# Chewing ears?



## Jlaha (Jul 12, 2013)

I did a search for this first, but did not see anything specific come up. Kimber loves to whip his head around until he can get part of his leather collar in his mouth to chew. We tried showing him that's not ok, but he's a teething pup and would still try. This week, I loosened his collar a notch, (my sweet growing boy!) and he's not going after it anymore. But guess what he's chewing now......HIS EARS!!!! What the heck? Is this normal? The boy has a ton of toys in different texture and loves his antler the best for chewing. Why go for the ears? I love them and don't want to see him chew on them and possibly ruin them. 😞


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## Jlaha (Jul 12, 2013)

Doesn't look like many people have experienced this on the forums... I did some more searching on google and it could be an allergy thing as he also chews on his feet. What's weird is that its not the inner or upper part of his ears that drive him crazy, but the very tips. He will roll in his bed or against the couch until he gets them in his mouth and just chew like crazy. If I touch the tips, he tries to nip at my hands. I'm going to call the vet tomorrow and ask. In the meantime, I keep a stash of new toys and have given him a cute furry squeaky fox to take the place of his cute furry ears!


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## MCD (May 4, 2013)

Should I wait until we go to the vet and have them look at Dharma's ears and show me what to do first? I think she might have some stuff in her ears although they don't seem to bother her. Have not been to the vet yet since getting her on the 13th. We go for 2nd shots and check up on Thursday.


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## lonestar (Jun 2, 2013)

Puppies do weird things.

Smell the ears. There's a normal smell, I'll assume you're familiar with it?...it's noticeable but not that unpleasant. If it's a really sharp, foul odor, suspect infection. Otherwise, try redirection with an appropriate toy.


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## Jlaha (Jul 12, 2013)

The last time I was at the Vet, they had me purchase an ear cleaner solution for after baths. We've only used it once on him and he wasn't a big fan (go figure!). Lol. This morning, he was rolling in his bed chewing his ears and paws, so I went ahead and called the vet. I'm taking him in tomorrow morning to get him checked out. He'll let me rub all around and on his ears, just not the tips. So weird!


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## emilycn (Jul 30, 2013)

Very curious that you can touch everything but the tips of the ears.... let us know what the vet says


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## Jlaha (Jul 12, 2013)

I will, thanks. I'm wondering if he could be allergic to the detergent I wash his bedding and towels for his crate? I'll ask the vet about that as well. I do tend to add an extra dryer sheet to his loads so they smell fresh longer. :-/


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## lonestar (Jun 2, 2013)

It's always best to limit chemicals..there are some you can't avoid, like detergent, but the softener? Consider using a natural one for his stuff, they work as well.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Dogs' sense of smell is amazing -- tens of thousands of times better than that of human beings. We really can't even imagine it. I don't use fabric softener when I launder Willie's stuff, because I think the smell might be annoying to him. I also go light on the detergent, for the same reason, and just agitate a little longer. It could be that some chemical is irritating Kimber's skin, and specifically his ears; so changing your laundry routine is worth a try.


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## Jlaha (Jul 12, 2013)

That's what I'm thinking, too. I have an appointment for Friday and am waiting to ask them about his ears then. I canceled the one for this morning since I want to try changing the laundry routine first. That way, if he's still at it after I wash his stuff today, I can tell them I did that differently to rule it out. I might also try putting this Burt's Bees Anti-Itch stuff I got for his mosquito bites on the tips and see if that helps him too.


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## jld640 (Sep 29, 2010)

Dryer balls can replace dryer sheets.


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## emilycn (Jul 30, 2013)

Hi Jlaha,

did the bothersome ears every resolve themselves?


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