My dog has a rose thorn in its ear. How can I safely remove it?

Do not try to get anything out of her ear at home. You can push it farther in and possibly puncture her eardrum. Your veterinarian can look into her ear with an otoscope, see exactly what it is, and determine the best way to get it out.

I would bring Rufuss to the veterinarian to remove it. You can damage his ear drum if you push it down into the ear by accident. It is a risk now either way but your veterinarian will be able to sedate Rufuss so he doesn't move and have tools that can help guide them. Understand that they also can puncture the ear drum. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Willow has a cut on her ear. It is possible that she caused it herself by scratching, but if you did not observe it happening, she could have traumatized it on something else, or been wounded by another animal. Based on your description of the wound, I recommend bringing her to your local veterinarian to have her evaluated. At the very least, the wound likely needs to be cleaned and flushed with a sterile solution to prevent infection. Depending on how deep or infected the wound is, it may require more extensive management such as surgical closure of the wound, or bandages. Willow likely also needs an Elizabethan (cone) collar to prevent her from further traumatizing the wound. Unfortunately, dogs like to scratch at their ears and can make it very hard for wounds to heal. If the wound is superficial and Willow is otherwise healthy, you may be able to apply compression to the wound to get it to stop bleeding, and monitor it closely at home for signs of infection (redness, swelling, yellow-green discharge, foul odor). If you see any of these signs, Willow should definitely be evaluated by a veterinarian. Just a reminder, NEVER give dogs any pain medications that are intended for humans, as they can be lethally toxic to dogs. I hope this is helpful!

I am so sorry to hear about Scarlett! If you cannot see the cotton swab then it sounds like you will need to visit the veterinarian to retrieve the swab. We sometimes need to use an otoscope and hemostats to carefully retrieve objects such as this, and occasionally if the dog is not cooperative or the object is lodged deep within the canal we may need to give the dog a sedative to be able to remove the swab without causing futher damage to the ear canal and ear drum. If Scarlett is in pain or unable to relax tonight with the swab then a visit to the emergency vet may be needed to prevent her from causing damage to herself. Best of luck to you and to Scarlett!

It sounds like Ruby had an injury or insect bite that caused the sore. A skin sore should be cleaned with antibacterial soap, rinsed and then apply a thin film of antibacterial ointment on it to prevent infection. If Ruby is scratching it that will slow the healing. Use a restraint collar if needed to prevent her from rubbing or scratching it. Most skin sores heal in about a week. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Ruby.

Honestly, I would just leave it alone for 24-48 hours since putting anything in the ears will hurt very much. Ear plucking is commonly done in this type of breed, but you may ask the groomer not to do it in the future. In a day or two, if Shotsie still seems uncomfortable and the ears are still irritated, you can get a pet ear cleaner like Dechra EpiKlean Ear Cleanser - it is balanced, so it won't burn like vinegar would, and will help the ears stay dry. Use the ear cleaner once a day for a couple days. If the ears still look irritated, then Shotsie should be evaluated by a vet for infection or other damage.

Oh dear! Poor Sushi. Unfortunately, there isn't any way for you to safely remove it from her ear at home. A vet visit would be best, but I understand that this may not be an option for you financially. If you can't take her to the vet, then all you can do is wait to see if the piece of jewelry comes out on its own - it may, when she shakes her head. The problem is that it could also become embedded in her ear canal and cause an infection, or even perforate her eardrum depending on its size and shape - but there is really no way to avoid these risks without taking her to the vet to have it removed. So if you can't do this, then I would monitor her closely for the next several days (or even weeks) for any sign of a developing problem such as scratching constantly at the ear, excessive head shaking, bleeding or discharge from the ear, or a foul odor. If any of these problems arise, then I'm afraid you really have no choice but to see a vet - you could call around to some local clinics to see if they accept payments, or see if there is a low-cost SPCA clinic in your area that could help. You can also apply online for Care Credit, which is a third party payment plan accepted by most vet hospitals: www.carecredit.com