# How do you give ear drops to a dog...



## Patrick Murray (Mar 27, 2006)

...that will fight to its death to keep you from giving them to him? :mrgreen: Any quality suggestions would be most appreciated. Thank you.


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

One of mine does this if I want to clip its nails. I thought of a slight tranquiliser but changed my mind and, with a short chain attached to his collar, fastened him *very* closely to a post in the garage. I have a "couple" chain for linking two dogs together and using only one lead.
He quietened down and I told him what a good little "SOB" he was  and began the work. He calms down quickly when he sees he's beaten.

Just thought of something - if you fasten him to the post low down him when he's lying down, it would keep his legs out of the way. Or, making him wear a large t-shirt could stop the strampling.

Hanging him up in a harness, like you do with horses????? This might be what you'd call "quality".


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## Lee H Sternberg (Jan 27, 2008)

My dog is that way with nails too. It helps somewhat to completely wear him out with exercise before I tackle the nails. It at least helps take the edge off the fight. I also put him on a slippery counter top so it's hard to get traction.


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## Chris Michalek (Feb 13, 2008)

Lee H Sternberg said:


> My dog is that way with nails too. It helps somewhat to completely wear him out with exercise before I tackle the nails. It at least helps take the edge off the fight. I also put him on a slippery counter top so it's hard to get traction.


I have a RELAX command and it's something we've been working on since he was 8 wks old. If I'm watching TV I'll sometimes sit on the floor. Call the dog and lay him on his side... as I pet him I say relax. Then I mess with his ears, mouth and feet. The second he gets tense I tell him to relax again. Then I flip him and do the same stuff from the other side.

It has worked with all of my dogs over the years except one. That was the day five vet techs struggled with my dog and she bite all five of them pretty good. Dummies. :-\"


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## Lynn Cheffins (Jul 11, 2006)

double ended snap to a chain link fence or if only a little resistant a big bowl of very sloppy time consuming food like half a lb of ground meat and a couple of cups of water.


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## Lee H Sternberg (Jan 27, 2008)

Chris Michalek said:


> I have a RELAX command and it's something we've been working on since he was 8 wks old. If I'm watching TV I'll sometimes sit on the floor. Call the dog and lay him on his side... as I pet him I say relax. Then I mess with his ears, mouth and feet. The second he gets tense I tell him to relax again. Then I flip him and do the same stuff from the other side.
> 
> It has worked with all of my dogs over the years except one. That was the day five vet techs struggled with my dog and she bite all five of them pretty good. Dummies. :-\"


I'm working on that Chris. Progress is slow but gradually coming along. I have time. He is just 15 months old.


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## Chris Michalek (Feb 13, 2008)

Lee H Sternberg said:


> I'm working on that Chris. Progress is slow but gradually coming along. I have time. He is just 15 months old.



I forgot to mention that I lay objects like the tv remote on the dog's head and I might shine a flash light on them. It one thing to pet your dog but if you have something in your hand that might freak them out. Putting stuff on and around their head has worked well to teach them nothing bad is going to happen when they are in that position. 

My relax command is also like a long down stay. They don't get to move until I give the release


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## Patrick Murray (Mar 27, 2006)

Sounds like great suggestions, thanks!


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## Anne Vaini (Mar 15, 2007)

Did you know that people will board their dogs for 10 - 14 days with a vet just so they don't have to give ear drops?! 

With a total no-nonsense attitude, hold the dog by the ear flap. (pull straight up) slide the ear drops bottle down into the dog's ear and squeeze once or twice depending on othe number of drops required. Pull up on the ear more so the dog can't shake it's head. With your other hand, grab the dog's ear canal and massage. Let the dog shake it's head and reward good behavior.

Or, restrain your dog. One arm wraps around the belly (lift up a bit) and the other around the dog's neck (like a chokehold) so the dog can't turn it's neck to snap or bite. You can do this nice and relaxed, or as tight as needed to control the dog. Have someone else do the drops.

For future reference, you can practice all of the motions of this (not using drops) to teach your dog appropriate behaviors for handling.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

Patrick, what kind of ear drops are you giving? If they are liquid washes like Epi Otic or some other kind of relatively fluid antimicrobial, one of the vets at the teaching hospital taught me that counting out X number of drops can be somewhat useless and too much stress for some drugs and some dogs. He just sent me home with a bunch of 1 ml syringes and I just drew up 1 ml of the solution, took off the needle, snuck up behind Buck (my husky/Rottie mix with the constant ear infections) and just squirted the whole ml of fluid straight down into the ear with the syringe and then rubbed it afterward. That way, you don't have to screw with counting out drops and making sure you get them all right down into the ear canal. I also give Buck bigger chewy treats (like those 100% chicken jerky strips you can get at Sam's Club pretty cheap) while I'm rubbing the base of the ear so that way the chewing motion helps work the stuff into the ear.


