Dog licking other dog's ear.

Dr. Marie replied:

Well that's a frustrating issue, isn't it!

I can tell you that almost every time when I have seen a two dog household where one dog wants to lick the other dog's ears obsessively, it is because there is some type of medical issue with the other dog's ears. Usually the problem is some type of infection as opposed to ear mites. For some reason, infected tissue is very attractive to dogs and they do want to constantly lick it.

So, the good news is that once you get Blanche's ears sorted out medically then Champ shouldn't be so obsessed.

There are a couple of things that you can do to discourage Champ from doing this until you can get to the vet.

The first is, indeed using bitter apple. However, I wouldn't put it directly on the open area. Bitter apple is primarily alcohol based and would really sting on an open area. But, when Champ is licking the ear, he is probably licking a lot of healthy tissue as well. Try dabbing a little bit of bitter apple on non-broken skin three times a day. He'll soon get the idea that this is not enjoyable.

The second option would be to give some type of negative stimulus like a very loud noise every time you see Champ going near Blanche's ear. The problem with this though is that it will likely scare Blanche as well and that's not fair.

You're right, an e-collar or a bandage is not likely to be very effective.

Hopefully you can get her to the vet soon!

Dr. Marie.


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