Ear Irritation

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hkkjstwcl

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 18, 2009
Messages
528
Location
Washington DC area
A couple minutes ago, I noticed that one of my male chins has something going on with his left ear. There is a localized spot where the ear canal opens onto his cheek that is red and irritated and appears sticky with a bit of blood on it; it is directly to the left of the small cup-like structure they have at the base of their ears. He seems to be missing a small patch of fur there as well.

This irritation does not seem to extend deeper into his ear canal. The soft part of the ear that protrudes from the head and includes the cup-like structure (I think it’s called the pinna) seems to be ok, as well.

Available evidence indicates that he scratched at his own ear for some reason, since he has been alone since playtime yesterday, and everything seemed fine then. He also appeared to have a bit of blood on his paw.

I have posted pictures of both his normal (right) ear and his irritated (left) ear, even though it is somewhat difficult to see clearly due to the low quality of the pics. I would guess that the spot on the pinna of his left ear (to the right of the cup-like structure) is a paw-print that he made himself after scratching at his irritation.

I am interested in people’s experiences and opinions about the following:

Waiting a couple days to see whether it resolves itself vs. acting immediately and scheduling a vet’s appointment?

Letting him take his daily dust bath?
 
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I don't see any pictures, but is it still bleeding? Or is it just a scab?

In either case, chins shouldn't get daily dust baths. You should only give them 2-3 times per week in summer. Otherwise their skin dries out.
 
Pictures

Please have a look at my post on "Health Hygiene FAQ". There I posted a same question with same title with pictures. I posted again here because I thought that more people would read this section. Then, I couldn't post the pictures again on here. Thanks!!!!
 
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Hmmm I couldn't get the pics to open in that thread?
It wouldn't let me click anything.

If the attaching doesn't work, you can upload them on ImageShack for free and post them into the thread
http://imageshack.us/
 
Is it still red this morning? Is it possible he just ran into something in his cage? I would say if it goes down by tonight it should be fine. If not, then take him to the vet.
 
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