Smelly head????

[OnyxsMom]

Ok, so a few weeks ago, hubby and I started smelling a weird odour in the house. Mainly in the stairway that goes downstairs, where the dogs hang out (They are allowed to rough house down there... not upstairs).
Anyways, we initally thought someone... ahem ahem... queen diva.... was upset with us, and was sneaking a piddle down there every so often. So we cleaned and cleaned and cleaned to no avail. With some very carefull investigative work, we have found the source of our problem. Its Onyx's head. Not her shoulders, back, hips, feet... nope, her head. Mainly her ears (which are natural and floppy). I can smell it on her mouth/nose as well, but its definately coming from her ears. I have inspected and I dont see anything out of the ordinary. Colour looks good. No little "friends" tagging along in there, clean, dry.... Im baffled. Has anyone else had smelly ears??? And what can I do to help this????

[GSDNewbie]

I would get her seen for ear infection.

[EmmaGirl]

Although you checked thoroughly, you could have missed something. It happens. Get her in for an ear check.

[alimel]

Originally Posted by OnyxsMom

Ok, so a few weeks ago, hubby and I started smelling a weird odour in the house. Mainly in the stairway that goes downstairs, where the dogs hang out (They are allowed to rough house down there... not upstairs).
Anyways, we initally thought someone... ahem ahem... queen diva.... was upset with us, and was sneaking a piddle down there every so often. So we cleaned and cleaned and cleaned to no avail. With some very carefull investigative work, we have found the source of our problem. Its Onyx's head. Not her shoulders, back, hips, feet... nope, her head. Mainly her ears (which are natural and floppy). I can smell it on her mouth/nose as well, but its definately coming from her ears. I have inspected and I dont see anything out of the ordinary. Colour looks good. No little "friends" tagging along in there, clean, dry.... Im baffled. Has anyone else had smelly ears??? And what can I do to help this????

Floppy ears are prone to inner ear infections, believe me, I know and yes, there is an odor.

[OnyxsMom]

thanks for the info...

the only thing is, she does not bother with her ears at all. She does not itch them, play with them, nothing. They dont seem to be bothering her at all.... just stinky. I will give the vet a ring today and see what they say though.

alimel - what sort of treatment did you go through? recovery time? i know floppy ears are more prone to ear infections... just never had to deal with one first hand (crossing fingers)

[GSDNewbie]

The odor is first signal and it really is best to catch it quick as really festered ears can be difficult to rid of all infection so it does not become a repeating issue.

[alimel]

Originally Posted by OnyxsMom

thanks for the info...

the only thing is, she does not bother with her ears at all. She does not itch them, play with them, nothing. They dont seem to be bothering her at all.... just stinky. I will give the vet a ring today and see what they say though.

alimel - what sort of treatment did you go through? recovery time? i know floppy ears are more prone to ear infections... just never had to deal with one first hand (crossing fingers)

Our vet gave us an ointment to be administered to infected ears. It started to clear up with in a few days, I would say after a week, it was all clear. Depends on the severity of the infection.

[OnyxsMom]

ok im going to call the vet now....

[OnyxsMom]

called the vet....

He cant see her until Monday. He told me though, that there is a possibility that there is an infection. Told me that in the meantime, I can put polysporin drops in her ears, as they are mild enough to use even if there is no infection. Apparently, although it wont clear it up without meds, it can sooth the ear canal to she doesnt figit with it, and can help lift any dirt that may have gotten in there. It will also keep them clean, and is less bothersome then cleaning with something more harsh or chemical based.
He also said she could just stink. She was in heat a month ago, and I guess that the body odour a dog gives off can vary from dog to dog. Some let off a smell that only other dogs can smell, and some let off a smell that is just plain foul. I guess one of the scent glands is right above a dogs eyes, and can easily be confused for coming from their ears. So she will be getting in the tub soon. She is due for a nice good scrub anyways.

[Dignity]

Like everybody said - probably an ear infection. I'm dealing with Loki having one right now as well... They're no fun for you or your dog . My first sign with Loki was shaking his head and scratching his ear a bunch. If you look in the ears, you may see a red-ear-wax... that's always my sure sign