# Ear Infections and ear hair



## brendak (Jun 26, 2019)

Our 1 year old cockapoo has his first ear infection. It's actually a double ear infection. Poor guy! We are new dog owners and have been grooming him ourselves -- except for the hair in his inner ears, which has become a problem. The vet said we need to be plucking that hair out -- and most groomers won't do it here. As I've been reading up on it, I've found that pulling out ear canal hair is controversial because it's painful! What do all of you do to prevent ear infections when the hair grows in the ear and gets matted? Also, along the same lines, do you use cotton balls in the ears when bathing or swimming?


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## Evie24 (Mar 8, 2020)

I just got my cockapoo I can't believe your vet recommended that! keep their ears dry! If you bathe them make sure to blow dry or hand dry as much with a towel. I would get a second opinion about plucking hairs out from a different vet. I have never heard of that before! The hair would just grow back it doesn't make sense! Trimming okay.. but plucking?


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## MrMotivations (Mar 14, 2015)

brendak said:


> Our 1 year old cockapoo has his first ear infection. It's actually a double ear infection. Poor guy! We are new dog owners and have been grooming him ourselves -- except for the hair in his inner ears, which has become a problem. The vet said we need to be plucking that hair out -- and most groomers won't do it here. As I've been reading up on it, I've found that pulling out ear canal hair is controversial because it's painful! What do all of you do to prevent ear infections when the hair grows in the ear and gets matted? Also, along the same lines, do you use cotton balls in the ears when bathing or swimming?


Ear infections can be prevented with swimmer's ear solution, which one can buy, if your pup tolerates it. A couple drops inside the ear, massage the stuff into the ear canal. 
Secondly, get some electric clippers. Use a close cutting blade, and shave out all the hairs in and near the tragus, along the inside of the ear, as in shaving "up" along the inside, and lastly, shave the face directly under the floppy ears. All this is to reduce heat and moisture build up, conducive to fungal growths, deafness, etc. You want to do this every other week. Good luck.


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