Re springer spaniel......................h...

i have taken the dog 4 times this year to the vets as she has a tendency to get barley stalks in her ears the last time costing 拢96:50,obviously its her breed to sweep the fields looking for partridges etc,but its making hell of a dent in my purse.and yes i know why dont i put her on a lead,we have had her over 3yrs now and this is the first year we have had this trouble.i was speaking to someone who says they have seen special hoods for dogs but does not no where you could purchase them from, anyone out there can help on this subject of where i can buy one of these from.it would be most appreciative. please help. i live in south yorkshire.

This "hood" is called a snood. You can make them if you have a sewing machine. I used to make mine from a satin like material--something smooth. Measure your dog from its "eyebrows" to at least 1/2 way down its neck. Add a couple inches to that length--so you can fold the ends over and make a place to run the elastic through. You are going to be sewing a tube with soft elastic in each end. Make sure the elastic is tight enough to contain the ears, but loose enough to keep the circulation going freely. (I used 1/4" or 1/2" wide elastic.) When done, you slip the snood over the head with the dog's ears inside the tube. One end of the tube is around the neck and the other right in front of where the ears attach to the head. Their muzzle and eyes are free and the ears safe inside the smooth snood tube. I made several of these for my Cocker Spaniels and they wore them when they ate to keep the ears out of the food. Good luck.

Have you tried your local pet store or even asking your vet. You could try looking on line under pet supplies and narrowing it down. My mother had the same problem with her Spaniel and Terrier. You also have to be aware of the Barley stalks getting into their fur and even near the feet. our Terrier got one between it's toes and we never new it until the foot got infected and we had to take it to the vet. My mom put a Bandanna around our dogs head/ears. It is worth a try until you can find the hood.

The hood is called a snood and you can get them from most pet shops on order.
or make one from the arm of a jumper.