I had asked a question yesterday about "ripping" hair out of my dog's ears and people

"pulling the hair out" or "plucking the hair out", but to me, when the vet did this, he held my dog's head down, flipped the ear, grabbed onto the hair inside of his ears with his thumb and index finger, and was ripping/pulling it out in a fast jerking motion. Now is this how it is supposed to be done, because yes, my dog had an ear infection at the time, but I think it would still hurt!

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I had asked a question yesterday about "ripping" hair out of my dog's ears and people were saying that it is

Yes, this is a common practice to help prevent ear infections in floppy eared dogs. It isn't usually tramatic or all that painful, actually. You can even make it a "fun" activiy, if you always treat your dog to something special afterwards, that way, after you do this a few times, he'll figure out that if he puts up with a few minutes of discomfort, you'll take him running/play for a while/give him a special treat, etc.

However, if you're that upset by hair plucking, you can just do your best to keep his ears clean and healthy by using a cleaning fluid and cotton balls, or even shave/clip some of the hair inside his ears.

I had asked a question yesterday about "ripping" hair out of my dog's ears and people were saying that it is

yes, this is how its done. I have Schnauzers, and I have always pulled the hair out. This helps to prevent infection. Some vets use forceps, others use their fingers. Although it might have caused mild discomfort at the time, your dog will be fine, and no worse for wear.

I had asked a question yesterday about "ripping" hair out of my dog's ears and people were saying that it is

i have never heard of that...when my dog had an ear infection, the doc gave me a cleaning solution to wash out her ears regularly, and some antibiotics. i dont see why ripping the poor dogs hair out would help.

I had asked a question yesterday about "ripping" hair out of my dog's ears and people were saying that it is

I have NEVER heard of anyone doing that! How cruel!!!

Ear drops for infections?!?!?!

*Sheesh I've never heard of that stuff and I get thumbs down? So I went and googled it and I read about it. It still sounds awful. I've had dogs for 33yrs and have never once had a vet say they needed to do that. Then again, I've never had a dog have ear infections until now when one of them had to go in and they just cleaned it out and gave us ear drops for it.

Guess you learn something everyday?!?

I had asked a question yesterday about "ripping" hair out of my dog's ears and people were saying that it is

That is what groomers do all the time. Either with the fingers or with forceps. They even make a powder that you put on the hair in the ear that makes it easier to grab. VERY standard practice!!!

http://partipoodle.homestead.com/content...

Ear Cleaning %26amp; Deodorizing Steps

Below you will find basic ear cleaning and deodorizing steps for dogs. However, you can expect additional detailed instructions and guidelines from most professional trainers and schools and training programs. We do not provide these steps as complete, professional ear cleaning. We encourage pet owners to use the services of a professional groomer and veterinarian for ear cleaning. Pet owners should practice preventative ear health maintenance and check their dog's ears at least once a week.

1. Lift the dog's ear flap and expose the inside flap the ear facing you. Using your thumb and index finger, quickly remove hair as needed around the external ear opening. Pull in the direction of hair growth and only small amounts of hair at one time. You can spray a light amount of medicated ear powder in ears with excess wax and hair to dry the wax, and make the hair easier to pull.

2. If there is hair in the ear canal it should be removed when there are no signs of ear health problems. However, never clean or remove hair more than one-half inch down into the ear opening. The ear area further down in the ear canal is best left to veterinary care. To remove this hair, spray a light amount medicated ear powder into the ear. The powder absorbs moisture and dries ear wax and hairs, thereby providing better traction.

3. Using hemostats, grasp small amounts of pet hair and pull outward toward you slowly. Careful, don't pinch the sensitive ear skin. Never probe further down than one-half inch into the ear canal opening. You must exercise this extreme caution in order not to disturb or damage the ear drum. Clean the hemostats after drawing out hair and wax, and continue removing hair until done. Sterilize hemostats when done.

4. Although you do not clean ears more than one-half inch into the ear canal, observe the condition of the pet's ear beyond the cleaning limit and report any potential problems. You may see foreign matter, a discharge, heavy wax buildup or even a melanoma (tumor). Record your suspect observations so that you may accurately report them to the pet owner.

5. Look for additional ear wax and matter to clean from the ear. Moisten cotton ball very lightly (absolutely no dripping) with a small amount of commercial ear cleaning solution, and swab and clean the ear canal area outward to the ear flap. Repeat as needed. This procedure may soothe irritated skin from the hair removal process depending upon the ear cleaning solution you use. Ensure you have removed all ear powder from ears.

6. Sterilize tools and properly dispose of ear wastes and soiled cotton

It is SAD that there are people saying how CRUEL this is! It is CRUEL not to do it because your dog will probably get a lot more ear problems andthis simple maintence will prevent a lot of problems down the road!

I had asked a question yesterday about "ripping" hair out of my dog's ears and people were saying that it is

Actually, using a quick, jerking motion is the right way to pluck hair. And it doesn't hurt, not unless you take too much hair at a time. If you keep plucking hair out of your dog's ears (and you do not have to take it all out, just enough so air can circulate easily), he's not nearly as likely to get those painful ear infections!

I had asked a question yesterday about "ripping" hair out of my dog's ears and people were saying that it is

for some breeds we do this everytime the dog is groomed. the hair grows back and it probably hurts but its for the health of the dog.they need to ''rip" it out or it wont come out,the vet also had to hold the dog down so it wouldnt bite the dog was in pain from the ear infection.it is what it is

I had asked a question yesterday about "ripping" hair out of my dog's ears and people were saying that it is

Yes, I would call it ripping the hair out, too!!!! No since in pussy footing around, it is called ripping and it also hurts!! Was he having a bad day or something??? And why in the world was it necessary to rip the babies hair out????

