Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 11/15/2011

Question
my 3 year old shihitzu is going to be sedated on Thursday he has a ongoing ear infection that has not responded to eardrops prescribed twice by the vet,they plan to remove the hair and see if there is any foreign body in the ear.
how will they sedate him how long does the procedure normally take and will this clear it up??

Answer
Those are questions you need to ask your veterinarian.  There are many anesthetic protocols available.  I usually use a very short acting anesthetic and the dog is awake after about 15-30 minutes.  The actual procedure can vary in time depending on what they find.  I have a video otoscope, so I can look in the ear on a large video screen to see what is in the ear.