As I've not tried using this before, in all these years, can anybody who has tell me how to actually administer the powder - ears.   A Basset's ear canal is deep so how far in does this power have to go, if 'in' at all?

Tks.

From my understanding all that is needed is a very small amount on the earflap and then rub the dogs ear to sort of spread it about a bit. It’s recommended that the amount used is just the tip of the other end of a teaspoon dipped into the powder.

Thanks - I note that this can be used for 'bum itches' and as my lad has been sitting hard on his bum of late and since his vet can't really find out how much of this, if anything, is to do with his anal glands (he's been drained and packed with a/bs to no sign.improvement) he now has him on Apoquel, the side effects as stated alarm me.  So although there is improvement, if I can I'd like to get him off this medication.  He's one hound I've never been able to do anal glands and in truth, I've not smelled the usual fishy smell.   Apart from his ears, I may use the Thornit on 'the other end'

Will be interested to hear if you have success at the other end. I hadn’t realised it could be used there

It's for killing mites primarily and also for helping ear wax cling to hairs making it easier to clean ears.  What is it supposed to do at rear?

> What is it supposed to do at rear?

suggestion/belief mites can gather around anus, causing itching.

ok so nothing more than the mite killing it is known for.  Thought I might have missed something.

I don’t put it in the ear canal but it works it’s way down. I put a small amount at the entrance to the ear and give it a wee massage. It works wonders. Have never used it at the tail end though.

I tip about half a teaspoon into the lid of the Thornit bottle.  Then I hold the ear flap open and tip the lid with the Thornit in it, directly into the ear as centrally as possible.  Then I quickly hold the ear closed before the dog can shake and wiggle and rub the ear around whilst holding it closed, to get it to cover everything.  Then I release and let the dog shake the excess.

> I tip about half a teaspoon into the lid of the Thornit bottle.  Then I hold the ear flap open and tip the lid with the Thornit in it, directly into the ear as centrally as possible.  Then I quickly hold the ear closed before the dog can shake and wiggle and rub the ear around whilst holding it closed, to get it to cover everything.  Then I release and let the dog shake the excess.

Thanks.  It sounds a bit messy, but I'll give this a go, when it arrives.

I didn't know about this and the rear end but on the Viovet website, description of Thornit uses, this is mentioned!

https://www.viovet.co.uk/Thornit-Canker-Ear-Powder/c13949/      Scroll down for uses!

half a teaspoon is far too much for an ear, you only need a very small amount.  I take a small make up brush, dip it in the thorns powder, tap most of it off and then dust around the inside of the ear and then massage.  You will clog an ear up using too much.  If you want to apply to rear just dip a brush in it and then brush rear, you can't use to much around the rear.

I guess it depends on how large the ears are On a large breed, half a teaspoon is fine - most of it doesn't go down the ear, it gets shaken out - but it does ensure a fine coating of it everywhere it needs to get.

If he's got ears and bum going then I'd be looking at possible food allergies.

> If he's got ears and bum going then I'd be looking at possible food allergies.

I seriously don't think this is to do with his food.    He has been on Arden Grange, Sensitive for years and a while back, when Zooplus had a special offer on, I managed to hit the wrong button which produced two 12 kg bags of Salmon and Rice.   The only difference being Sensitive is white fish and potato, and what they are both now on, and again for a long time, is salmon and rice.   I suppose it couild be the rice, but I doubt it.  His ears produce too much wax and various drops hasn't really stopped the problem.   His AGs were impacted with some nasty coming out when expressed, flushed and packed with a/bs.   But over time, still with the bum sitting.  Two more a/b packing but on his last check, a week on from the previous check, there was actually nothing to speak of in the glands.   So he was given Apoquel as said.   This has stopped the bum sitting but again, when I looked at the possible side effects, hum.   Noticing what Thornit can be used for has made me order some.   It's vastly cheaper than Apoquel, for starters.   We'll see.

The way I use it is by dipping a large  q-tip or cotton wool into the thornit, get a Good amount on the q-tip or cotton will. Then rub around the inside of the ear go a little way down the er, butnot to far in, then just rub the ear flap together.

After treating his ears with the Thornit that arrived yesterday, by evening his ears looked significantly red inside.  So I'm not going to use that, in the ears, again.   Onward and upward.

If he has responded to aquopel which is mainly used for allergies I would seriously be looking that way. They can develop at any time even if for years have been fine and can be from anything food or environment .
Aquopel does have serious side effect s do perhaps.talk to get about other options .

> his ears looked significantly red inside.

