Anna Westhoff
Each week, Ben Westhoff shares the ups and downs of owning Pippi, the dalmatian mix he and his wife Anna adopted as a puppy in late 2009, and the first dog Ben's ever had.
Anna wrote this week's column.
It was mid-winter when we adopted Pippi. From the very beginning, I checked her ears dutifully to be sure they were clean and clear, and in those months rarely found any wax or residue. When I did, I
swabbed them gently with a white-vinegar solution, and after that, she was always good to go. Her ears never bothered her.
In the past few weeks, however, temperatures and humidity levels in northern New Jersey have reached a sultry plateau, and Pippi's floppy ears have become a smudgy mess.
I first noticed that she was flapping them excessively after her backyard romp on the Slip 'N Slide with our nephew. I thought some water might have gotten into her ears, but to my dismay I found a dark, waxy buildup all around the opening of her ear canal.
For a couple of days I tried wiping them clean with soft paper towels, but the buildup seemed to reappear -- even multiply -- almost right away. Stumped, I searched the Internet and found
a pair of products called Vet's Best Ear Relief Wash and Vet's Best Ear Relief Dry. The former is supposed to break up the wax and soothe the skin inside dogs' ears, while the latter prevents the recurrence of buildup by keeping the inside of the canal dry and pH balanced.
Dog finalists are Jackson and Gretel; Cat finalists are Lori and Jonas.
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