Ears not smelly, but brown waxy stuff? - YorkieTalk.com Forums

sunamand · 08-02-2008, 01:09 PM

Question - I was doing my normal thing this afternoon cleaning out Darwin's ears, and pulling the inner hairs out, and noticed his right ear had quite a bit more wax than the left, and instead of being cream or light yellow, I swiped around with a q-tip and it's more of a light, rusty color...I sniffed the ear and it smells normal, but I cleaned quite a bit of this light rust colored wax out of his right ear...should I be worried? Now he's been scratching at his right ear and I finished cleaning about 20 mins ago...should I take him to the vet this afternoon??

chachi · 08-02-2008, 01:24 PM

If it looked like coffee grounds it is most likely ear mites. You will need to get ear drops from the vet for that

sunamand · 08-02-2008, 01:31 PM

No it was much lighter in color...what is the "normal" color of their ear wax supposed to look like? It was almost powdery when I was cleaning it, but in some places in his ear nooks it was clumpy, like ear wax. I just checked with a flash light, and I can't see anymore of it in his ear...is this something to get stressed about, or am I just being paranoid??

chachi · 08-02-2008, 01:45 PM

Its probably just ear wax then. In mine the ear wax looks like ours but is sometimes its a little brown also. If it were an infection there would be a sour smell

Erin · 08-02-2008, 01:47 PM

I wouldn't get stressed, but I'd take him to the vet just to check. They have that scope and they can look in there and see right away if there is a problem. Loki had an ear infection once and I didn't even know it until his annual checkup. My groomer cleans and plucks their ears every 6 weeks and they are very clean. The vet says it just happens. Loki wasn't even pawing at it or anything. If your vet is closed you could probably wait until Monday. Does he usually scratch/rub after a bath? Mine run around and rub their heads/backs on everything like maniacs after a bath.

sunamand · 08-02-2008, 03:43 PM

Yes! Darwin does that too after a bath, like he's trying to dry his face and head off. But I always gently swab with a q-tip to check for wetness, and the inside of his ears are never wet...so I'm very confused. I think I over did it a bit today with the cleaning when I saw the brown waxy stuff, I used lik 20 qtips, and I hope I didn't clean too deep, I was just trying to get all the gunk out. I always feel like I have no idea what I'm doing and regret what I do to him after the fact...hope I didn't make things worse.

izzierj · 08-02-2008, 06:53 PM

My little one had the same stuff inside her ears about a year ago...The vet gave us a rinse (bubbly stuff) and I believe an antibiotic , and the stuff that came out was unbelievable...Her ears were beautiful again...It never happened again...I think she got water in it from a bath and it sat there and became infected....I'd call the vet....Good luck...

Ellie May · 08-02-2008, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunamand

Yes! Darwin does that too after a bath, like he's trying to dry his face and head off. But I always gently swab with a q-tip to check for wetness, and the inside of his ears are never wet...so I'm very confused. I think I over did it a bit today with the cleaning when I saw the brown waxy stuff, I used lik 20 qtips, and I hope I didn't clean too deep, I was just trying to get all the gunk out. I always feel like I have no idea what I'm doing and regret what I do to him after the fact...hope I didn't make things worse.

I think most of us go through the "I hope I did that right" stuff.

Some vets will say it is okay to clean the ears with a q-tip and some say to NEVER EVER do that. Ellie's vet doesn't mind it but it needs to be done a certain way with the ear flap folded back. This way you can't go too deep. I would ask your vet to explain how they clean ears before doing it again.

If there was only a little bit of something on a q-tip with no smell, I really wouldn't be worried. Since you pulled out so much I would go to the vet. Even if it didn't smell bad, did it smell sweet? There is a possibility that it is yeast but usually you would smell something with that.

sunamand · 08-02-2008, 10:34 PM

I don't really think it had a smell...but now I'm sniffing his ears, and just had my boyfriend smell them as well, and he said they smell musty. Do ear infections happen in just 1 ear or both? We've had Darwin for almost 3 months, and he's never had this problem before, I plucked his ear hair by myself 2 weeks ago, and maybe that's the reason why?? Could I have caused ear infections by plucking his ear hairs? The vet is closed tomorrow, I'm going to call them 1st thing Monday morning. Poor lil pups...

MyFairLacy · 08-02-2008, 10:42 PM

Sometimes when I clean Lacy's ears I'll find light brown waxy material. She's never had an ear infection or ear mites. And it usually smells kindof "musty" too I'd say. If you think it could possibly be an infection, getting his ears checked out won't hurt.

