# Puppy's ear really dirty/waxy



## Walnut_the_Nut (Jan 25, 2012)

Hey all,

We noticed our 6 month old puppy's left ear is really dirty with dark brownish wax buildup. We thoroughly cleaned both ears with Zymox solution. Literally 48 hours later it was almost as if we hadn't cleaned his ear at all. 

We also noticed his left ear seems to be wet/damp inside. It makes a squishy noise while gently rubbing. The right ear doesn't seem wet at all. It's not the solution as it would have dried by now (4 days since last cleaning). We also trim the fur under both our Golden's ears to increase air flow. 

He doesn't show any symptoms of ear infections. No shaking, no head tilt, no scratching. Nothing. 

Luckily he seems to enjoy ear massages, so he tolerates cleaning and wiping with baby wipes. 

Has anyone experienced this? We'll be making an appointment with the vet just to make sure everything is okay, but wondering what it might be. 




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## joro32000 (Feb 25, 2017)

Ear infection can manifest itself with many different symptoms. The usual symptoms are what you describe:red ear, sensitive to the touch, head shaking and tilting. So when my Rufus developed a severe ear infection 2 months ago, I thought, no it can't be an ear infection as no classic signs are present, he only has a dirty ear, as he is always rolling in the grass. I cleaned his ear, every single morning, then I am coming after work and there is that dark substance in his hear, then I call a vet and she gives me Surolan ear drops. I applied Surolan for another week, still no improvement, every day Rufus has a dark substance in his ear, but the ear is not red. Then again I checked with vet, this time around she wanted to take a culture from Rufus ear. It turned out he had a severe ear infection, consisting of 4 different bacteria types, 2 of them very uncommon, that is why Surolan (the universal golden solution for ear infection) didn't work. 2 weeks of oral antibiotics cured Rufus totally.


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## kelseypr95 (Jul 5, 2016)

I love zymox! When Truman was a puppy we had the same problem. I used the ear drops daily and it eventually cleared up. Of course its better to be safe than sorry and get to the vet. But i would still definitely keep up with the zymox. We use it once a week now.


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## usually lurking (Apr 21, 2017)

I think it's always better to err on the side of caution with ears, especially if you aren't yet sure of the types of ear infections your dog is prone to - mites, fungal, bacterial, etc. When I see brown gunk, I usually suspect an infection of some type. For routine cleaning, though, I like Epi-Otic, as it has drying properties. You can squirt some in the ear and not worry about causing an ear infection from excess moisture, and it will dry out the ear. Frequently, though, I'll just wet a cotton round with it and wipe down the inside of the ear flap, and the most visible part of the ear canal. I get that from my vet, but it is available online, as well.


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## Walnut_the_Nut (Jan 25, 2012)

Quick update. We tool him to the vet and, as I suspected, he had a minor (yeast) ear infection. He's been prescribed Surolan and already seems to be doing better. 

Thanks all for the input.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Great to hear, once his ear infection is completely cleared up, you may want to try this Healthy Ear recipe as a weekly maintenance. 

I've used it on my guys for several years, no ear infections. 
My current boy had ear infections on and off when I first adopted him. I cleaned them weekly, had in the Vet for meds, took a while to get them cleared up. The last time he got a really bad one, Vet used a heavy duty med-I don't remember the name of it. 

Anyway, I use a mixture of Water, alcohol, and white vinegar-equal parts. Soak a cotton ball and clean his ears out weekly. Then I put a dab of the Healthy Ear recipe in it. 

One of the forum members posted this many years ago-




> Healthy Ear Recipe (from Arcane)
> 
> 1 tube Monistat (generic is fine)
> 1 tube Polysporin (use the real deal - it's inexpensive)
> ...


After your pup has been swimming or has had a bath, be sure to dry the ears out real well. You can clean them with an ear cleaner, then put a dab of the Healthy Ear recipe in each ear.


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## Marie-Claude Leclerc (Jun 10, 2016)

Hi! I was wondering which Zymox product you were using? The one with 0.5% hydrocortisone or the 1% ?


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## danoon58 (Jul 1, 2015)

When Seamus was a puppy I started using the same recipe Carolina Mom posted above. He has never (knock on wood) had an ear infection. I have had dogs with ears like Goldens have before and fought ear infections. Not with this recipe!


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