two ear infections in the 19 years that we've owned PWDs. That's a much better track record than we had with our Labs! I've found that dirty, yeasty ears are usually more of a problem in pups and senior dogs and they do need more cleaning and upkeep during these stages of their lives. Allergies may be an underlying cause behind ear infections in some dogs.

Some breeds, including PWDs, grow hair in their ear canals and many vets and groomers are adamant that the ear canals should be thoroughly plucked of hair during grooming visit. I find that if I do too much plucking, the dogs ears are irritated and look red and sore and they seem more prone to infection. "Naked" ear canals also seem problematic for the dogs when they are swimming a lot and they are constantly shaking their heads to clear the water from their ears.

When I pluck our dogs ears, I do it when they are getting their routine grooming. I only pluck what I can pull fairly easily with my fingers and only the waxy mats of hair that look like they might be blocking air flow in the ear. I often shave the ear flaps and under the dog's ears shorter in order to facilitate air flow into the ear.

I find with ear plucking, as with many things, moderation is the key.