Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 11/7/2009

Question
I have three Springers, Two of they have very bad ears. Their ears smell really bad and drain brown stuff. Over the years I have seen vets but nothing they do or say helps. I clean their ears every over day or so with warm water on a cloth. I have tried several different products with no help. They are house dogs,they do not go in water. I am a dog groomer and need some help with my dogs. Thank you very much  

Answer
I would suggest that you find a vet that does a lot of ears and skin.  Ear cleaning requires special equipment to flush out the very deep area of the ear canal near the eardrtum.  Springers have more ceruminous glands in their ears than other breeds and they have allergic skin and allergies cause most ear infections.  So unless the underlying skin problem is treated, the ears will still flare up.