Ear Drops HELP please!

[Eifla2o18]

Hi everyone,

Really hoping for some advice because I’m at my wits’ end.

My dog has both Pseudomonas and Staph ear infections, and he desperately needs his antibiotic drops, but getting them in is almost impossible. Even with a muzzle on, he becomes extremely aggressive, animated, and thrashes his head around. I can’t get him to stay still long enough to get even a tiny amount of medication into his ear.

I’ve tried all sorts.

Nothing is working. He’s a strong dog, and I’m genuinely worried someone is going to get hurt, and he’s obviously completely stressed too.

Any tips, tricks, or creative approaches would be amazing. I really just want to help him heal without turning every medication session into a battle.

Thanks in advance

I’m sorry I don’t have any words of advice- I failed miserably with trying to install ear drops.
Has your vet offered long lasting ear drops? I think the one that my dog had was called Neptra. It was a one off treatment.
I tried to do the at home ear drops but my dog was getting very distressed and snapping. Luckily the long lasting drops sorted the issue but I’m not sure if they covered staph and pseudomonas.

I'm no help either. Sorry.
One of my previous dogs had to have daily eardrops and it was a nightmare. He wasn't aggressive, but it was still a two man job as he'd struggle and shake his head. It was impossible to do them on my own.
I assume he can't be distracted by licky mats or treats.

Thank you. I'm not sure either as he said it's very difficult to treat, so we have a special type 🫣.

No, honestly. I'm taking my life into my hands. He's far more aggressive when muzzled but too bitey without! Thank you for responding.

I completely sympathise with you. My very large and strong boy used to hate having ear drops put in. It was definitely a two man job and we planned it like a military operation. We made sure we had them to hand where he couldn't see them, then when he was sat, relaxed, next to dh, he'd nod to me as a signal to be ready, then he'd hold his muzzle closed and, quick as lightening, I'd administer the drops. It sounds cruel and was an absolute nightmare at first with him trying to get free of dh but he eventually got used to the routine and stopped struggling and held his head still whilst I very quickly administered them and he knew there would be a treat at the end of it. I could not have done it on my own, the secret is to be prepared, have the drops to hand and work very quickly. This is one of the reasons I'll never have another large dog, things like this are so stressful.

Thanks. We had it like this, down to a tee. But somehow he ended up one step ahead of us again. I'm embarrassed to say he's not a big dog! But even the vet said he bucked with the strength of a horse. 🤣

I was going to suggest ham/chicken/garlic sausage, but I see you've already tried treats. One of ours had an ear infection recently, and we had one person feed him really high-value treats while someone else sat next to him and put the ear drops in.

Can you do it while he is asleep?

Yes, it's surprising how strong they are when they don't want to do something! You aren't the only one who struggles with stuff like this, I used to feel really embarrassed that my dog was so uncooperative, especially at the vets (I've actually had them tut at me). He was a really gentle lab boy but he hated me trying to do stuff to him and I was terrified of getting accidentally bitten. I can only think try a different type of muzzle that someone could hold onto him whilst you quickly do the drops?

Mine was an 18kg sprocker. DS used to squat down and get DDog between his legs, up against his body. One arm around his neck holding him in place. Other hand round his muzzle, keeping his head still. Then I had to syringe meds into his ear, followed up with a squirt from another bottle. Repeat for second ear.
DDog got wise. If we both stood up at the same time, he'd run and hide.
DS got to the point of saying it wasn't worth putting DDog through the stress of the treatment twice a day. (He had several other health issues going on.)

This may not be a complete solution but I had a rescue Staffie, he was a street dog and had an entrenched ear infection when he was brought in to the shelter, which caused narrowed ear canals and frequent ear infections forever more. He was 31 kg and very strong, although not aggressive. He would fight like a bear against having any ear drops administered, until I bought him a Thunder shirt/Anxiety wrap (for thunderstorms and fireworks etc) and decided to try it for the ear drop battle. It made a significant difference and he was relaxed enough to actually get them inside his ears and to massage the ear canal. It was still a two person job, one person kneeling behind him and holding him tight with their arms wrapped around him and the other with the drops. Just a thought!

We’ve had the ear drop drama too. I’d highly recommend watching some Susan Garrett YouTubes as she has some training on this.

It will look like it takes a long time, but honestly - lots of tiny tiny sessions (literally 30 seconds at a time) and you can get there pretty quick. I went from having a dog running away at the sight of the ear drop bottle and not being able to get anywhere near and it being stressful all round, to him stamping his foot for me to crack on with it and willingly opting in. You just have to police yourself and think “slow is fast, fast is slow”.

To begin with, you’re literally getting the bottle out (maybe wrap it in something so it ‘looks’ different) and launching food at him - nothing more - session stops. Bottle comes out, dinner is served. Bottle comes out of fridge/bag/cupboard, food arrives. Bottle back in fridge, food stops. Repeat. Bottle is nowhere near him or his ear to start with. Stop while he’s curious or at least vaguely interested. Gradually build up to him sitting or standing, bottle beside him, then lifting the bottle, then eventually lifting the bottle near his ear but no drops yet etc. watch for when he stresses and go back a step. Slow is fast.

Continue to pair bottle+food. No bribing, no chasing him around - just pairing the two so in his head “Bottle = food”. Stop before he panics and go slow. Make it super easy for him. Imagine yourself at the dentist or gynae exam - no one wants a surprise…and if he’s sore, that won’t be helping.

It sounds like it takes ages, but honestly, if you do tiny incremental steps, you’ll get there faster than having to fight him every time. It works for ears/eyes/nails etc.

Once you can get ear drops in, if you have a bowl or lickimat on the floor for after, you can keep him pointing down for long enough for the drops to move down before he shakes his head too much. Good luck!

Thank you! My friend, who lives quite a way away came and put them on yesterday as I'd gotten myself into such a state! He was pretty amenable as she did it with confidence and distraction, whereas I've lost my bottle. She's coming back today, bless her. But I do need a longer term solution so will look into this.

Thanks so much for this. It’s total common sense training stuff. I know it all but I wasn’t doing it! I’d gotten into such a panic that I’d lost sight and taken away his “consent” and made him feel vulnerable (=aggressive). I didn’t even finish the video, started having a go and I’ve got them in on my own, with him coming to me!! 24h ago I was frightened of him and in tears!

@Eifla2o18 Aaah yay! It’s so hard as you know you’re trying to help them and it’s horrible when you can’t explain what you need to do. I’m always amazed how fantastic dogs are though once you can work together. Hope he’s on the mend soon - we had to have ear flushes and all sorts of nonsense, so I feel your pain!