Having a blond moment sorry as this is posted twice under blog. So third time lucky. Have a five year old basset who constantly has dirty, smelly, yeasty ears, which I know can go with the breed but feel I am missing something. Outer ears are cleaned daily with cooled boiled water using cotton wool, have also tried Thornit, Benzyl Benzoate, I have been told that diet could be a factor but as he has suffered badly from colitis in the past (every couple of weeks) I am not keen to change as his present food has kept him free for almost two years. Suggestions?

One of my Beardies has sweaty, greasy ears, and cleaning with warm water wouldn't touch it.

I put ear cleaner in to dissolve the muck and debris, then soak cotton wool in it the following night, to clean all round the outside of her ears.  The cleaner brings all the muck to the surface.  Once the ear is clear, a weekly clean keeps things nice and fresh.

I tried this one last time, and it has worked very well indeed.

http://www.hyperdrug.co.uk/Veterinary-Ear-Cleaner-250ml/productinfo/CANEAR/

Jean, I have tried ear cleaners and do still use them and yes they do clear things out but often within 24 hours its back again.

Has he been checked for ear mites? Are you also treating his feet (infection can be transferred from feet to ears and back again when they scratch)?

No I haven't had him checked as I've been advised that with the amount of cleaning, Thornit and Benzyl Benzoate ect that he would not have them having said that I haven't used thornit on his feet.

Unless his ear canals have been checked using an otoscope you might not be able to see any mites - they might be too far down.

What does your vet say?

Could it be a deep seated infection that hasn't been cleared up and is reoccurring?  I sometimes use Surolan ear drops - prescription only - but it's important to complete a full course

One of mine has problem ears - allergy related.  The only effective cleaner I've found for him Cleanaural, it dissolves and shifts the wax whereas other cleaners don't touch it. However my vet has recently recommended TrizULTRA+Keto by DermaPet.  She uses this on her own dog with problem ears and has said it's making a big difference to his comfort levels.

In between cleaning you can try this (which works for mine)
**Wipe the inner ear flap with a very dilute solution of Hibiscrub - you can just make up a solution and spray it onto a cotton wool pad for convenience
**Lift his ears whilst he's sleeping - let a bit of air in there to keep them dry
**Make sure the ear canal is free of too much hair - I remove some of this and it seems to work

My boy now knows all my "Oh oh she's going medical" signs, and every code word for ears.  If he can make himself scarce he will do!!  It's worth persevering though :)

I'm with dogs a babe here -prescription drops will be needed. One of mine had a similar problem last summer and only Surolan worked, nothing else. JG is also correct in that yeast infections often are transferred to ears from paws and vice versa.

As soon as he sees the cotton wool he goes to his basket with a look that says it all but haven't met a basset that doesn't appear to like/enjoy having ears cleaned,
Vet has told me that it isn't an ear infection, I do air his ears when I can and they are free of hair. Do you or have you used any home remedies - such as olive oil - one vet suggested this. I did use Aural for a long time and it made little difference it was then the vet suggested olive oil.

Haven't tried Olive Oil but if you try it and it works let me know as I have a setter with similar problems and seem to have tried everything (including a course of steroids) with no success.

Have used olive oil, I can't say that the ears pruduce less wax (certainly no more) but the dogs prefere/tolerate it better than using products such as Aural. When the bottle of Aural or similar appears they are off hoping to escape but with olive oil just sit and wait.

Equal measures of almond oil and vit e oil mixed will losen greasy wax from ears, just put a few drops into the ear massage the base where you can hear it squishing and then clean out with cotton wool.  The mixture is really gentle on the ears and the vit e oil helps to heal any sore areas inside the ear.

Equal measures of almond oil and vit e oil mixed.  Many thanks, however careful I am in cleaning away the Olive oil, our younger dog will often hone in on his cousins ears when left alone afterwards. Would there be a problem with almond oil with his behaviour

Would there be a problem with almond oil with his behaviour

?? sorry I don't know the answer to this !

>Would there be a problem with almond oil with his behaviour

Almond Oil is safe to ingest to no worries on that score - I guess it just depends if your boy likes the smell and taste of almonds!!

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<<My boy now knows all my "Oh oh she's going medical" signs, and every code word for ears.>>

Lol--my oldest boy beats a hasty retreat to hide behind the television in the corner every time the grooming kit comes out. All you can see is a pair of eyes looking out from the DVD shelf.