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## Terry Devine (Mar 11, 2008)

I have an old wooden pinic table that I ran a line up from the bottom betwen the wooden slats. I added a snap hook and just have the dog lay on the table and hook his prong collar to the snap hook. I can adjust the length of the line so I can limit the amount of movement and leverage he has. This has work well with conditioning the dog for nail trimming (I use a dremel) as well as for doing ear drops. Another advantage is I can use the table for grooming and bathing and do not have to spend too much time bending over stressing the lower back.

Terry


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## Alyssa Myracle (Aug 4, 2008)

Aww c'mon.
Why'd you fix the typo?

It totally made my day.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Maren Bell Jones said:


> Patrick, what kind of ear drops are you giving? If they are liquid washes like Epi Otic or some other kind of relatively fluid antimicrobial, one of the vets at the teaching hospital taught me that counting out X number of drops can be somewhat useless and too much stress for some drugs and some dogs. He just sent me home with a bunch of 1 ml syringes and I just drew up 1 ml of the solution, took off the needle, snuck up behind Buck (my husky/Rottie mix with the constant ear infections) and just squirted the whole ml of fluid straight down into the ear with the syringe and then rubbed it afterward. That way, you don't have to screw with counting out drops and making sure you get them all right down into the ear canal. I also give Buck bigger chewy treats (like those 100% chicken jerky strips you can get at Sam's Club pretty cheap) while I'm rubbing the base of the ear so that way the chewing motion helps work the stuff into the ear.



Yes --- do you mean the ear flush or the drops like Otomax?

I have a routine worked out for both. I would add too that if there is debris blocking the canal, the antibiotic drops can't get where they need to go, so in that case the flush comes first, and in fact does not have to be all one operation. 

The flush gets squirted in pretty quickly and the ear flap rubbed a bit (you will hear the squishing noise) to massage it gently around. Then let go, but do it outdoors or in the bathtub. The dog WILL shake his head. This works nicely to move the debris (with the flush) towards the outer edge of the ear, where it can be wiped off with a soft cloth.

Then the drops, which are harder.... less liquid, more measured, etc.

I get everything ready and then give the dog part of an excellent treat. I put the other part in plain view on the coffee table and wrap my left arm around the sitting (not standing) dog's head and neck, against my leg (I sit on the sofa near the coffee table) and hold the ear open with my left hand. My right hand drops in the drops, and the left one gently rubs the ear flap to distribute the ointment. The the dog gets the remainder of the treat instantly.

Same deal with the other ear.

This is the one situation where I use a food bribe, and I do make it a very good bribe.

Be all ready, work fast but calmly, and if he goes berserk, stop and re-group. This is something that the dog will come to see as unpleasant but worth it for the excellent reward.


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

this topic reminds me of treating ear infections in calves. i'd confine them in a small stall, use a syringe to squirt hydrogen peroxide into the ear, massage, then stand out of the way--when they start shaking their head, pus gets slung pretty good. 

i always massage the ear-base first, and could see the relief when the "pus-pressure" was relieved. i did tie them up close before i applied the peroxide, and they weren't huge calves--usually 150-200#.

with my dogs, i just mess with their ears/mouths/nails as much as i can at random times (i'm currently working w/Gracie on mouth-handling), hopefully to the point of "no big deal". not a lot of help, i know, but what the heck...


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## Patrick Murray (Mar 27, 2006)

Ladies, thanks but there's no holding this dog and he WILL bite the bejeebers out of anyone who insists on messing with his ears. Otherwise he's a perfect angel in every situation, seriously. This is the only behavioral issue that I have with this dog. 

For that reason I clean Fiona's ears (my pup) on a regular basis so that she is accustomed to it. I wish I had done this with Jake. Oh well, the vet told me the infection isn't too bad and today he prescribed an anti-biotic that he said may help. He told me it might just clear up by itself. I hope so. Thanks again.


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## Gerry Grimwood (Apr 2, 2007)

Maybe he associates the drops to an unpleasant experience in his past ?

You could always try the Vulcan nerve pinch.


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## todd pavlus (Apr 30, 2008)

I agree with chris, I played with my pups ears and feet since the day i got him just to get him used to me touching them. Now when I pull out the clippers they lay down without me even asking. Though they sure don't like the vet touching them.


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

_Oh well, the vet told me the infection isn't too bad and today he prescribed an anti-biotic that he said may help. He told me it might just clear up by itself. I hope so. Thanks again._

Chickened out huh....

