Yes, it can happen. They usually put cotton in their ears during baths and there is a powder they can put in their ears afterwards. I try and remember to check ears when mine get groomed.

Ski is soooooo cute!

Great suggestions, 1929. I can mention it when I take him for grooming. One thing I don't like about the grooming place is you don't give directions to the groomer but to a clerk. Don't most places have you speak to the groomer him/herself? Last time I said "no teeth brushing," and then they tried to charge me $10 extra for tooth brushing.

Georgy, we all think our dogs are cute, but truly, he is adorable. The breed has a high "cuteness factor."

Go to another groomer. When I had my golden I had to be mindful of her ears since they flapped over. I would clean them often. As a safety precaution, the vet gave me prescription cream if I noticed the start of an ear infection. The cotton ball comes out dirty, so easy to direct.

Nice that there are meds that are long lasting.

With my current dog, his ears are like Oski. He has never had an ear infection.

Hugs to Oski.

I love Westies. I have a friend who has several. Hers tend to get ear infections as the result of their allergies. I don't know why that would happen, but apparently it does. She knows when she starts to see red fur on paws or muzzle to be extra vigilant about cleaning ears and checking for infection.

Oski is adorable.

I had a Bichon, Newton...who every....single....time ..he was groomed he got ear infections... and my groomer was so very careful....she still is grooming my lone, last Bichon Bugsy....It was just something that Newton was prone to so she stopped cleaning and clipping inside his ears and was very careful around them and they stopped.... Bugsy has never had one with her. Poor Oski.....

@User OMG your pups stole my heart!! If only we could get the 3 together, they would have a blast!!! What are their names, ages, relationship?

I use Zymox shampoo and conditioner. Not sure what product you are referring to. Something for the ears? He's only had one other ear infection in his life.

Chisue used to have a Westie as well.

Thanks Socks. They are my furry kids. I have no human children and those 2 make me so happy. :)

The girl is 4, her half brother is 2. Same mom, different dads. The boy is a sweet big moose, and his sister is the brains of the operation. LOL.

The boy has never had an ear problem but sadly my girl is prone to them. So I use the Zymox ear solution after every bath and any time I see her start scratching her ears. 75% of the time that stops any infection in its tracks. It's just messy as all get out. Lots of cleaning of the fur around her ears when we're using it. She has some summer and fall environmental allergies, so I spend a lot of time cleaning and medicating dogs' ears.

I posted a link to the stuff I use in my first post above.

Glad your adorable boy is on the mend. They break my heart when they don't feel good. You're lucky he doesn't seem prone to ear problems, so many Westies really suffer with skin problems.

@eld, Handsome boy, really good looking. What breed or mix?

Aw, poor Oski. Hope this clears up fast. Might he need an oral antibiotic? Fun to see him and patriceny's sibs.

Only our show quality Westie, Pip, had allergies, and they disappeared after he reached old age (about 12 to 17). Our first, Charlie, was 'pet shop variety' with the giant ears -- and no health problems. Rosie (for Roseneath) was too *determined* to suffer from anything (including human direction). Eliot was a puppy mill rescue, a physical disaster. I don't know how he made it to 17 -- other than a lot of expenditure.

No more Westies here, and I rarely see one out and about. We chose the breed in part *for* the stand-up ears -- and because they are substantial size dogs. (DH didn't want to walk a frou-frou dog.) Other criteria included a dog who'd fit in the laundry tub. (I mostly washed them myself, and not too frequently, which saved their skin. We also never stripped our dogs, as you would for 'show'.)

You would think an oral antibiotic would be needed, but they didn't send one for him. Hard to talk to the vet much since no one is allowed inside the vet's office, people wait in their cars and talk on the phone to the vet after the technicians come to the car to get the dogs.

I love hearing about your Westies, Chisue. Oski hasn't had too many skin problems, but if he gets to scratching too much, he gets a Cytopoint shot which is like a miracle to stop itchiness and lasts a month. I try to do it only once or twice a year. I see the dogs on the Westie rescue site often have horrible skin, no hair.

I don't see Westies often either, but my friend said she saw quite a few on her trip to Scotland. Most people here have Labrador retrievers or Goldens.

These are the Zymox products that I used for our Lab:

https://www.chewy.com/zymox-otic-pet-ear-treatment/dp/54785

https://www.chewy.com/zymox-otic-pet-ear-treatment/dp/54785

The Lab was so prone to ear infections that I started treating his ears prophylactially once per week during the summer months, esp. Note that you do NOT clean their ears prior to treatment.

Before discovering Zymox, we made a lot of trips to the vet because of ear infections. The Zymox worked so good that we never made another vet visit for an ear infection. Eliminated the need for antibiotic and antifungal RX's (Ketoconazole).

IF your dog is on oral antibiotics I don't see a problem with using Zymox. IF the antibx is a topical, then it would probably compromise the enzyme activity of Zymox so I wouldn't mix treating w/ 2 different topical medications.

I had a Westie years ago. Always so happy & smiley. And had such a sweet disposition. She strayed up to our house and decided to adopt us. My SIL has a Westie now and there are a couple of Westies in the neighborhood. Youngest son spent last summer traveling in Europe, mostly the UK. He saw tons of Westies in Scotland, too.

Labs predominate around here. Oldest son has a 6 month old Golden. I have another Sheltie; there is at least one other Sheltie in the neighborhood--a tiny one. I have a big boy close to Border Collie size--took some searching because the breeders seem to focus on making them smaller & smaller and I wanted a dog bigger than standard.

Socks, he is a Pit mix. Pass along rescue from my oldest.

Holy Moly, we’re talking cuteness factor ala extreme here Socks!...all of them are adorable!

I don’t have an answer about groomer related ear infections. My lab used to get them and we always assumed it was because she loves water and was in it often. However when she got one in the freezing winter, it made me rethink that theory. We had her allergy tested and it turned out that they were yeast related; yeast mites from outside and yeast in her food. Once I put her on drops for the mites and changed her diet to yeast free food they stopped and she hasn’t had one since. My point is that ear infections can result from many things, so who really knows. Right? That said, when reading your commentary, I feel like I’m picking up on some disatifation with the service as a whole so maybe it’s just time to make a change, and that’s ok.

Speaking of mites...I cringe when I see people letting their dogs lick their faces. Humans, especially those with lowered immune systems, can get mites from dogs. They aren't 'kissing', you know. It's primal -- puppies lick an adult to beg for food (sometimes regurgitated). Blech.

socks -- How old is Oski now? He's still looking thrifty!

patriceny -- Years ago we had a group of Westies who 'communicated' online. One owner was really sorry to have taken two sibs as pups. They outdid one another in trouble from housebreaking to old age. The female would pee in her owner's bed every chance she got, a reminder about who ran the show.

We once visited a Westie breeder who gave us a demonstration of the difference in gender regarding temperament. She let a group out of kennel and let them stray to the far lawn. When she called them to come, the males alerted and came running. None of the females deigned to hurry. They appeared to be vying to show which one could be the last to obey.

Cilantro, isn't Zymox awesome stuff? I'm fortunate only one of mine has minor skin issues, only in the summer and fall.

Love my furry kids, they make me very happy. :)

Socks, hope your adorable boy feels better soon. Give him a nice slurpy kiss from me and my two please!

Yes it is amazing stuff, Patriceny. Works as fast or faster than the RX stuff, cheaper and because you have it in the medicine cabinet, you can start treatment immediately. Cause kids & dogs seem to have a way of getting sick at the dawn of a long holiday weekend! :-)

Patrice, those two furbabies are adorable!

What a handsome guy! I hope he is doing better.

Chisue, Oski is 11 in August. Time flies, huh? He’s got some stiffness after heavy play and a couple small fatty tumors. I see little signs of age occasionally.

Lukki, You are right, no one really knows what caused the ear infection. But I am suspicious. If I go back, I’ll tell them to be careful of ears. I ended up at the emergency vet to get attention for him, and the bill was over $300 plus over 2 hours waiting in a hot parking lot!

Oh Socks, I’m sorry. That is a lot of money for ear infections and sitting in a hot car is no fun either. If it was the groomer, I can totally understand your frustration, I’d be frustrated too. I’m glad he’s going to be ok though. So...this is just a thought...but would it be out of line to ask for a discount towards your next service or something? Maybe they can help you to recoup some of the costs. I just ask because if I was a business owner, I’d feel compelled to do that.

ETA: I can’t believe Oski is 11, I wish we could all age so gracefully.

