Overgrowth of Hair in the Ear Canals of Canines

There are certain breeds of dogs that grow more hair in the ear canals than others. This overgrowth of hair can cause big problems for these dogs. To name a few, the most common breeds that seem to have this problem that I have seen in the veterinary clinic are the Poodle, Maltese, Old English, and sometimes Golden Retrievers. This article takes a look at how an excessive amount of hair in the ears can have consequences. This information is based on what I have observed while working in a veterinary clinic for 5 years. Having a large amount of hair in the ear canal would seem to have its benefits, one would think. It prevents debris from getting into the inner ear canal, right? Well, that may be true, however, the excess hair also prevents debris such as ear wax and foreign bodies from being shaken out. The debris that is unable to be shaken out will then sit inside the ear.

The debris that is trapped may begin to cause irritation in the ear canal. Inside the ear canal, it is dark, moist and warm. These are ideal conditions for bacteria and yeast to colonize in. This irritation caused by the debris along with the conditions for bacterial/yeast growth may then turn into a full case of otitis externa. So you can simply flush the ears and instill medicated ear drops, right? Wrong. If you flush the ears and treat with ear meds, you may be getting rid of the symptoms, however, the source of the problem still exists and the chances of getting a thorough ear flushing and getting the medications down into the ear canal are slim because of the hair obstructing the canal.

To treat ears like this, that excess hair needs to be removed. This is done simply by grabbing the hair and pulling. With some dogs, you can simply pluck the hair out with your fingers. In other instances, the hair needs to be pulled out with an instrument. Your veterinarian will most commonly use an instrument called a hemostat. The hemostats are surgical forceps with a fine tip. Your groomer may also do this for you. For some dogs, they do not mind the hair pulling, for others it is very painful. Basically, what your veterinarian will do is take the hemostats and grab a large amount of hair. Now, rather than pulling the hair out by yanking the instrument out, the veterinarian will use a twisting motion. The hair will twist around the instrument and will pull out with ease. Just remember you are pulling hair from a sensitive area, so take caution when doing this on your own, as your dog may bite you. Having someone help is ideal and will make it much easier.