My pup and I have been pounding the woods and thickets pretty hard for the last five weeks. He's got pretty long ears for a Brit, must be the French blood. He's now almost a fringe eared Brit. A couple of the tears are taking quite a long time to heal. The vet says that I shouldn't worry. But I like to do something to help them heal a little faster. Any ideas?
Thanks
Bfly

Keep them clean and dry. They won't heal if they're wet a lot. Also, the dog is going to scratch them frequently. You might need to put an e-collar on the dog for a while.

http://www.petco.com/product/113494/Petco-Dog-E-Collar.aspx

I think a plastic cone would be nicer.

E-collar = electric collar as well as emergency collar a.k.a the plastic cone of shame

...sort of like in the link I posted???

Oops. Shoulda clicked the link.

Yeah...Well...

Just don't do it again.

Just to show that I can be as big a prig as anyone, it's Elizabethan collar.




Detail from the Darnley Portrait of Elizabeth I.

Which one is Elizabeth, and which is the dog???

Not sure. But one is happy when you call, "Hey Queenie, give us a kiss!" and the other not so much.

Ahhhhh Yesssss...

A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.

Blackfly, you're on your own.

Watch your back for nighthawks.

Listen to your vet, but cleaning them off with some hydrogen peroxide solution followed up with neosporin ointment will keep them relatively clean while healing. Any Dog that hits the briars is going to tare up ears and tongues more than once.

Yes!!

I also keep around some ophthalmic Neosporin for their eyes. I get it at the ranch & home stores, the kind used for lambs. It's cheap there and effective.

Thanks, I've been out hunting, and am heading back again tomorrow. Informative and entertaining. The collars don't work very well on him, he's tappered from the shoulders to the tip of his nose. It's impossible to keep one on him. Having farmed all my life, I've lived with the spray it with fly strike (the blue stuff) or 7%iodine, cover it with a piece of paper towel, wrap it with duct tape, and give yourself a shot of the cow pennicillin crowd. I tend to take more precautions with my dogs than with me. I was thinking of trying something like that newskin stuff to keep the tears from dripping blood, but guess we'll stay with the conservative approach. I think I'll run up to Tractor Supply and pick up some Neosporin before we head back out. Thanks for the help.
Bfly