I had asked a question yesterday about "ripping" hair out of my dog's ears and people were saying that it is

Was the dog screaming/crying and trying to get away? If not I'd guess that the feeling is similar to when women pluck their eyebrows. And yes that is how it's done. If you take your dog to a professional groomer that is the method they commonly use. Most dogs don't seem to mind a bit.

I had asked a question yesterday about "ripping" hair out of my dog's ears and people were saying that it is

No it is not cruel. It is cruel to not keep your dog groomed properly. Certain breeds have more hair in their ears and removing/plucking the hair prevents ear infections.

I had asked a question yesterday about "ripping" hair out of my dog's ears and people were saying that it is

I have had 3 Maltese and had to keep their ears clean this way also... It does not seem to hurt them at all... It may be cartiledge and so they may not feel too much sensation...

BUT

If you don't keep the canals clean of hair you will forever have a problem with the ears and mites and infections.

H.O.T. Dog

Handler Owner Trainer of GSD's

I had asked a question yesterday about "ripping" hair out of my dog's ears and people were saying that it is

Yes this is the correct way to it.

I had asked a question yesterday about "ripping" hair out of my dog's ears and people were saying that it is

Groomers often do this. There are some ear powders/solutions that can help remove hair painlessly, but are not as effective. The hair inside the ear can cause many problems.

I had asked a question yesterday about "ripping" hair out of my dog's ears and people were saying that it is

i do this while i groom my dogs. if u want to can put a little rubbing achol inside first then sneak attack the ear when they are not looking.grab the hairs and give a good yank. it helps with keeping infection out of their ears and a build up of wax.they don't like it but with floppy ears it helps to keep them clean.

I had asked a question yesterday about "ripping" hair out of my dog's ears and people were saying that it is

Not every dog has hair that grows in the ears......ie gsd, beagles, daschunds.....though many do, poodles, llasa apso, maltese, bichon frese ect......its easier to grasp the hair to be removed using a pair of forceps or sprinkling a bit of drying powder on finger tips and then getting the hairs (if there is infection or wax present the hair can be difficult to grasp). Groomers routinely remove ear hair and many times let the owners know that they think an ear infection is present. It is not cruel, it is just what needs to be done.

I had asked a question yesterday about "ripping" hair out of my dog's ears and people were saying that it is

Here's my take on it as a groomer.

You should try to avoid "ripping", unless the hair is very tough or the dog is really making it difficult (ie biting or throwing his head around). Tearing out huge hunks of hair does hurt, and irritates the inside of the ears, making them more prone to infection.

Here's how I prefer to do it. I hold the dog's beard or cheek hair in one hand, flip up the ear with the other. Apply a good ear powder (one that makes the hair tacky so you get a better grip). Grab A FEW hairs at a time and pull them out quickly. I can take up to 15 minutes per ear if a dog has REALLY hairy ears, but most only take a minute or so. Add more powder if needed. If you're doing it at home you have the advantage that you don't have to do it all at once, you can do a bit at a time.

Sometimes if the hair is VERY hard to pull I'll use hemostats to grip it, but I prefer not to as it's less safe and you end up pulling larger hunks of hair.

Some dogs are fine with this, some really object (which is why I have a good grip on their face, out of range of their teeth). But by doing it gently like this and telling them they were good while they stayed still, I've managed to do some dogs that wouldn't let others pluck their ears at all.

EDIT: If the hair is very difficult to pull out, or if the dog has sensitive ears that get irritated or infected easily, talk to your vet about getting hydrocortisone drops to put in the ears after you pluck them.

I had asked a question yesterday about "ripping" hair out of my dog's ears and people were saying that it is

There is alot of talk between vets and groomers whether or not we should even pluck the hair out of the ears.

Some feel the hair is there for a reason, some feel the hair traps in the moisture and causes infection, some feel that plucking the hair irritates the ear canal and causes infection.

I do know that if done properly, it should not bother the dog. What I do is use ear powder and pluck out what hair will come out with ease. If the hair does not want to come out, I am not going to "rip" it out. Because yes, I believe that does hurt the dogs.

I have seen some groomers and vets, take a pair of hemostats, clamp down on the ear hair, twist it and pull as hard as they can..dog screaming the whole time. These are the people who should not be working with dogs.

Some dogs do not get excessive ear hair., But breeds like Poodles, Schnauzers, Bichons should have the ear hair at least thinned out once a month when they are groomed. I myself do not get every hair out of the ear (I feel it is there for a reason) I also am only going to pull out what will come out.

I had asked a question yesterday about "ripping" hair out of my dog's ears and people were saying that it is

It's something that NEEDS to be done to certain breeds, to prevent ear infections. Usually done with tweezers - maybe your dogs ears were so overgrown, that the vet was able to get more out quicker with fingers%26gt; I suggest you learn how to properly care for your animal!!!!!!

I had asked a question yesterday about "ripping" hair out of my dog's ears and people were saying that it is

I have done it many times. The dogs never flinch or fuss... except for the dogs who already have an ear infection.. then their ears just hurt to be touched anyways.

If it hurt, the dogs would react.

I had asked a question yesterday about "ripping" hair out of my dog's ears and people were saying that it is

Not if you do it right, it doesn't hurt. The hair on the inside of the ear is barely attached and comes out with a quick jerk. If you try this with the hair along the edge of the ear, yes it will hurt and not come out easily.

Keeping the ear canal free of hair is good for your dog (esp dogs with long, hanging ears - like cocker sp, etc). It allows fresh air down in there and decreases the chances of infection from the damp warm air.

I've been grooming dogs for over 20 years. If you're not sure how to do it without hurting your dog, let the vet or your groomer handle it. If you do it wrong and hurt the dog, she won't be happy to let you (or someone else) try it again the next time.