Tips for applying ear drops on a large dog

Good morning and may God bless you richly today!!

The pack is fed and watered and Queenie has had her medications done. Yes, Queenie has an ear infection and the beginnings of a fungal infection on her chin. We noticed her scratching her ears and shaking her head a lot. She also started rubbing her snout and chin in the grass. So we took her in to the vet.

He had to sedate her for examination because our dogs are aggression trained as guards. She was soooo groggy that day!!! Anyway she got a few shots and he recommended ear drops twice daily and iodine for her chin.

Application at home was going to be tricky. Ears are sensitive and ticklish and not easy to handle. I developed a technique with Queenie though and she is taking it very well.

She knows when it's time now, as I call her to come on the Veranda and let me see her ears. She has to smell the bottle of drops first to avoid surprise. Then she sits and lays down in front of me in the down position waiting for the drops.

I hum a tune that sounds like a variation on a scale, and she calms down. Then I hold her collar and pull each ear back one-at-a-time with the same hand. With the other hand I squeeze the drops near the ear opening so it runs down into the ear. To keep her from shaking the drops out of her ears I hold both ears and continue humming and rocking gently for 2 minutes.

Applying the iodine to her chin is easy. She lets me swab it while holding her chin up, all this time looking trustingly into my eyes.Then it's all over. By now she is calm and relaxed and ready to sleep. At the end of it I think she likes the attention and looks forward to the next application.

Thanks for visiting and hope to see you again !!