Teeth
Your pup will lose most of his teeth in the first few months. You'll find them laying
around the house or your pup will be playing with them on the floor. As soon as your
pup is well established in your home and while he is still young enough to be easily
influenced, begin a regular teeth-brushing program. Buy any one of several canine
toothbrushes and a tube of canine toothpaste, and start brushing his teeth at least
once a week. As he matures, he'll accept this program readily if it's associated with
a regular playtime or before a walk. Watch for double teeth at about three months
of age. As he matures, check regularly for broken teeth, foreign material,
gum wounds, gum redness, and tarter buildup. At four or five years he may
require annual tartar scaling by your vet.
Phone: (204)-476-3561
Ears
During grooming sessions, check
your pup's ears. Don't poke cotton swabs into his ear canals, but instead look
closely into the canals for dark wax. If wax is abundant, wrap your index finger
with gauze damped with your cleaning solution and clean the canals. You can also
use Q-tips saturated with ear cleaner. Do not insert into the ear canal, just clean
the inside of the ear. Solutions can also be purchased from pet supply stores.
Ear-Dry Solution, 4 oz If his ear canals smell foul or exude excessive
wax, make an appointment with your vet for examination. Abnormal head carriage is
another sign of otitis (ear canal inflammation). If he tips his head to the side,
shakes, or scratches his ears, consult your vet!
Ear Infections/Ear Mites
Ear infections in dogs are an on going problem and about 10 % of Westies /Scotties are
susceptible to ear infections. Since a Westies' and Scotties ears are upright they
don't get infections as easily as dogs with hanging ears, but once they get an
infection you will never be able to get rid of it permanently. A sign of an ear
infection is your Westie digging at the ear and/or shaking its head. The ear canal
will appear dirty with red or black ear wax. Normally there should be no ear wax in
the dogs ear. The trick to keeping your pups ear infections under control is to
continue the medication for a week to 10 days after the ear appears to be clean.
The bacteria may still be in the ear canal and the additional medicine will kill
the remaining germs. You will need to go to your Vet and get an ear cleaner,
an antibacterial agent, and an ear drying cream or powder. Use the ear cleanser and
apply it with a cotton swab. Clean out the ear as far down the ear canal as possible.
Use several swabs until they come out clean. Once the ear is clean, wait a couple
hours for the ear to dry good before applying the antibacterial agent.
Do this twice each day. Once the infection is gone, if the ear is excessively moist,
use a drying cream every few days to keep the infection from starting up again.
The ear will probably become infected again about every three months, so frequently
check the ears to see if they appear clean. We just keep the medicines on hand and
treat the ear as needed. If the problem continues, go back to the vet because you
may need a different antibacterial agent.
It is imperative that you keep after ear infections. If it is chronic, the ear canal can swell shut,
sealing in the bacteria
and causing the dog to go deaf. In addition the dogs continued digging at the ear
will break down the cartilage in the ear and it will flop over. It is equally
important that you keep their ears free from ear mites. It is hard to distinguish
whether your Westie/Scotty has ear mites or ear infection. Consult your vet.
