Expert: Kim Wingate - 10/24/2009

Question
Our toy poodle is constantly scratching one of his ears and shaking his head. I do my best to keep his ears cleaned out. I've had poodles before and know the hair should be removed regularly from their ears. The wax I'm assuming that I clean out of his ear is almost black.  Is that normal? It doesn't have a bad odor. It's always the same ear that irritates him. I sometimes put alcohol in his ear when I clean it and it helps a bit. When we lived in the USA his ear didn't bother him much, but since moving to the United Arab Emirates a year ago his ear has been much worse.  Any suggestions??  Thanks!

Answer
Hello Angela,
It could be due in part to the move.  The drier air could cause the ears to dry out a bit and can make them more irritated.  The ear in question could also have a bacterial infection that is causing that ear to be more bothersome.  It can be that one ear is infected and the other one remains un-infected.  
You might think about taking him to the Vet to have the infected ear looked at.  Your dog might need either ear drops or an oral antibotic to help him overcome this.  

When you clean out the ears, you might use a Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide mixture to help remove the debris rather than the alcohol.  Alcohol tends to dry the ears out, and if the ears get very dry they can become irritated.  
Here is a website that tells how to make an ear cleaning solution out of ingredients that you can get from your local Pharmacy.  
http://www.zimfamilycockers.com/EarCleaner.html
It is a Cocker Spainel website, but it works great for Poodles also.

I hope this helps you some.  If you have other questions for me, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim