Advice on giving ear drops

[Sus]

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register

Have had a bit of a rough time with biddy over last 4 days
I have only had her for just over 9 weeks and she was gaining confidence and coming on fantastically until last Thursday when I took her to the vets to have 2 teeth out
They explained that she would have blood test and x-rays before procedure
I then had the shock of my life when I collected her to find out that she had had 12 teeth removed and her ear which I had cleaned of what they had informed me was wax in July was now dry and the canal narrowed so that they could not inspect all the way down
She came home on antibiotics, painkillers and steroid ear drops. I was mortified.
After the first 2 days which were awful, I thought the worst was over, she is now off painkillers and the antibiotics are small enough to hide easily in food
It is the ear drops that are a problem, she is getting worse with every application. I have to give 5 drops in each year twice a day and she hates it
I have used fresh chicken and salmon mouse each time to reward her, before and after application but she is getting worse. I have to hide the bottle when I pick it up
I fear that she is going to associate me with the horrible experience of the ear drops after all the progress we have made
Is there an easier way of doing it or I just persevere. I have to do it for 10 days then back to vets for check up

 

[JoanneF]

There are two things I can suggest that might be helpful.

First, if you have someone who can help, get them to gently squeeze a tube of squeezy cheese for her to lick while you do it. That's helpful for keeping dogs in one place, and distracted, for procedures like this. The only problem is that unless someone has invented an automatic dispenser this is very much a four-handed operation.

The other suggestion is - check this won't compromise how effective the drops are - but if you can, warm them to body temperature by carrying them round tucked into your clothing before you apply them.

 

[Sus]

Thanks Joanne, will certainly try the cream cheese and get someone to help, so far I have been trying to hold her head and ear back with one hand while applying the drops with my other hand
Very unpleasant for her and me as well
I will also warm the drops in my hand prior to giving as well, I'm sure that would be kinder
Have done this mornings doses but how much gets into her ear I don't know
The 4 handed approach sounds much easier, I will try that this evening.

 

[Flobo]

It is a hard one, she will forgive you though I'm sure once the course is done.
I had to give one of my ferrets antibiotics for his spleen once, think it was a 2 week course twice a day and he hated it! I thought he'd never trust me again, but other than putting him off the salmon oil I used to help the meds go down he was soon back to loving me again and enjoying his snuggles, thank goodness!!

 

[JudyN]

When Jasper needed ear drops I ended up trying to sneak them in on walks when he was looking the other way... Sometimes it worked, sometimes not. But he would turn aggressive if he knew what we were doing, and he was a big lad, so it was the best we could do.

A couple of weeks later, I began some 'desensitising and counter-conditioning', starting with just giving him treats while I held the bottle, and some general ear handling, building up through holding his ear and the bottle as if i was going to put drops in, and then had a few practice runs with olive oil. I was surprised how quickly he came to accept it, though thankfully he never had another ear infection.

 

[Sus]

Thanks Flobo and JudyN
I had help tonight in giving the ear drops tonight but I feel it was the same, one holding her down while I administered the drops
She ignored the cream cheese and chicken that was offered during administration of the drops, she did gobble the chicken up afterwards though, I think the only advantage was that I was able to ensure that she had 5 drops in each ear
I will try and carry on because it is what the vet advised, my only concern is that she has never showed any symptom or indication that she had anything wrong with her ears, there has never been any scratching or rubbing of her ears, no shaking of her head or any evidence that her hearing was affected. She only ever rubs or shakes her head after the drops, so I do hope I am not causing her distress for no reason
I do not want to carry on but I will.
I am afraid I do not have complete faith in doctors with legitimate reasons why, so I feel the same about vets, I will complete the course and return to the vet to see what they think and go from there

 

[JudyN]

It could be worth you ringing your vet to say that you're struggling with the ear drops and you need to balance the possible benefits against the cost to her mental health and her trust in you, and ask if there's any alternatives.

Assuming you continue, I think it's just a case of doing it calmly and quickly, with enough restraint that it doesn't beecome a prolonged wrestle, and then follow up with plenty of treats (if she won't take them during the treatment). View it as a few steps back in the context of a lot of steps forward.

 

[Rehab Kennels]

Ok so I red that you are rewarding her before and after? Doing it before and after makes her fail to see connect with the treat then the ear drops, she won't see the ear drops as something positive because your accidently treating at the wrong times.

• No longer treat her before it is pointless and means nothing to her, no connection to anything its just a treat.

Un till the course of ear drops has finished do not give her a single treat at any other time of day but when your doing the ear drops! She has to want it.

• I no you have used chicken but I can't remember the other treat you use but buy a tin of plain in brine 'Hot dogs' no dog can resist them and I use them if I reward with treats.
• As it's quite posible this will not be the last time she will ear drops its so important that she is settled and half happy with what your doing so you are going to have to start desensitising her to it 3/4 times a day this is not including the time you have to give her the ear drops.

This is what you do -

1. Break in half a hotdog and mash it up in a bowl then put it in your hand with fist closed loosely.
2. Ask her to come to you, she must come to you it must be her choice. Hold your hand in front of her still fist closed and let her slowly lick out the hotdog I want you to time 30secs then after 30secs open your hand and let her have the rest. Do nothing else but this and one or two "good girls"!
3. 1 hour later repeat this process but this time I want you with your other hand to stroke her good ear, one stroke then remove your hand for 3secs then do the same again, repeat this un till she doesn't finch or move. You need to try and get her to this point before she finishes licking out the hotdog.
4. 1 hour later up the anti - Repeat step 3 she must come to you, but do it with her bad ear now this may take a lil longer till she barely notices you touching it so mash up one whole hotdog.

At this stage she is associating having her ears touched with something positive and this is half the problem solved, she must trust you that what ever you do benefits her positively. I would usually say to go straight for the drops but you have not had her long it might un do all the progress thats been made. So next (don't vocal reward her during this, her reward is the hot dog not phrase, phrasing her when hotdog is gone is fine) -

1. Get the ear drops quarter of a mashed hot dog, do same as before but after hold the ear drops in the other hand next to the hotdog hand and let her do her licking it out. She no exactly what they are by the smell so she must associate the ear drops as something beneficial to her.
2. Half hour later same as above but hold the ear drops in the above position for 2/3secs then slowly as though you were stroking her use the bottle as your hand and stroke from her cheek up to her ear, over her ear (straight to the bad one unless she starts flinching then go to the good side un till she stops then move back to bad ear). Stroke her like that - up her cheek over her ear to the base of her neck repeatedly un till she finishes the hotdog.
3. Repeat the above but when you go over her ear I want you to go under her ear flap not ontop of it, let her feel your hand and the top of the bottle. After 3 repeats when you get to the ear under the flap stop and hold your hand and bottle there for 2secs then carry on, repeat this now - Stroke, stop 2secs, stroke. If she is handling it like a pro which if you do it right she will be by now increase the hold time by 2secs every repeat un till you can hold it there for 7 seconds without a finch by her.

This is enough for the first day leave her ear alone in every way till the next day and remember do not treat her at all but during the desensitisation!
As the drops are for wax not an infection I professionally advise you and my mum and brother are both vets and they have just said that not putting them in her for 48hrs while you are doing this is fine and will not harm her in any way as not giving her them during this is essential to it working and you being able to have her stand still care free to do this!
Iv got to go down the garden to the kennels so watch out in the next couple of hours for the rest of what you need to do! It's kennelled dogs lock up and biscuit time and there letting me no by all barking.

 

[Sus]

Thanks Judy I did ring the vets but could only speak to a nurse, she relayed the message to the vet and told me that he said to continue with the drops
Thank you Rehab for your advice on administering the drops and I will take everything you have said on board especially on how to actually give her the treat
I have looked up the drops and I think she is being treated for ear mites given that I have to treat the unaffected ear as well, but I could be wrong (they are called Canaural suspension)
I was told by one vet in July that it was wax in one ear and used an ear cleaner but when she had teeth extractions 9 days ago the vet said her ear was dry and narrowed but did not say exactly what he was treating for
I was so upset at seeing her after the anaesthetic that I did not ask all the questions I should have done
She still hates having them in but seems resigned to having them. I feel so sorry for her