So far as plucking, there are two schools of thought there. Some vets & groomers feel like plucking the ears keeps them cleaner and allows air to circulate better which gives yeast and bacteria less chance to grow. And other vets & groomers say "if it's not broken, don't fix it" and say plucking may irritate the ears and cause issues. I personally never pluck Lacy & Rylie's hair from their ears and they are almost 4 and never had an ear infection. I agree with the second school of thought..most dogs do fine with unplucked ears. However, if the dog starts developing ear infections, it might then be a good idea to start plucking.

Erin · 08-03-2008, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MyFairLacy

Sometimes when I clean Lacy's ears I'll find light brown waxy material. She's never had an ear infection or ear mites. And it usually smells kindof "musty" too I'd say. If you think it could possibly be an infection, getting his ears checked out won't hurt.

So far as plucking, there are two schools of thought there. Some vets & groomers feel like plucking the ears keeps them cleaner and allows air to circulate better which gives yeast and bacteria less chance to grow. And other vets & groomers say "if it's not broken, don't fix it" and say plucking may irritate the ears and cause issues. I personally never pluck Lacy & Rylie's hair from their ears and they are almost 4 and never had an ear infection. I agree with the second school of thought..most dogs do fine with unplucked ears. However, if the dog starts developing ear infections, it might then be a good idea to start plucking.

Does the plucking have anything to do with down/up ears? Loki's ears have TONS of hair in them and they are down, so my groomer insists on plucking them and my vet agrees with her. Sam's ears are up and she doesn't have much hair in there and he hates us messing with her ears so we just leave hers and she's fine.

MyFairLacy · 08-03-2008, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erin

Does the plucking have anything to do with down/up ears? Loki's ears have TONS of hair in them and they are down, so my groomer insists on plucking them and my vet agrees with her. Sam's ears are up and she doesn't have much hair in there and he hates us messing with her ears so we just leave hers and she's fine.

I really think ears will stand if they are meant to stand, whether there is a lot of hair on them or not. I do think if there is a lot of hair on the ends it may weigh them down somewhat, but I never pluck Rylie's hair inside of his hair and he has very thick hair in there. He's soft coated so he's got a TON of ear hair. I would recommend shaving the top 1/4-1/3 of the ear (tipping the ears) as it will stop any hair from weighing down the ears and gives them a neat appearance.

Erin · 08-03-2008, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MyFairLacy

I really think ears will stand if they are meant to stand, whether there is a lot of hair on them or not. I do think if there is a lot of hair on the ends it may weigh them down somewhat, but I never pluck Rylie's hair inside of his hair and he has very thick hair in there. He's soft coated so he's got a TON of ear hair. I would recommend shaving the top 1/4-1/3 of the ear (tipping the ears) as it will stop any hair from weighing down the ears and gives them a neat appearance.

I agree. What I meant was that since Loki's ears are down, is there more of a chance for infection than in a dog that has "up" ears? That's what I've been told but I have no idea if it's true.

I love shaved ears - I even shave them in between grooms. I never knew to shave them when Loki was a puppy though but I think his ears were down for good when we got him anyway. He also has a very soft, thick coat.

MyFairLacy · 08-03-2008, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erin

I agree. What I meant was that since Loki's ears are down, is there more of a chance for infection than in a dog that has "up" ears? That's what I've been told but I have no idea if it's true.

I love shaved ears - I even shave them in between grooms. I never knew to shave them when Loki was a puppy though but I think his ears were down for good when we got him anyway. He also has a very soft, thick coat.

I really don't know if there is more chance for infections. I know Cocker Spaniels are known for having ear infections and their ears are down...it would probably make more sense to have more issues with ears that are down. It seems like ears that are up have more chance of getting debris in their ears though since they aren't as protected.

sunamand · 08-04-2008, 07:35 AM

One office visit and $125 later, it's confirmed that Darwin has a yeast ear infection in his right ear. I was also told not to pull out the hairs in his ears unless his ears get infected b/c it could trigger an infection. Anyone else's babies prone to ear infections? How do you manage them to avoid in the future?? My poor lil pups...I feel so bad.

08-02-2008, 01:09 PM	#1
sunamand Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Emeryville, CA, USA Posts: 99	Ears not smelly, but brown waxy stuff? Question - I was doing my normal thing this afternoon cleaning out Darwin's ears, and pulling the inner hairs out, and noticed his right ear had quite a bit more wax than the left, and instead of being cream or light yellow, I swiped around with a q-tip and it's more of a light, rusty color...I sniffed the ear and it smells normal, but I cleaned quite a bit of this light rust colored wax out of his right ear...should I be worried? Now he's been scratching at his right ear and I finished cleaning about 20 mins ago...should I take him to the vet this afternoon??

