[aterese_au]

...vet can not diagnose ? My rottweiler (12mth female) is shaking her head most of the time (since a puppy). I've cleaned it frequently and there rarely is signs of wax, let alone any other symptoms or smell. The vet has repetitively had a look and reports extremely clean. Yet she still does this. I've heard of ear mites but the vet is suppose to be able to see those on examination ?

Any suggestions on what it could be, I hate that she is annoyed by some irritation but yet looks so healthy otherwise. I try to keep the ears clean and massage them etc...nothing to date has helped.

She shakes it not all the time, but side to side on the occassion (say 3-4 times a night, 3-4 days per week). So the behaviour isn't obsessive and sometimes it stops for weeks. Seems to have been something I can remember for at lest the last 6 mths.
I have seen 3 independent vets, all say no problem present. It is very adhoc, but sometimes days of shaking then I'm not as aware of it again - I could just be so busy I don't notice

I have used vet medicines to kill infections/mites etc. They seem to relieve her but within weeks the behaviour starts a little bit again. It has never stopped for a long period (eg. no shaking in months).
Forgot to mention...been tested for infections....definately no excess fluid or anything.

She also only gets cleaned once a day when shaking a lot (gentle clean) and most of the time once a week. I don't think I overdo it...as I do get a small amount of dirt/wax weekly doing this.

[dh1977]

Maybe the hair in her ears is bothering her.

[mandmkaplan]

My dog did the same thing, it was a serious inner ear infection we took her to vet and the said nothing but take a tissue and stick your finger gentle in her ear your trying to see ear wax if it's green, yellow or smells like NASTY! then she has an ear infection sadly my dog had to be put down because it got so bad infection came out her eyes. We couldn't take seeing her in pain.... She was also 14.

[junzfour]

Mites cannot be seen under a microscope. It dosen't mean they are not there. maybe you are overcleaning your dogs ears. Something is going on tho, maybe a deeper look in a vets scope when the dog is under to make sure. If it is a mild shake once in awhile, I wouldn't worry but if it is so much that it is worrying you, well something is up. Maybe it gets a bite from a bug here or there. A scan wouldn't hurt or a second opinion either. Let those ears not be cleaned for awhile and take to another vet. My 2 cats had bad ear mites, I knew it but the vet i was seeing at that time just took a swab and said, nothing I can see. But to be on the safe side wanted to give me a patch to put on the back of the neck that would kill anything on the cat, that worried me, that is allot of poison, So I went to am old fashion vet and he said you don't have to see mites to know they are there, those are ear mite ears! Even tho I cleaned their ears, that black stuff would return, He gave a bottle of old fashion ear drops and both cats are fine now, but that shaking of the head, oh my, something going on. Good Luck!!!