Sunday, May 3, 2015

1185. An investment banker's Schnauzer keeps scratching ears non-stop

Saturday May 2, 2015

"It is the cost of the ear surgery," the investment banker had not turned up for the surgery in 2014. The dog had frequent head shaking and ear scratching for the past 2 years. So he brought the dog in for treatment of ear irrigation and medication. I explained to him that the best solution would be to do ear surgery to open up the side wall of the ear canal. 

This Schnauzer has very hairy ear canals and so there was no drainage and ventilation. The continuous scratching and vet treatment over the last 2 years added up and would cost more than the surgery.

I showed him the video of a Schnauzer after ear surgery at:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQKGWCS-mzo&feature=youtu.be

"The Schnauzer needs some maintenance of the horizontal ear canal when his ears feel itchy," I said to him. "But there will be much less scratching every time, causing ear swelling and pain."

An appointment for surgery is made on May 12, 2015 and this time, the banker intends to keep the appointment. It seems like a hard sell to advise ear surgery. It seems expensive at $900 for 2 years at this time, but I advise surgery when it is needed by the dog to save the dog many weeks of head shaking and ear scratching. In some cases, chronic otitis externa lead to infections of the middle ear and head tilt after the ear drum had ruptured and bacteria goes into the middle ear. It will be too late.      

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