08-02-2008, 01:24 PM	#2
chachi I Love My Yorkies Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Posts: 37,147	If it looked like coffee grounds it is most likely ear mites. You will need to get ear drops from the vet for that __________________ Chachi's & Jewels Mom Jewels http://www.dogster.com/?132431 Chachi http://www.dogster.com/?132427

08-02-2008, 01:45 PM	#4
chachi I Love My Yorkies Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Posts: 37,147	Its probably just ear wax then. In mine the ear wax looks like ours but is sometimes its a little brown also. If it were an infection there would be a sour smell __________________ Chachi's & Jewels Mom Jewels http://www.dogster.com/?132431 Chachi http://www.dogster.com/?132427

08-02-2008, 01:47 PM	#5
Erin Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Chicago Suburbs Posts: 3,306	I wouldn't get stressed, but I'd take him to the vet just to check. They have that scope and they can look in there and see right away if there is a problem. Loki had an ear infection once and I didn't even know it until his annual checkup. My groomer cleans and plucks their ears every 6 weeks and they are very clean. The vet says it just happens. Loki wasn't even pawing at it or anything. If your vet is closed you could probably wait until Monday. Does he usually scratch/rub after a bath? Mine run around and rub their heads/backs on everything like maniacs after a bath. __________________ Erin, Sammy & Loki Sewing patterns and tutorials @ www.dogundermydesk.com

08-02-2008, 06:53 PM	#7
izzierj YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Arizona Posts: 710	My little one had the same stuff inside her ears about a year ago...The vet gave us a rinse (bubbly stuff) and I believe an antibiotic , and the stuff that came out was unbelievable...Her ears were beautiful again...It never happened again...I think she got water in it from a bath and it sat there and became infected....I'd call the vet....Good luck... __________________ Michelle ~ and the girls ~ Harlee and Izzie ~ and our boy ~ Cole

08-02-2008, 01:31 PM	#3
sunamand Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Emeryville, CA, USA Posts: 99	No it was much lighter in color...what is the "normal" color of their ear wax supposed to look like? It was almost powdery when I was cleaning it, but in some places in his ear nooks it was clumpy, like ear wax. I just checked with a flash light, and I can't see anymore of it in his ear...is this something to get stressed about, or am I just being paranoid??

08-02-2008, 03:43 PM	#6
sunamand Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Emeryville, CA, USA Posts: 99	Yes! Darwin does that too after a bath, like he's trying to dry his face and head off. But I always gently swab with a q-tip to check for wetness, and the inside of his ears are never wet...so I'm very confused. I think I over did it a bit today with the cleaning when I saw the brown waxy stuff, I used lik 20 qtips, and I hope I didn't clean too deep, I was just trying to get all the gunk out. I always feel like I have no idea what I'm doing and regret what I do to him after the fact...hope I didn't make things worse.

08-02-2008, 10:34 PM	#9
sunamand Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Emeryville, CA, USA Posts: 99	I don't really think it had a smell...but now I'm sniffing his ears, and just had my boyfriend smell them as well, and he said they smell musty. Do ear infections happen in just 1 ear or both? We've had Darwin for almost 3 months, and he's never had this problem before, I plucked his ear hair by myself 2 weeks ago, and maybe that's the reason why?? Could I have caused ear infections by plucking his ear hairs? The vet is closed tomorrow, I'm going to call them 1st thing Monday morning. Poor lil pups...

08-02-2008, 10:42 PM	#10
MyFairLacy Donating YT 10K Club Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: DFW, Texas Posts: 11,003	Sometimes when I clean Lacy's ears I'll find light brown waxy material. She's never had an ear infection or ear mites. And it usually smells kindof "musty" too I'd say. If you think it could possibly be an infection, getting his ears checked out won't hurt. So far as plucking, there are two schools of thought there. Some vets & groomers feel like plucking the ears keeps them cleaner and allows air to circulate better which gives yeast and bacteria less chance to grow. And other vets & groomers say "if it's not broken, don't fix it" and say plucking may irritate the ears and cause issues. I personally never pluck Lacy & Rylie's hair from their ears and they are almost 4 and never had an ear infection. I agree with the second school of thought..most dogs do fine with unplucked ears. However, if the dog starts developing ear infections, it might then be a good idea to start plucking. __________________ ~Magnifique Yorkies~ Purchasing from backyard breeders, pet shops, and puppymills perpetuates the suffering of other dogs. Educate yourself and buy from reputable breeders or rescue.

08-04-2008, 07:35 AM	#15
sunamand Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Emeryville, CA, USA Posts: 99	One office visit and $125 later, it's confirmed that Darwin has a yeast ear infection in his right ear. I was also told not to pull out the hairs in his ears unless his ears get infected b/c it could trigger an infection. Anyone else's babies prone to ear infections? How do you manage them to avoid in the future?? My poor lil pups...I feel so bad.