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Puppy Ear Care

You should check your Maltese ears on a weekly basis. This is especially important because your Maltese is a drop-eared dog with excessive hair in their ears. Regular ear checks are also important for Maltese that are bathed frequently.

Indications of ear problems are sensitivity to touch, heavy wax buildup, debris, inflammation, strong odor, shaking or scratching the ears or tilting the head to the side. These are conditions that require a visit to your veterinarian. Maltese dogs are susceptible to bacterial and fungus infections.

Your Maltese will get excessive hair in and around the ear canal. You should have the hair removed to allow air to circulate. This can be done when a dog is professionally groomed, but may also be done at home.

To remove the hair:
Sprinkle baking soda on your fingers (be careful not to get it in the ear canal!) or use ear powder, available at pet supply stores. If you use ear powder, sprinkle a small amount on the ear canal making sure to cover the ear hair. Holding the ear flap up with one hand, use your fingers to gently pluck out the hairs growing in the ear canal. Most Maltese will not mind this because it does not hurt. Don't pull any hairs on the inside of the ear flap, however!

If your Maltese ears are clean, without excess wax and not oversensitive to touch, you do not need to clean them.

Dirty ears or ears filled with a waxy, dark substance may be an indication of ear mites. Use cotton balls (never use Q-tips which can impact or push material even further into the ear!) dampened with mineral oil, hydrogen peroxide or ear cleaner for dogs. Holding the ear flap in one hand, wipe the inner surface of the ear as far down as you can reach. Be gentle but thorough, changing the cotton when it is soiled.

Before cleaning extremely dirty ears, make sure that you have ear cleaner and lots of cotton balls close at hand. Either hold your Maltese still on a grooming table, grip him between your knees, back him up against a corner or hold him on your lap with his head facing away from you. Follow the directions on the bottle and fill the ear with ear cleaner (make sure it is not too cold!). Massage the base of the ear for a few minutes and then swab out the ear with the cotton balls, using clean cotton for each ear. Your Maltese will want to shake out the excess ear cleaner, so get out of the way before he does, or you will be sprayed!

Preventative Ear Cleaner:
This home remedy will help prevent infection but will not cure one! See your vet when in doubt!
The Formula

Ingredients:

Instructions on use:
Place a large pinch of powder in each ear, and use your finger to work it down. Wait five or ten minutes (I cut toenails) then pluck the hair out of the ears, being sure to get all the way down. Allow the dog to shake, but leave the excess powder in the ears. Repeat monthly.

Treatment of an existing infection:
Use as described for maintenance, then apply a fresh pinch of powder to each ear. Wait twenty-four hours, then use a dry q-tip to remove all the powder and the balls of dried gunk. Put a fresh pinch of powder in each ear. Repeat daily until the ears are no longer runny. At this point, repeat every other day, until there is no more runniness, then three times a week, then twice, then weekly, then every other week, etc. When the ears remain dry for three weeks, go to the monthly maintenance routine.

How it works:
The reason this works so well is that the iodoform powder kills anaerobic bacteria and fungi which flourish in warm, moist, airless places, like the inside of a poodle's ear. The zinc oxide and boric acid keep the ear dry, which prevents further infections. In the days before antibiotics, Iodoform was frequently used in human medicine to pack puncture wounds where anaerobic bacteria also grow. It may be hard to find because it isn't used much any more.

Credit: Information provided and used with permission of Clive Forrester of Maltese Breeders United.  THANK YOU for letting us share this information.

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