Puppy shaking his head.

[Zephyrpower]

Hey everyone,

I came home tonight and started playing with my puppy and he started doing the strangest thing. He's continually shaking his head vigorously for a second or two, so his ears flop around real fast, he only shakes it once or twice real quick then goes about his business for awhile until he needs to shake it again, he also moans slightly when I scratch him around his ears. I think it might be fleas because he's itching too. I hope it's not mites, but I'm going to take him to the vet tommorow. I'm not sure what to do except give him a flea bath perhaps, although I think it might be time for his next application of Frontline.

 

[jess2416]

I was thinking ear infection...but best bet is the vet...

heeeeheee i rhymed

 

[Zoom]

Look in his ears; are they pink or red? Is there a smell? That's a possible ear infection. If it was mites there would be little black 'dirt' in there, though perhaps not if it's early.

Go ahead and get it checked out and also put the Frontline on.

 

[showpug]

Total sign of an ear infection...to the vet you go

 

[Zephyrpower]

The best way I can describe his shaking is like he's wet, but he's only shaking his head. I looked in ears but they look pretty clean unless it's real deep down, and there is no redness or swelling There is no stinky smell, but his ears smell kinda like honey wax, like they have for along time---almost a nasueous sweet smell.There were a few brown specks but I'm pretty sure they were actually dirt, I got some out and it's a brown cluster like flea dirt, and it doesn't move.

I gave him a flea bath using some Organic Vet flea bath stuff, it's got like Aloe and Oatmeal or something and the only real chemical ingredient is 1% Neem Oil. I rinsed him as best I could but it seemed like there was still a little bit of soap on him, so when he started licking himself I dried him off with an old towel and tried to rinse the suds with a wet rag.

 

[showpug]

The best way I can describe his shaking is like he's wet, but he's only shaking his head. I looked in ears but they look pretty clean unless it's real deep down, and there is no redness or swelling There is no stinky smell, but his ears smell kinda like honey wax, like they have for along time---almost a nasueous sweet smell.There were a few brown specks but I'm pretty sure they were actually dirt, I got some out and it's a brown cluster like flea dirt, and it doesn't move.

I gave him a flea bath using some Organic Vet flea bath stuff, it's got like Aloe and Oatmeal or something and the only real chemical ingredient is 1% Neem Oil. I rinsed him as best I could but it seemed like there was still a little bit of soap on him, so when he started licking himself I dried him off with an old towel and tried to rinse the suds with a wet rag.

Ears should not have any debris or wax in them. That is generally a by-product of infection. The shaking you are describing sounds just like an infection. You need to take your dog to the vet so the vet can look into his canal with an otoscope.

 

[moe]

I agree with others it sounds like ear infection or he may have a grass seed or something down the canal, you should not poke into the ear as this can damage it, take pup to vet for him to have a look, also if the pup is shaking its head like this and it has big ears, if it hits a table or something it can cause sever swelling of the ear flap which is very painful. so the sooner to the vets the better.

Mo

 

[Kathy29]

Loppi is notorious for having ear infections and the symptoms you wrote about sounds exactly like what I have to deal with all the time. If it really is an infection, the vet will give you ear drops.

 

[Rubylove]

Chester started doing this in the middle of the night a few weeks ago. I knew it was an ear infection straight away, and treated him three times a day for the next four days. Poor little guy he hated the treatment but it cleared it right up! Our two are really prone to ear infections so we've always got steroid washout solution and drops on hand.

The thing is, ear infections are not only uncomfortable but incredibly painful for dogs, and a really horrible thing to have to endure. With very vigourous head-shaking, they can actually burst the delicate blood vessels on the inside of their ear flaps, which is awful!

Glad you are taking him to the vet

 

[Bobsk8]

Vet Time. You don't want to play around with an ear infection..

 

[Zephyrpower]

OK, thanks for the advice everyone. Except for the one person who posted some nonsensical spam..wth?

Btw, I didn't poke down into his ear really, just got some dirt from one of the grooves outside of the ear canal area. Also, he stopped shaking his head after a few min of having the flea bath, but I'm still taking him to the vet

 

[Zephyrpower]

Well, I've got good news...I think. First, after I took Pudges a flea bath he gradually stopped shaking his head and didn't shake it the next day. I took him to the Vet and he said they looked alright, and he looked like an overall healthy dog. The thing that worries me though, is that he didn't really look down them with a light or into the ear canal. He pretty much just flipped them up and peered inside like I did when I first thought there might be a problem.

 

[Herschel]

Hmm...I would expect the vet to look in there with an otoscope or at the very least swab with cotton.

 

[for_dogs_sake]

I agree with Herschel, the vet should have taken a better look. If not ear mites then the shaking could be due to a foreign body in the canal, or even an ear infection. I know it sounds gross but how do the ears smell? Is there any yellow or black dirt in there?
Black grainy dirt can mean mites and yellow or black wax can mean an infection.