I am the proud owner of two Springer Spaniels. A favourite pastime of mine is sniffing their ears. I thought it was just a spaniel owner thing but there is an explanation as to why this is so enjoyable, pheromones.
Dogs communicate through these amazing chemical messages, they are specifically secreted for the purpose of causing a physiological reaction in the being that receives them. This is why a lot of dogs sniff other dogs’ ears & ours, and why some humans will naturally sniff their dog’s ears. Lots of sniffing – awesome!
I’ve talked previously about getting to know your dog’s nose, but this is also relevant to their whole body. Get to know what is their norm and you’ll be more aware when something is not normal and needs vet attention. So, another reason why it’s good to sniff your dog’s ears, is that it’s a great way of understanding if the ear or ear canal is healthy. During my dog grooming days, I sniffed a lot of ears and recommended a few dogs to be seen by their vets to check for ear infections.
Help! What are we smelling?
What’s healthy vs what’s not? I hear you exclaim. Don’t panic. First, remember your dog’s norm, hmmmmmm you wonder – no it’s not their norm it smells musty but sweet and a little sickly, well, that could be a sign of a yeast infection. Hang – on, no that’s not what I’m smelling- say some of you – but it’s ‘offensive’. Potential ear infection. Look in their ears – red? Inflamed? Lots of wax? Potential ear infection. Does your dog scratch/paw at their ears? Off balance/wobbly/turning in circles? Potential ear infection. Get your dog booked into the vet – you know your dog’s norm now.
Top Tip – go on and sniff those ears – happy hormones and ear infection warning system combined – what’s not to like.
Get sn….sn…….sn…………..sniffing!!!
Thank you for reading today’s article.
Louise James, Momentum Clinical Canine Massage
