moggy Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 Lately our Chihuahua, Sophie, has been shaking her head then scratching her right ear with her back leg then licking the foot. Sometimes she spends about 1/2 hour repeatedly doing this. She shows no sign of pain and otherwise is normal. Does anyone else know of this behaviour? Is it habit or should we get her checked out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastion 2 Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 I would be checking for ear mites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moggy Posted October 31, 2010 Author Share Posted October 31, 2010 Never had a problem with earmites. Will look them up on the web and see what they look like. Thanks for the suggestion Sebastion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellz Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 Have a good sniff of her ear. A "normal" ear shouldn't have an unpleasant odour of any kind. A "strong" smell could indicate a fungal issue or mites. Also look at the colour of the ear and/or any wax coming from it. Excess wax could also mean infection or mites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honeychild Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 (edited) Yep, mine does that as well. No mites and have had her ears checked. Its a nervous habit. She alternates between this and licking. The vet says its anxiety driven and its a soothing mechanism. I would definitely be getting her ears checked to rule this out though. Edited October 31, 2010 by honeychild Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moggy Posted October 31, 2010 Author Share Posted October 31, 2010 Thanks for your replies. There is a slight smell in her right ear, the one she keeps scratching. We have started treating it with earmite drops. If it doesn't improve after a week or so or treatment will take her to the vet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrm88 Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 I would take her to the vet asap. If it is an ear infection treatment needs to be started sooner rather than later to avoid a very nasty infection developing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellz Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 Thanks for your replies. There is a slight smell in her right ear, the one she keeps scratching. We have started treating it with earmite drops. If it doesn't improve after a week or so or treatment will take her to the vet. I'd be taking her to the vet sooner rather than later if there is an odour coming from her ear. Treating it for ear mites, if it ISN'T ear mites, isn't going to make a lot of difference other than to possibly delay the treatment and recovery of other issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 Depending on the actual problem with the ear putting drops down it can actually cause a bigger problem. I would get them looked in asap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shells Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 I would get her looked at by a vet as it could be a yeast infection and treating it with ear mite drops is only going to make it worse as the yeast will feed on the damp, wet environment. Is there any chance it could be a grass seed? It is the season for them and they are often painful and need to be removed by a vet. I have found Advocate spot-on the best way to treat earmites and means you dont have to put ear drops in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W Sibs Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 Definitely vets. I don't like messing with the dogs ears (or eyes) if they have issues with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karly101 Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 Definitely vet...could be an ear infection, could be a foreign body, leave it longer and you may end up with an aural hemotoma... needs a vet to have a good look with an otoscope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moggy Posted November 3, 2010 Author Share Posted November 3, 2010 Update on Sophie's ear. Well after researching a lot on the net we decided the problem is probably earmites so decided to try the treatment drops. After using it for 3 days the change is remarkable. She is not scratching her ear and her restless behaviour has settled down. She is our little Sophie again. We are keeping up the treatment for the rest of the week. If it recurs it is off to the vet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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