The age old question that has been asked time and time again. Well, maybe not exactly… If my headline caught your eye but you’re not exactly sure what the pluck I’m talking about, then I’ll let you in on a hot industry topic. Is it safe to get your dogs ears plucked? If you still don’t know what I’m talking about, I’d guess your dog has never had its ears plucked.
Ear plucking is pretty self explanatory. Someone, be it your vet, your groomer or maybe even you, is gently plucking the hair that grows inside your dogs ear canal. Now let me just say if you’ve never heard of this or never had it done to your dog I am not recommending you try it yourself. Just an FYI, not all dogs grow copious amounts of hair in their ears.
I’ve dedicated a bit of time in trying to figure this out and I’m here in an attempt to inform both pet owners and pet groomers as to what I found. I’ve read numerous articles and reached out to some local vets. What I have decided so far is that plucking is not necessarily for everyone, but it is not so black and white. Some dogs do seem to need it and some do not.
With what I’ve read, I’ve determined that you only pluck if the dog has recurring ear infections and has been advised by the veterinarian to have the dogs ears plucked. If your dog does not have recurring ear infections, red or inflamed ears then it is not doing anything. It kinda goes with the old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” When your pets ears and immune system are functioning properly there is no need to pluck. If your dog gets chronic ear infections, the idea behind plucking is that it can’t get any worse, it can clear a pathway for your veterinarian to get a better look into the ear canal and it can make it easier for medication to reach the places it needs to.
In an article written for The University of Illinois – College of Veterinary Medicine, Doctor Amelia White says, “I also recommend not to pluck the hair from the ear canals of dogs during grooming, as this creates inflammation within the canal that often leads to secondary infections, if you are concerned about the routine care plan for the ears of your pet, I always recommend discussing this with your veterinarian in order to develop the best health plan for the pet.” Some evidence suggests that by plucking your dogs ears this can cause small micro-inflammation in the hair follicles. Micro inflammation can lead to the immune system having difficulty fighting infection and bacteria. Thus further creating a problem where there was once none.
After this research I’ve decided that in my salon, unless there is a vet recommendation to pluck the ears, no ears will be plucked. I will trim the ear hair as leaving it to grow wild and free only will permit this hair to become matted and cause damage to the ear. Leaving an ear canal to be matted can also cause bacteria growth and in turn will cause an infection. I hope this shed a little light on the subject of ear plucking for those who were unsure and hopefully you’ll no longer be wondering, what the pluck!?
Haley Bennett 