A little past 12, Pip and Eliot started to slow. Hearing went. Eyes went much later -- I could signal "Come?" with my hand until the sight was gone. Both were still able to navigate using smell. Only Eliot became mental and incontinent. Pip developed tumors in his nasal passages that eventully led to his sneezing/snort bloody discharge. It was only after that that we had him put down. He was 17. He and Charlie were my favorites.

Rosie was impossible -- had been held back for breeding by a private breeder, then they changed their minds. (Caged too long.) Good genes for show, but beyond our ability to socialize.

I wish we had returned Eliot to the Westie Rescue. He was a puppy mill mess -- physically and borderline mental. There are much better purposes for 17 years and thousands of dollars -- only fully realized when we saw the extra money in the kitty to help human causes.

No doubt every loss was a sad one, but it can be challenging to care for pets with tough aging issues. And as for the expense, we kind of get roped into it, thinking each expenditure will "fix" things.

Oski is doing pretty good, but I see some repetitive behaviors which concern me a little: repeated licking the air sometimes and obsessively "raking up" a spot to lie down.

Socks, the licking the air thing can be teeth/gum problems too. If it's a new behavior just since the ears started, hopefully it should stop really soon. But if it doesn't it's worth another trip back to the vet. Sorry, :(

I have no qualms about any money I've ever spent on a dog. However I like most dogs more than I like most people too, so there's that.

Vet costs have gotten ridiculous. My older sister has spent 1,000’s and 1,000s on two senior pups she rescued, some of which was for normal run of the mill issues. One fell ill a few weeks back and had to stay at the clinic for several days. Lots of tests and $4,000 later she had to have it uthanized because of cancer. Her Vet bills scare me so when I got Ellie, I insured her. Some people may disagree with the concept but it has been a great alternative in my situation. I love not having to choose between going broke or the care of a pet that means the world to me.

Vet insurance is not a bad concept at all Lukki. It's really just like any other form of insurance....which means it's written so as to benefit the insurer and the fine print matters more than anything else.

Insurance can be a necessary thing if the potential costs outstrip someone's ability to pay. I know several folks who love their pet insurance, so you are definitely not alone.

There are those of us out there who will pay for cutting edge medical care for our pets. I know people who have flown vets in from other countries to do surgery on their dogs, as well as someone who took their dog to another country for a surgery not available in the US.

Patriceny, I brush his teeth every day so teeth are ok. I need to take that opportunity to see if something is stuck in there but I doubt it. Thanks for the suggestion. Could have been the ears aggravating him though.

Our problem is that a family member has trouble knowing or believing when it's time to say "goodbye," so a lot is spent trying to save an animal that cannot be saved.

That's sad socks - and sadly a common problem for human health care too. :(

The one situation I'm thinking of with a dog involved complicated cardiac surgery, but it extended the dog's life by years so far...and the dog is still alive. His mom certainly had the ability to cover the costs and she feels it was totally worth it. I often wonder what I would have done were it me. There is a limit to what I would (probably) spend, but I don't have as deep of pockets as she does either. Hard to know until you're facing it for yourself I guess.

Thanks Patriceny, I appreciate the postive feedback as I’ve had more than my share of nay sayers tell me I was wasting my money. Didn’t Beagles do that with her little dog a couple of years ago? It was the first time I’d heard of that and it was wonderful that it all turned out so well. I wish all Vets would think outside of the box like that.

We've loved our dogs ... well, Eliot was something *else*. I was just amazed when we finally put him down that we'd spent SO much on a *dog* -- when there are hungry and homeless people, many of them children. It felt way out of proportion.

Pets are useful. They are easy, compared to people. They are dependent subordinates, and thus, pleasers. I see the utility. Absent a spouse, either DH or I might own a dog again, if only to keep us *moving*. (I'd rather he remarry!)

Ah yes Lukki, Beagles took Molly to the UK for heart surgery too. My friend flew in a Japanese vet for surgery for her dog. Apparently he's top in the field and it was easier to bring the doctor here than take the dog there.

We all get to make our own choices about money. And I think you're awesome for ensuring you can pay for a doggy medical emergency. :)

Some people have expensive collections (cars, stamps, guns) or hobbies, wonderful travel, and so forth. We take care of our pets. They take care of us in some ways too. There were days when my friend would not have gotten out of bed except for her beloved dogs. They are gone now, but I believe they saved her life.