Ear Plucking

[Pap lover]

I hate ear plucking. It scares me because Im always scared that I am gonna hurt the poor dog. So because I am so scared of this I dont think I do a good enough plucking job. This has always been my downfall, since school is ear plucking. Does anyone out there have any tips for plucking ears??

[wet noze]

All I do is squirt in some ear powder. Then I just reach in with my fingers and pull out little tufts. I don't overpluck and I never use the heomstats. Always felt I might pinch the skin with them. Most of the dogs don't seem to mind me plucking with my fingers.

[Helly]

First of all, understand that hair in the ear is like hair on the rest of the body. It grows, goes through a resting phase, and becomes loose enough to fall out. You only need to remove the loose hair, not pluck the ear canal bald. You don't need, or want, to remove hair that's actively growing or in the resting phase.

To pluck loose hair, all you need to do is get a little ear powder on your finger tips, grasp the hair, and pull. If it's loose, it will come out easily. Anything that doesn't come out easily? Leave it.

You can increase air circulation by shaving the underside of the ear and using small detailing scissors to trim hair away from the ear canal. Little blunt tipped baby scissors work well, and so do embroidery scissors. But if you use embroider scissors, be careful of the pointy tip.

[redbird]

I know

I use the white ear powder, just a little and wait, so it can dry up that first lay or two and when you pull move your end in a little circle round and round.
For some reason this helps.

[workingchihuahua]

rather than squirt the powder in the ear. the powder can build up in the ear canal. coat your fingers with it and pull out what comes out easily w/o hurting the dog. if the ear is infected or inflamed, then you don't pull out ear hair.

[goldiphlox]

i have been trying to convince people that sometimes plucking ears causes more trouble. i have a coton de tulear. i do not! pluck her ears.ever. she has never had an ear infection. it used to be that people would think that if you didn't pluck the dogs ears that you, the groomer caused the infection. and vets did not help us at all. well luckily, the times they are a changin. if the hair comes out easily, as Helly stated, then pull it out. but if you tear out the hair that is not ready to come out then you are rupturing the skin, causing trauma to the inner ear, leading to more chance of infection. a good example i can give you is a regular customer of mine....she has a bichon, that comes in weekly. i have been grooming her dog for 6 years now, every week. she has never had an ear infection...not 1 in 6 years. 2 weeks ago, the owner got hurt and had to go into the hospital. her daughter brought the dog to the groomer right by her house. last week she came back to me....with a major ear infection. of course i didn't say your dog has an ear infection. i said she needed to take her to the vet because the ear looks bad..and yes she had a very bad ear infection, and her ears were plucked! she hardly grows any hair in her ears to begin with. and i always shave the hair around the inner ear for good air circulation. i do still pluck ears. but if i get a dog that tends to get ear infections frequently, i ask the owner if we can try leaving the ear alone and see if that makes a difference. and usually, it does.

[scullysmom]

If it is a schnauzer or like breed the more you clip out of the outside the better the dog will be for the actual plucking. If you use hemostats, pluck the hair first, then use the hemo’s. I know a dog who the groomer did not do this. The dogs ear canal was so small and full of hair that the twisting motion of the hemo’s caused a vacuum and broke the ear drum. So ear plucking is not the funniest thing and can be dangerous if not done correctly.

[groomerskv]

being careful w/ ear powder

rather than squirt the powder in the ear. the powder can build up in the ear canal. coat your fingers with it and pull out what comes out easily w/o hurting the dog. if the ear is infected or inflamed, then you don't pull out ear hair.

I went to an ear care seminar at the APF a couple of years ago. The instructor was a vet who had performed many ear surgeries. He warned us all about the adverse effects of powder building up in the ear canal. Using it on the fingertips or dipping the ends of your hemostats is probably best.
The powder just collects and has no way of working itself out.
Susanna

[Pap lover]

Thanx Times A Million!!!

You guys have helped me alot!!! I only ever plucked hair that came out and left the rest so I mean I never hurt a dog yet but scared I was gonna so I never pryed hairs that didnt want to come out. But the vet where I work at says when plucking you should totally clear ear canal of the hair. So I never thought I did a good enough job. So thanks for all your help now maybe I wont be so scared to pluck the ears although I dont think Ill ever like this task lol. At least I know how to do it properly now.