Ear Care for a Hound

[DirtAddict]

Just got back from the Vet. Had a foxtail puncture my dog's ear drum. But in addition, the vet also told me that his other ear was infected with dirt/gunk in it.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In this case, I really paid $$$ for the cure. I check my dogs' ears pretty regularly but the shape of the ear canal makes it hard sometimes if just using your eye and a flashlight. I obviously missed something with the other ear.

In thinking about what I could have done differently, here's a few questions for ya:
1. For the Houndsmen in California, what do you do about the foxtails? Just curious if you avoid grassy areas all together during the dry season? If you run them in the valleys I don't know how you can avoid foxtails and still get your dogs exercised.

2. For those who run hounds in general...how often do you check your dogs' ears? Do you get a vet quality otoscope or simply look in there with your eyes? Or do you wait for symptoms to show up? The problem with the foxtail was easy as soon as it happened, but I didn't see any problems with the other ear and that really bothers me.

[walkerdog]

Everytime you turn your dogs loose out here when it stops raining, you definetly run the risk of foxtails, and mine have gotten a few. I've read that if your dogs coats are clean they don't stick as much, but I think that they do anyway.
I limit their hunting in the summer, it's so hot in the valley. I run them with my quad on my dirt roads at night. During the day I take them swimming in my pond. It isn't enough to keep them in great shape but they get out, get to cool off, and keeps them handling well. I do most of my hunting in my orchard spots, and they get good at trailing dry dusty dirt that way. It makes my biggest worry rattlesnakes. Almost everytime I go anywhere around here I kill at least 1
I also clean and their ears once a week, and inspect them more than that. I want to get an otoscope anyway. It is a good thing to keep in your first aid kit, along with long tweezers.

[DirtAddict]

Everytime you turn your dogs loose out here when it stops raining, you definetly run the risk of foxtails, and mine have gotten a few. I've read that if your dogs coats are clean they don't stick as much, but I think that they do anyway.
I limit their hunting in the summer, it's so hot in the valley. I run them with my quad on my dirt roads at night. During the day I take them swimming in my pond. It isn't enough to keep them in great shape but they get out, get to cool off, and keeps them handling well. I do most of my hunting in my orchard spots, and they get good at trailing dry dusty dirt that way. It makes my biggest worry rattlesnakes. Almost everytime I go anywhere around here I kill at least 1
I also clean and their ears once a week, and inspect them more than that. I want to get an otoscope anyway. It is a good thing to keep in your first aid kit, along with long tweezers.

Thanks Walkerdog. Just curious what do you hunt with your hounds?