CHAPTER 48: PILLING & CLEANING EARS & TEETH
EAR CLEANING
Most Ear infections are caused by bacteria and yeast. Labrador’s ear flaps hang down and air does not circulate in them as well as pointed ear dogs like shepards. This creates a warm, moist environment where yeast and bacteria can thrive.
Signs of ear infections include scratching or pawing at the ears, head shaking, very hot ears, brown or black goop found on the gauze pads when cleaning, and a bad smell coming from the ears. If you notice any of these signs, check your dogs ears and see a veterinarian As Soon As Possible.
We use a gentle cleaning solution that is drying and non irritating to clean our dog’s ears. The cleaner can irritate the ear in a small number of dogs . Unless your dog has frequent ear infections, the ears should be cleaned no more than once a month but should be checked frequently. You can use prepared solution or make up your own.
When using the solution, squeeze a small amount of fluid onto a non sterile gauze pad. Wrap the pad around your finger and gently wipe the inside flap of the ear and down into the canal as far as your finger goes to remove dirt. Because of the bend in the ear canal, you cannot reach the eardrum. Usually, the dog will shake its head after you have finished massaging its ear. This is normal and actually helps move debris out of the ear.
Do not stick the tip of the solution nozzle in your dog’s ear. Your dog could shake its head suddenly and hurt its ear with the nozzle. Secondly, if your dog has an ear infection, the tip could get dirty and transfer the infection to the other ear. The only way to prevent that is to wipe the nozzle with an alcohol soaked gauze pad between ears.
PILLING YOUR DOG
On occasion, your dog may become ill and need to be treated with medication in the form of a pill. We will practice giving your dogs Brewers Yeast tablets, which taste good but have no nutritional value.
To pill your dog, it is best to have the dog sitting next to you or between your knees. Every dog is different. You can try different methods and learn what works best for you both.
Take the pill in your right hand, and put your left hand over the dog's muzzle with your thumb on one side and your fingers on the other. Some people can squeeze just behind the back teeth on the upper jaw,and the dog's mouth will pop open. Someprefer to use the thumb or pinky of the right hand and gently press down on the front of bottom jaw to open. When it does,stick the pill in as far as it will go on the back of the dog's tongue, then quickly clamp the dog's mouth closed with your left hand so the dog can't spit the pill back out.
You can blow gently on the dog's nose or massage its throat to encourage it to swallow. You may feel your dog swallow or you can keep one finger gently in front of the dog’s mouth. His tongue may come out from between its teeth a couple of times. That means it has swallowed the pill.
It is best to pill your dog on a hard surface, so you can hear if the pill falls out and hits the floor.
TEETH CLEANING
Brushing your dogs teeth will help keep their teeth and gums healthy, and is important to your dog’s overall health. You should only use toothpaste made for dogs.
Your dogs are not used to having their teeth cleaned and may resist at first. You can start by getting your dog comfortable with having you handle their muzzle and gently slide your fingers into their mouth. Do this for a few days and then try a gauze pad.
We will practice using a gauze pad. Take a gauze pad and wrap it around your finger. Hold the dog's mouth open with your right hand and slide the gauze pad in with your left hand. Wipe the teeth gently, praise the dog in a calm voice, then withdraw the pad.
Right now you are just trying to get the dog used to having something in its mouth. You can then progress to using a soft finger brush or toothbrush.