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Permalink Reply by Rebecca Marie O'Bryan on September 20, 2010 at 9:37pm

No problem. We all have questions and that's what we are here to do:) so first off I wouldn't worry about his ears standing up right now. They will stand up in a few days or weeks but u can help them out by giving some cheese or plain low fat yogurt as he needs calcium for them to stand up. If they are not up in in 3-4weeks then I would try taping but it looks to me that they will be up in no time:) I never had to tape teddys ears as when he was 9weeks both ears were up thanks to some yogurt and cheese lol put some in his breakfast. About a table soon. As for the ear mites that wouldn't stop his ears but I take it he is itching them a lot? Some times u can see the little mites. I wonder why the vet didn't see them or notice. I would continue the treatment for a few more days but if no improvment I would go back to the vet just to be sure. Sometimes itchy ears means he is allergic to somthing such as the food he's eating. What food is he on?

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Permalink Reply by Tori on September 20, 2010 at 9:47pm

He's eating Nutro's Natural Choice, Small Bites for Puppies. The Chicken, Rice, and Oatmeal Formula. I don't know why the vet didn't notice them. He hasn't really been scratching that much but when we first brought him home he stank. Like a farm, which is where his breeder lives, so that was understandable. So I bathed him. And then he was still stinky. So I bathed him again a few days later. Well he was still so terribly stinky and I noticed the smell was coming from his ears so I looked inside and he has that dark red-brown gunk in his ears.

So I bought the ear mite stuff at wal mart. Only now I'm nervous because the packaging says for puppies OVER 12 weeks. Is it dangerous for Winston? He's pretty hefty, he's already 7 pounds (he eats like a pig!).

Great idea for the yogurt. I'll buy some in the morning. If I'm feeding him 1/2 cup twice a day, how much yogurt should I give him?

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Permalink Reply by Joanna Kimball on September 20, 2010 at 10:49pm

Well, speaking as a breeder, puppies should NOT smell bad. No matter what. I know plenty of breeders who have livestock on site but the puppies are raised in the house and are immaculate - as immaculate as puppies ever are! But seriously, that's a huge red flag for me.

The red-brown gunk is NOT necessarily ear mites. Ear mites are not that common in dogs, actually. It's a lot more likely to be a yeast infection and should not be treated with ear mite medication, which (over the counter) is some very nasty stuff.

If he came from a breeder like I suspect he did, number one I screech "Don't ever do that again!" Number two, WORM HIM. I can guarantee he's loooooaaaaded. Use either pyrantel or fenbendzaole; I'd recommend the latter. Once he's wormed, get some oti-cleanse or another gentle ear cleansing formula and treat him once a day, being sure to wipe it out carefully.

He doesn't need puppy food; he needs good adult food. Using a low-carb type will help combat the yeast as well. Raw is what I always recommend but there are good alternatives out there.

In another two weeks, worm him again. They hatch out again and you need to kill the new hatch.

I'm glad he's eating well; that's a good sign. You don't need to worry about his ears for another three or four weeks. If they're not up by then, assuming you've cleared up the yeast and he's eating good food and doesn't have worms, then I'm happy to tell you how to tape them. But I think they may well come up on their own once he's cleaned out and healthy.

Joanna Kimball
blacksheepcardigans.com

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Permalink Reply by Tori on September 20, 2010 at 11:02pm

Well, most of him smells like a puppy. At first he smelled like farm animal stuff... I don't know how to describe it. It's just his ears that smell funky.

He was checked out by his breeder's vet and my own vet. Both said he was healthy... He had his first set of shots and he was dewormed at 8 weeks with her vet. My vet checked him out, said he was healthy, said to bring him back the first of October for his next set of shots and I think the worming thing.

I thought puppies were supposed to eat puppy food until they were at least 6months old if not until they were a year old...? He's definitely eating well. He finishes his bowl almost as soon as I put it down.

I'm relatively sure my breeder is reputable. I met his parents, saw the registration papers of his parents, played with his siblings. Signed contracts. Was grilled by the woman... lol I was kind of unsure if she was going to allow me to buy a puppy...

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Permalink Reply by Joanna Kimball on September 20, 2010 at 11:23pm

In the Pembroke community, the two things that are virtually always added on to just "registered" are that the owner shows her dogs successfully (or trials them in herding, but showing is much more common) and that she health tests. Eyes are a must and hips are considered a must according to every good Pem breeder I've ever talked to. Many also do elbows and von Willebrands. Cardigan breeders are not as obsessed with hips but virtually always do test them (but will often do OVC or private testing rather than OFA) and Cardigans should be genetically free of PRA. And puppies of either breed should never be raised outside. If I'm wrong and the puppies were actually inside and you saw hip and eye certs and champion photos on the wall, I'm absolutely thrilled.

No, puppies don't need puppy food. Puppy food is based on a false assumption that puppies should grow fast. They shouldn't. They should grow slow and very, very lean - bordering on skinny - and not reach full growth until 18 months at the earliest.

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on September 20, 2010 at 10:18pm

I would not use the Walmart ear mite treatment and especially if it says 12 weeks. You could call your vet and tell them you think he has them but it could also be due to them being dirty or a few other things. Please contact your vet. As for the ears standing up...it's quite normal for them to go up and down at 9 weeks. The yougurt amount I would use would be 1 TBSP once a day of plain (less sugar and watch that you don't get something with artificial sugars in also).

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Permalink Reply by Tori on September 20, 2010 at 11:05pm

Well his ears haven't gone up yet. Just the base of them are getting wide, like he's going to start trying to fly with them or something. ^_^ Yeah, I kind of panicked when I read after the fact that the ear mite stuff was for puppies over 12 weeks. I guess I should call the vet in the morning about the ear gunk.

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Permalink Reply by Monica, Orion, and Laika on September 21, 2010 at 10:33am

Don't worry about taping the ears at 9 weeks, especially if the bottom is starting to perk up. I taped Orion's at about 13 weeks, didn't have to worry about Laika's. Most people say tape if they're not up by 14 weeks

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Permalink Reply by Donna and Lilly on September 21, 2010 at 11:28am

Hi tori! Well, you can tell by my photo that my lilly has floppy ears too, well, now she only has one floppy ear. Dont worry they will stand up...Lilly is 19 weeks old and it took forever for them to stand up. As to food, I feed all of mine an all stages dog food. Its a higher quality, Its the Innova Evo small red meat bites. All meat, no grain. They all seem to be thriving on it. As too the smelly ears, it may be a yeast infection. I had a coonhound mix years ago, and he would get that. I went to walmart, got the monistat 7, and used the cream in his ears....cleared it right up.
I dont know about the other posts about stopping the puppy food, all I know is I went to dogfoodanalysis.com and got my own information and made my choice. Lilly is really thriving and the all meat dog food has really made the coats shine. Since it is all meat and better quality, they dont eat as much as the crap from walmart.
Good Luck! And dont worry about the Ears!

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Permalink Reply by Jane on September 21, 2010 at 12:53pm

When Henry was little he always seemed to have dirty ears. I don't recall them ever smelling really bad though. I personally would not try to treat that myself without knowing for sure; I'd get another opinion from your vet. A lot of that over-the-counter type medication can do more harm than good IMO.

As far as taping, if you are the patient type I'd wait until 14 weeks or so and tape them if they're not up by then. I am definitely NOT the patient type and taped my guy's at about 9 weeks, but he only required 2 days of taping and they have been up ever since. It's really a lot easier than you'd think.

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