smelly ear wax!!

[ilovemarkb]

For about 2 weeks my cavvy has a strange smell coming from his ears. We have cleaned with a soft damp cloth but it keeps coming back. It just looks like ear wax. Other than this he is fit and well. Does he need something off the vet to clear it up? thanks

[Ratty2E]

Maybe ear mites but you should take him to the vet as it could be infected. I had cavs for may years and we used to have some powder you puffed into their ears to kill mites it was called Thornits and we used to get it from a lady who made it up herself. She used to advertise in the back pages of DogWorld.

[RATTER15]

Cawy? Cavs? What is this strange animal we speak of?

Cavalier King Charles is my guess. If this is the case, get your dog to a vet and get it treated, sounds like an infestation/infection.

Good luck.

[ilovemarkb]

thanks ! ive ordered some thornits from ebay! symptoms sound very similar to that of ear mites. thanks very much xxx

[Ratty2E]

Yes Ratter it is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. But who wants to go typing all that out or even have to say it all, sorry for any confusion.
Spaniels can be prone to ear nastys due to the shape of their ears, they should be examined everyday and cleaned if neccesary.

[boxtops]

LOL, I thought we were talking about cavies.

[woofgang]

please please take your dog to the vet before trying self medication. My dog has the same symptoms and it turned out to be an allergy. I talked to the vet about Thornit and she said be careful because if it doesn't stop the exudate then it can mix with it and set hard and be difficult to remove, she called it concretion. She wasn't after making money as with her advice, i now mostly manage the problem with no meds at all.

[ilovemarkb]

thanks! i will do both but cant physically get him to the vets because of shift work (for next 7 days) but will soon as poss!!! thanks

[Ratty2E]

Boxtops, now you mention it it could be a guinea pig, they get ear mites too.
I just assumed dog as I use to have them and we called them Cavs. I agree with woofgang if there it as lot of discharge then I would get it checked by a vet first. We used the powder as more of a preventative measure and only ever a very light dusting.

[bryher]

I have a cavvy with a waxy ear problem, although in the first instance I would take yours too the vet as this type of build up can cause a nasty inner ear infection. I now use CleanAural - A dog ear cleaner it can be easily be purchased on the internet and much cheaper than the vets use liberally and it will do the job. Good luck

[ilovemarkb]

ok thanks! very helpful x