I don't think I'd use peroxide, it's too drying.

I'm not a vet, I'm not a vet tech, & I never have had to deal with anything like this, so don't take the following as expert advice, it's just the only thing that comes to mind:

If she were mine, I'd warm some olive oil & pour a little into her ear & put a cotton ball over it, & I'd keep re-applying it pretty often to keep the warmth constant.

Best luck.

Hi Sylviatexas, I thought about the olive oil too but I really don't think it will cut through this stuff. This wax reminds me of pine resin. I used the peroxide on the outer ear flap and not down in it. I have been looking online on and off today looking for some kind or OTC product that would dissolve the wax. Seems to be any kind of wax dissolver that is "industrial strength" needs a perscription which I will hopefully get on Monday.
I just cant believe the amt of stuff that is coming out.. I didn't think her ear was that big!
Thanks for the suggestion though.
Lorie

I wouldn't put anything in her ear except what the vet has perscribed since it sounds like her ears are really bad off. Never use peroxide to clean a dog's ears. Peroxide is part water and adding more moisture to her ears won't do any good and may make things worse. I've only heard of using olive oil to kill ear mites.

Use a clean, dry cotton Q-tip and clean out the wax until you can get advice from your vet on a cleaning solution to use. Just put the q-tip straight in and gently clean out the ear, don't push it toward her head.

Actually, what is coming out of her ears is probably a combinatoin of wax and the medicine. Did your vet tell you to clean her ears each time before you put the medicine in? You probably should because otherwise the old medicine just sits there and you just keep adding more and more on top and it's gotta go somewhere. I can't tell you how many of my clients just kept putting more and more medicine in their dogs' ears without cleaning them out first. It would take me sometimes half an hour or more to get their ears clean.

Have you looked into the possibility that her allergy and ear problems could be food realated? When she is bathed, water can also get in her ears and cause infection. You can pack her ears with cotton during the bath and then clean them out with an ear cleaner afterward to help dry the ear canal in case any water got in. My old lab used to get infections when he'd go out in the rain. It took us a while to figure that one out. Also, are her ears really long? If so you may consider having the groomer trim them up to the leather so that more air can get to the ear canal and help out any moisture problem.

I never did answer your orginal question. Sorry. At my shop I used a degreaser to clean the medicine off of the dogs' hair. It wasn't a miracle worker but over time it did come out. You use it full strength on the goopy hair and scrub it gently with your finger nails. Do not let the stuff or water get in the ear or you'll be right back where you started with infected ears. Pack the ears with cotton to help avoid this.

Here is the degreaser I use. I'm not sure what local pet supply shops would have available.

http://www.petedge.com/catalog/search.jsp?N=0amp;Nty=1&Ntk=AllSearch&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntt=degreaser

oddity, Thanks for replying. I was not using the peroxide down in the ear. Just on the ear flaps because over night the stuff that came out of her ear was starting to ulcerate the skin. At this point I wanted to avoid any more infection.

Daffy's ears are cleaned and plucked by the groomer every 6 weeks and she is clipped short around the ear so air will get in. Tonight I am going to make a bonnet for her out of an old sock to hold her ears up and then cut holes in it so air can get in. (she is going to like that oh yeah.. lol)

The vet cleaned her ears the last Friday with a q tip and it didn't seem that much came out then.. only used 4 q tips. To tell you the truth, I was looking in there too when she cleaned them and I would never have suspected..*shudders* The last time the vet cleaned them before that was about 6 weeks ago just after her grooming. I let them know she had just been groomed and what her ear cleaning schedule was like.
Thanks so much for the link.. and sorry I am so long winded on the subject today. I'm just a bit anxious about our "princess".
Lorie

Today I used Dove for sensitive skin in warm water and wrung the cloth out as best I could to avoid getting water in there. I was too chicken to try and swab with a q tip myself so I figured the blunt end of my finger with a soft cloth could not get in there and hurt much. I did dry it out as much as I could and let her lay on my lap with her ear folded back to let the air in after we finished. The only cleaning I usually do is just a quick wipe with a cotton ball to get any residue from the meds out.. Its NEVER been like this before.
We have been trying to isolate her allergy for the past 8 yrs and have come to the conclusion its multiple and environmental. Grass is most certainly one of them. We suspect the carpet too and we are working on getting hard wood through out the house. *cha ching*

We are feeding Natural Balance duck and potato allergy formula..

I will look for the degreaser but I think I need something to remove the wax as I think it is breaking up from deep inside her ear. Ive never seen ear wax so thick and sticky. I will have to drive into the "big city" to find it though.. Just not enough calls for that kind of item here in our little town.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help. It sounds like you are doing everything you can for her. I feel for you and your little girl. It is so hard when they are sick and we can't make them better. Keep us posted on how she is doing.

lostnca I also had a problem with my lab's ears and after changing his food and my landlord bought me new carpet in case that was part of the problem his ears are all better. I thought they were flaring up one day and put some of the medicine in his ears for a few days and then it was fine. I am hoping that he never has that problem again. I started to panic the worse it got cuz I was afraid I was not taking proper care of my dog. Spiritual gardner helped me a whole lot.

Hi all ! Had Daffs to the vets today. They are really not sure what is going on but are suspecting an abcess or cyst maybe? They put her on Clavimox and upped her Prednisone doseage. She is scheduled for a routine dental cleaning in a couple weeks and they will take a better look into the ear then. In the mean time we are just working on getting it cleared up.

Lablover, when the vet first said that it could be the carpet I was skeptical since it is just nylon.. then I thought about the chemicals they use to repel stains etc.. Glad your pups ears cleared up.
Lorie

Here is a link that might be useful:

Maltese are known for having bad allergies. Chronic ear infections are a common symptom of food allergies especially, but also environmental allergies. I would do a food trial to determine if the diet has anything to do with the problem. Getting the vet to look at the ears better while he is under general anesthesia is also a good idea. If there is a polyp or something in the ear canal, that would make it difficult to impossible to get to the source of infection and clear it completely. I'd ask if the ears can be flushed while he is under general anesthesia as well.

BTW, few dogs need to have their ears plucked, although I've found it virtually impossible to convince groomers of this fact. Plucking the hair causes inflammation, which makes the ears more susceptible to infection. Do not allow the groomer to pluck his hair any more. And anyway, it hurts like heck.

meghane, we have tried so hard to track down the food allergy if there is in fact one. Right now we have her on Duck and potato allergy formula. The grass is definitely a trigger. Im thinking there are multiple allergies that do not present their selves consistently. Its very frustrating to say the least. Just about the time we think we have it figured out.. it flares up again. *sigh*
What is different about this ear infection is that she never had the problem in 7 years.
I will mention to the groomer about the plucking.
Lorie