MamaBas. Successfully used Thornit for years with no concerns or problems, but as our last boy had dry itchy ears due to Autoimmune found I had to stop using it in his latter years as it caused further irritation due to exacerbating the problems. Ended up using Aloe vera, which was a god send as it soothed & cleaned.

> If he has responded to aquopel which is mainly used for allergies I would seriously be looking that way. They can develop at any time even if for years have been fine and can be from anything food or environment .

I'm not ruling this out BUT what's in his ears is wax and moist - could be an allergic reaction but ................?   Whatever, given by the evening after I'd use Thornit in the am, his ears were red where they'd never been before.  My bottle of Thornit seems quite gritty - not what I'd call powder - and yes, I did give it a good shake before opening.   Well it was worth a try and not expensive.   ps   Anybody want a hardly used bottle of Thornit!!

His anal gland problem was initially infection - loads of yuck came out the first time.   They were flushed and packed with antibiotics which at first seemed to clear the problem.   But then he started sitting on his bum, again.   Not scooting per se, but sitting hard on it. 

And incidentally (this boy keeps me on my toes, continually), when I was putting the Thornit on his anus, to my horror I noticed some very small, moving black critters - yes FLEAS.   The only new thing we've had here (and because of the weather locally neither has been very far afield) is having plumbers in to fix a water pipe leak, they put groundsheets across the carpetting - did they have fleas on them???   The very small ones could be newly hatched fleas?   I must have taken half a dozen off him, and a couple off her.   Out with the Capstar, flea comb, spray and laundering everything they'd been using.  A day later, no sign of fleas on either.

ps   I am going to order AG Sensitive next time.   Potato and white fish instead of salmon and rice.

my fcr has allergies that almost entirely  showed in her ears. occasionally the vulva would be  pink and itchy but not often.
The first signs I really saw was   a moist  waxy black build up and scratching her ears. The wax builds up as the ear canals swell slightly from irritation and the ear fluids cant move properly ( vet taught me loads )
two years down the line and various treatments including treatment for an infection or two  I got referred to a dermatologist vet as we really weren't resolving her issues

We then discovered that her ears were starting show signs of ulceration  deep down , something that couldn't easily have been seen and she was in danger of losing her ear canals if this had continued .

Here we are 4 years on and we have discovered she is allergic to a couple of food items chicken and salmon and as I raw feed it wasn't too hard finding those . she only eats meat bone and organ .The bigger problem is number of environmental allergens that cant be removed from her life including a couple of yeasts . The treatment we finally choose once things were calmer is immunotherapy. it has worked pretty well for her with occasionally topical treatments if needed . side effects insignificant if any

Allergies and infection can go hand in hand and ears can be the only sign . something I hadn't been aware of.

Thornit isnt a very smooth powder its kind of grainy as you describe . It didn't work for us for the reasons above and oh biy did I try different things as well as vet treatment

Also don't forget that any kibble regardless of the principal protein or if its a sensitive one has lots of other ingredients . any one of which can cause a reaction at any time.

I hope the change of food helps as ears are really hard to treat especially without being able to do cytology on what is happening as I have learned. I would ask the vet to do some swabs to see if he needs any other treatment as well.
Good luck

If I have, in the past, had a stubborn ear problem with my hounds, I have always had my vet do a swab, culture and I/D so I avoid all the 'try this, try that' route that all too often happens!

I'm really not necessarily ruling out allergies and anything could be happening with this lad as almost from day one (4 months) he has had problems.   We never had allergies with my home-bred hounds so although he does carry a line back to one of mine, way back, he is different, in many ways, to what I've been used to having with my own, for how-many years and with how-many Bassets.   I do have his ear problem pretty much under control and in truth, only bought into Thornit (which I did try years and years ago but wasn't much impressed then) after I noted the mention of itchy bum!!   I went on to thinking why not try including the ears, as I have it in the house now.

It really does sound like allergies to me.  Linc suffers with a few mild ones and his ears are always the first thing that show it, if he's gotten hold of one of his triggers.  Same way you describe.  And a friends' dog reacts in a big way when he eats his triggers and only in his ears - total overproduction of wax and smelly, to the point of needing mega cleaning multiple times a day.  I also walk a wee dog whose allergies only show up as itchy feet and one bad ear.  Always the right, left is never affected but with a change in diet his ear is almost totally clear now.

In his case one trigger is grains but I'm trying to work through an exclusion diet (trying being the operative word, his owner is frustratingly useless) with him, and I suspect chicken/poultry as well.