black in staffys ears

is it normal for only 1 ear to have like black dirt in it. blade has only just started getting it the other ear is clean but one of them i have to clean it once a week. i got told its common in bully dogs.

i wouldn't think this normal to be honest with you scott, all dogs ears should be nice and clean and free from dirt. maybe it could be earmites, but from my experience ear mites in dogs is usually a brown colour. you should try and clean it out with a cotton bud and some ear cleaner. but only do this if you are experienced enough as you could do damage to the dogs ear drum. if in doubt see the vet

I don't think staffs are particularly prone to ear complaints. They have quite large ear canals & the flaps protect them from getting foreign objects in them.

If it's onlt 1 ear, and it's continuous, I'd just ask the vet to give him a quick check (maybe the veterinary nurse could have a look? They're cheaper to see than the vet!).

earmites in all dogs are very rare. but his ears should always be perfectly very clean so i would get it checked out by a vet

Caryll wrote:I don't think staffs are particularly prone to ear complaints. They have quite large ear canals & the flaps protect them from getting foreign objects in them.

If it's onlt 1 ear, and it's continuous, I'd just ask the vet to give him a quick check (maybe the veterinary nurse could have a look? They're cheaper to see than the vet!).

i was told by my vet that staffs have small ear canals and that kaos's where really tiny which is why he keeps getting infections x

It's funny, isn't it? I was told the exact opposite by my vet! I wish they'd all get together & agree what they're telling us!

The black stuff is wax, dogs just have wierd blacky brown wax instead of yellow like us! If it is building up though and you are having to clean one ear frequently its worth getting some ear drops or warm olive oil and dribbling it right into the ear canal (they will break up the wax). Then clean them out really well with cotton wool, if left too long wax build ups can result in an ear infection. It may be that a seed or other tiny foreign body has cause the excess wax build up.

Caryll wrote:It's funny, isn't it? I was told the exact opposite by my vet! I wish they'd all get together & agree what they're telling us!

ridiculus isnt it.... x

I'm always having build ups in Moo's ears, which then leads to infection, and usually costs me around £60 to sort but she's been prone to it now happens every 6 months ish. I now have a solution from the vets to clean them once a week with. Fingers crossed!!

Grimble had this not long ago it turned out to be an ear infection and he was given drops twice a day for 2 weeks and has been good as gold ever since cost me £25 for the drops plus the consultation.

heres a pic its a bit rubbish though lol

Kaiser had this and i was cleaning it but it didnt go it turned out to be an ear infection. Kaiser might end up prone to them as he has tiny ear canals which the vet said was unusual for a staffy he struggled to look down it with the smallest piece on the thing they use to look down it might be an idea to get it checked cost me 150 quid in total im hoping he aint prone to it

youngkaiser wrote:Kaiser had this and i was cleaning it but it didnt go it turned out to be an ear infection. Kaiser might end up prone to them as he has tiny ear canals which the vet said was unusual for a staffy he struggled to look down it with the smallest piece on the thing they use to look down it might be an idea to get it checked cost me 150 quid in total im hoping he aint prone to it

similar to what grimble had only the vet used a cotton bud to check it then gave the drops....
total cost was about 55-60 quid (b4 i had him check for mites as he was scratching and had thin fur)

Wow £150 quid for an ear infection?! Skibadee used to get them a couple of times a year when she was younger and it was a case of a £15 quid bottle of ear-drops. What did they give you meds-wise Vikki?

Moo's cost £60 per time, she's had it twice now. She was on 'CleanAural' for the infection and 'EasOtic' for general cleaning. Its so dear at the vets, I too hope she isn't prone to it, although sadly I think she already is!

Nosipho wrote:Wow £150 quid for an ear infection?! Skibadee used to get them a couple of times a year when she was younger and it was a case of a £15 quid bottle of ear-drops. What did they give you meds-wise Vikki?

They gave me anti biotics steriods for the first week with an ear cleanser which i had to start using the second week just because he would let me near his ear with it because it was so sore so the vet said it would be best to leave it till the swelling went down otherwise he would just associate it with pain and never let us do it then we had to go back to get the medical ear drops and some more steroids it was 3 visits the first visit cost £67 second was a repeat consultation which cost £30 then the second was to check again and perscribe more meds that cost £54. I love my vets but feel like i been ripped off a bit as most people i know just pay one fee then after that when you go back they just charge for meds is this right

I think it really differs Vikki, as mentioned above it cost someone £15 to treat it, me £60 and you £150! I love my vets and yes I only pay for 1 consultation fee and then just for the meds.

She had 5 visits when she split her claw, a new dressing every time, I saw a nurse and bless them, it was over christmas and I never paid a penny!

O just think is different where ever you live

Ive spoke to afew of my clients they said they just paid one fee then just for the meds think i might have to consider changing vets its just good because everything is in one place

Have a look at there policies, its well handy when there close. I'm lucky there, have 4 in walking distance! Considering I live in the town centre and we don't even have a pet shop!

I will do will it state it in there policies?

If it doesn't, don't be afraid to ask! You have the right to know.

My vet charges a consultation fee for the first visit & then just for meds afterwards, although I think they may charge full whack if it's on the insurance!

I would hope so to some extent. I looked into it cause I wanted to no if I could claim on insurance for ongoing treatment, Funnily enough I couldn't!!

by looking at the pic you've posted, it just looks like a slight build of of brown wax. but it should be cleaned out with a cotton bud with some ear cleaner.

ive never been to a vet that charges a consultation fee each time for the same problem
the point of consultation is to discover what the problem is and how to treat it after the first visit they should know?
but then im not 100% sure
id definately ask around

my dog max had something similar, we tried cleaning it out but it just kept on coming back thicker and blacker!, we took him to the vets and they said it could be one of two things, either an allergy to something (they get it mainly in one ear apparently) or where he was digging so much he was getting loads of dirt stuck in his ear causing an irritation so he scratches his ears,LOADS! mixing it with wax and everything making like black waxy mixture, the only way to get we could get rid of it was to clean it with drops twice or three times a day for 3-4 months, glad to finally get rid of it! hope it helps:)

Milly had black in her ears and was told by the vet it was just dry muck.And Iwas given clean aural.its just a ear cleaner.It worked for millys ears.you Can purchase it without seeing a vet. It cost £6.39