# Wax plug, suggestions for removal?



## twotonelover

When Rosey went for her physical in September, the vet said she had a wax plug in her left ear. She wasn't concerned, so I wasn't concerned, she just said to flush her ears out once or twice a week and it should come out. Well...its now almost January, and I've noticed some hearing loss in Rosey. Obviously, shes 13 and it could just be due to age, but its too big of a coincidence to me that she suddenly has some hearing loss two months after the vet said she had a wax plug in one of her ears.

So I was wondering if any of you had any suggestions for wax plug removal. I'm bringing Rosey in later this week just to rule out anything else that may be going on, but I'm pretty sure the hearing loss is from the plug.


----------



## xellil

They sell wax removal kits in the drugstore for people - you think that would work on a dog?

Personally, I would not be happy if my vet just left a plug of earwax in there. Try rinsing, yes, but leaving it since september, no way. And once or twice a week? When my dogs had wax building up, we were doing their ears several times per day. It was normally due to an inflammation in their ears, especially Rebel - he would get huge amounts of black gunk in there.

our old girls have enough problems without vets letting them go with earwax in their ears!!!

By the way, don't ever let a vet prescribe gentamycin for ear probelms in a senior dog. When we were on vacation two summers ago, Snorkels got an ear infection and the vet we found gave her ointment with gentamycin -I gave it religiously to Snorkels while she was barking and barking telling me she was losing her hearing. I thought she was just out of sorts because we were on vacation.

It destroys the nerves in their ears, my vet told me with an older dog those nerves usually don't regenerate.

She was deaf as a doorknob for several months, and now has very limited hearing. Her hearing before the gentamycin was pretty good.

Warning: Risk of Deafness from Ear Medications [Archive] - Diabetes in Dogs: The k9diabetes.com Forum

Oh - my fantastic vet always prescribed Tresaderm I think and she was the one who, when I took Snorkels in to ask about hearing loss, tracked down the fact that we had gotten gentamycin from another vet. Since we went on raw food, neither dog has had an ear infection.


----------



## MollyWoppy

Now, I'm not trying to scare you, but it's something you should be aware of. Stink, the 14yo old pug, started losing his hearing. He's my friends dog by the way. Took him to the vet. Wax plug, the vet said, gave him some treatment's to take care of it, ear rinses and such and said if it doesn't help, to bring him back. It didn't work, so as the vet couldn't actually see the plug, he referred Stink on to a specialist. Took Stink up there and they had to put him out to be able to get a good look at his ear. It was a tumour, thankfully benign, but it was growing in and had blocked the ear canal. He ended up having his whole inner ear removed.
Anyway, its just something to be careful of, if the treatments for the wax plug don't work, although its probably very unlikely it is a tumour, start questioning your vet, just to be on the safe side.


----------



## xellil

MollyWoppy said:


> Now, I'm not trying to scare you, but it's something you should be aware of. Stink, the 14yo old pug, started losing his hearing. He's my friends dog by the way. Took him to the vet. Wax plug, the vet said, gave him some treatment's to take care of it, ear rinses and such and said if it doesn't help, to bring him back. It didn't work, so as the vet couldn't actually see the plug, he referred Stink on to a specialist. Took Stink up there and they had to put him out to be able to get a good look at his ear. It was a tumour, thankfully benign, but it was growing in and had blocked the ear canal. He ended up having his whole inner ear removed.
> Anyway, its just something to be careful of, if the treatments for the wax plug don't work, although its probably very unlikely it is a tumour, start questioning your vet, just to be on the safe side.


Sounds like that vet was on top of things, and followed up. Thank goodness.


----------



## MollyWoppy

Yeah I agree, he is awesome at the medical aspect of his job. That's why I stick with him even though he's not a raw food advocate.


----------



## DaneMama

Masses in ears is something we see on a regular basis...I would definitely have her ear checked out again. Let us know how it goes...


----------



## magicre

my pug has one ear with an ear canal that is too narrow to see.

he had to be sedated to get the hair plug out of his ear and i guess i can look forward to doing it again in a year or so....

otherwise, feeding raw has kept his ears pretty clear.....a little surface stuff, but nothing that makes him shake his head constantly.....and when he does that, every three weeks or so, it's because he is ready for a surface clean....

if it makes you feel better, the sedation is extremely light. just enough to get them to lie still.....


----------



## twotonelover

Just picked Rosey up from the vet. Wax plug was still in there so they sedated her and flushed the ear out, nothing concerning was in either ear so I think we're all good  



> if it makes you feel better, the sedation is extremely light. just enough to get them to lie still.....


Yea this is what I was concerned about. For some reason I thought they would do full anesthesia, so I felt much better knowing it was just light sedation


----------



## magicre

twotonelover said:


> Just picked Rosey up from the vet. Wax plug was still in there so they sedated her and flushed the ear out, nothing concerning was in either ear so I think we're all good
> 
> 
> 
> Yea this is what I was concerned about. For some reason I thought they would do full anesthesia, so I felt much better knowing it was just light sedation


believe me, i understand.....as bubba ages, it will be the only way to get any kind of hair or plug out of that right ear....but the sedation was so light, they only charged me a little bit...so i felt better, even though he was only 3 or 4....

i'm glad it worked out. this way they get use optics to look down the canal..and clear out anything that's there.


----------



## Chocx2

I had a greyhound that I rescued some years back, he had a huge wax ball in his ear, didn't even know it vet got it out, when he shook his head it flew out, it was like a huge ball!!!! gross huh. He felt alot better after.


----------