And less of the "ladies" young man :wink: Seems like we feeble females use our brains to better advantage =D> =D> =D>


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## Eros Kopliku (Jan 30, 2008)

My dog had a bad ear infection which I just finished treating last week. I had to apply a liquid antibiotic twice a day, liberally (not just a drop or two, but a good squeeze of the bottle or two). He did not like it, but as anything new that I think he will not like, I introduce it at a reduced level with lots of rewards. I started with just putting the closed bottle tip in his ear, followed by hot dog bits and verbal praise. Later, I opened the bottle and poured the medicine in. He didn't like it at all, but he wanted the hotdogs.  The hardest part was keeping him from shaking it out while I massaged his ears.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Patrick Murray said:


> .... For that reason I clean Fiona's ears (my pup) on a regular basis so that she is accustomed to it.


Examine, yes. Clean, not if they are already clean. 


You don't want to introduce moisture (or tools) to a healthy ear.


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## Patrick Murray (Mar 27, 2006)

Gillian Schuler;89950 Chickened out huh....And less of the "ladies" young man :wink: Seems like we feeble females use our brains to better advantage =D> =D> =D>[/QUOTE said:


> Oh, is "ladies" politically incorrect too these days? Well, Gillian, what term should I use then when addressing a group of homosapiens of the female gender?


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

i guess, as a last resort, you could hobble him, muzzle him and sit on him til he gives up fighting. then give him a nice piece of chicken/cheese/whatever once he figures out that fighting doesn't work for him.....IDK, there's just a limit to bad behavior that i'll tolerate, though my suggestions seem OTT.

or you could just tranq the heck out of him for a week or 2....i just keep remembering all the Cocker Spaniel bad ears we used to have to deal with--a muzzle and 2 ppl (one to hold, one to administer the drops), on a slick surface--still could be a fight.

if you find something that works w/o major trauma, let us know, ok? never hurts....


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

Patrick Murray said:


> Oh, is "ladies" politically incorrect too these days? Well, Gillian, what term should I use then when addressing a group of homosapiens of the female gender?


patrick--"ladies" suits me, since there are so many other ways to describe a female


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## Patrick Murray (Mar 27, 2006)

Thanks for the support Ann. 

Actually, I was already aware that I can hog-tie my dog and but I was hoping for something a little more innovative and a little less forceful.


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## todd pavlus (Apr 30, 2008)

Kong with peanut butter


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

Patrick Murray said:


> Thanks for the support Ann.
> 
> Actually, I was already aware that I can hog-tie my dog and but I was hoping for something a little more innovative and a little less forceful.


well, bless your heart Patrick! 

as far as "more innovative and less forceful" methods, well if the rest of the ladies can't offer you something along those lines, welllllll, i sure can't!! they know a LOT more than i do. 

a short-term fix may be to hog-tie him in order to get his ears healed up. then go back to the suggestions above so you won't have to hog-tie again. i wish you the BEST of luck--you have a dicey situation, and no really good solution at this point.

again-let us know how it goes if you don't mind. better you than me wrestling big dogs about their ears....:-&


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## Patrick Murray (Mar 27, 2006)

He's going to take his antibiotics for a couple weeks and then I'm going to take him back in. He'll have to be anesthesized again so they can examine his ears, etc. Hopefully the infection will be gone.


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## Chris Michalek (Feb 13, 2008)

Patrick Murray said:


> He's going to take his antibiotics for a couple weeks and then I'm going to take him back in. He'll have to be anesthesized again so they can examine his ears, etc. Hopefully the infection will be gone.



what are you feeding? with my first rottie, she had tons of ear issues. I was feeding crap food IAMS (before I knew better) Then I got hip to raw food. Within a week of changing to raw, we didn't have any ear issues ever again.

Of course your issue might me totally different.


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

Patrick Murray said:


> Oh, is "ladies" politically incorrect too these days? Well, Gillian, what term should I use then when addressing a group of homosapiens of the female gender?


Addressing the females as "ladies" could sound slightly condescending in dog sport and I "attempted" to make a joke out of it. Hence the "smilies".

Having tried to help you with a suggestion, I didn't think you'd take the "oomph":? :? :?


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

Connie Sutherland said:


> Examine, yes. Clean, not if they are already clean.
> 
> 
> You don't want to introduce moisture (or tools) to a healthy ear.


That's true - I examine my dogs' ears on a regular basis and I give them a titbit for their troubles :smile: . This way, ear cleaning becomes a commercial issue where I always cough up to make it worth their while.

Nail cutting is another issue. If they twitch, I might cut into the quick. 

Either they let it happen or I make them let it happen. The more you fuss and try to find ways to console them, the more agitated the dogs can become.


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