I have raised basset hounds for many years. I love every bit of them. From their big feet, to their floppy ears. Bassets ears like many other hounds are very prone to infections.
I hope my how to article helps you in aiding your hounds ear problems.
Hounds get water trapped deep down in their ears. This can result from a bath or hunting in rainy weather, or many other factors.
Remember when bathing your hound to not pour water down in their ears. It is best to wipe their ears out with a slighty damp rag. Be sure to not bury down into the ears. They are very sensitive.
Their are many ways to know if your hound has an ear infection.
They may rub their ears on their paws or bed. They may even run their heads along the rugs and flooring.
You can smell infection in your pets ears. While hounds do have a scent in their ears, if you detect a mustly order you may want to contact your dogs vet.
Discharge may occur from the ears. The dog may whine a lot or seem tense.
It is always best to get your pet to a vet to be checked out. Your dog may need antibitocs and his/her ears flushed. There are in fact, OTC meds that you can get at you local vet or feed store that may be effective if the ear is not too infected.
Always ask a pet healthcare professional about watch types of meds to adminster to your dog based on his/her illness, size, breed and health history.
I use a home based mixture for my hounds ears.
1/8 cup iodine
1/8 cup mineral oil
1/8 cup water
1/16 cup rubbing alcohol
A sports bottle or even a “Bug Juice” drink bottle works great to squeeze the well shaken mixture into your dogs ears.
Wash and sanitize your bottle and pour in the mixture and shake well.
When you put the drops in the dogs ear, pull the eat out so the mixture flows evenly into the dogs canal. Massage the ears untill you hear a “squishy” sound.
You may want to follow up with a dose of Petspine (dog asprine) . You can find this as Petco and your vet.
Your pet may shake his/her head around. Repeat this for 5 days and look for results.
Also to keep your pets ears clean, use a product for doing so weekly.
I use Petoxide from Petco. Please make sure you wipe your dogs ears out daily with a damp rag.
Never try to be a vet, treat your pets as children and take them to the vet if you are ever unsure.
