Cleaning your dogs ears

[Foxton Gundogs]

x2

my current dog has never needed her ears cleaned (bat ears ) but i had a spaniel before her, and that dog needed her ears cleaned quite a bit! the epi-otic stuff on a cotton ball worked awesome. i wouldn't recommend using a qtip, that could end badly if you're not careful!

also, chronically yeasty ears can be a sign of allergies. many dogs with food allergies will get yeasty ears and/or feet. if your pup continues to have ear problems, it may be worth trying another food

ABSOLUTLY no problem with a q-tip (and thats from both my vets) because of the shape of the ear cannal and believe me with spaniels for over 25 years you do a LOT of ear cleaning.

[Spokerider]

IMO, nothing for the exterior ear....... The pinna can be cleaned with mild soap and water.

The skin of the ear canal is very thin and friable, and *cleaning* can cause damge and precipitate an infection.

Unless you have a good reason to muck around in the ear canal, they are best left alone.

[Cariboo Game Calls]

A vet advised me to use a 2 parts alcohol/1 part vinegar mix on cotton balls. My chocolate lab gets ear infections quite often, especially if he's swimming a lot.

[wiggy]

Vetericyn; works great; I breed Tibetan Mastiffs and they are known for ear troubles; since this stuff has become available i havent had any trouble. First time i see a sympton i give them all a spray and leave it alone. NP; i only clean out the extra wax build up that i can see with a wet q tip and nothing else. I also have some great products for dogs with allergies that are all natural and work.

[fudge]

white vinigar and warm water. Works well 4 my lab. I do it after he ahs been in the water or when they look red and it works well.

[gmcgilli66]

When I had Britts who wanted to dig out marmots, their outer ears would get filthy. We were vet recommended to use warm mineral oil and a soft cloth for the outer canal only and an otic solution for the inner ear when necessary.
My lab gets the same treatment. for cleaning.

[Jimbo]

Currently working on a 14 day antibiotic med from the vet. When this is over I am definitley going to be using ear cleaning solution weekly. Can't afford for this to turn into a chronic problem.

[Jedcote50]

I've had labs and golden retrievers and in my experiences you want to keep the cleaning of their ears to a minimum. I've had vets 'sell' me different solutions, but all that's really needed is warm water and a gentle flushing via a large ear syringe. I stay away from peroxide/ alcohol mixtures as they are prone to kill off as many 'good' bacteria as 'bad'. If your dog has a yeast infection (really stinky ears) then you need to consult your vet, and if it re-occurs you may need to find a different treatment (maybe a different vet). When my dogs got their inner ears wet, Ive trained them to accept clipping their ear flaps together on top their head with a soft tension old down-rigger clip to allow air to dry out the ear canal. Of course you have to make sure they don't go and roll in any crap while they're wearing the clip. Avoid sticking anything in their ears to dry or clean them - especially Cu-tips or rolled up Kleenex, the dog's inner ear is so fragile damage WILL occur. Too much cleaning strips out the natural lubricants and waxes necessary for proper hygiene so be cautious with the frequency of cleaning. And finally, be gentle when you give your dog that ol' scrathing behind the ears that they seem to love so much. Too vigorous of a deep scratching will also cause ear trauma that will only be noticed when your dog becomes deaf well before his senior years. I all learnt this the hard way more than once, and ya that's me yelling at my dog in the off-leash dog park, not because he disobedient, it's because he's deaf.

[Trapper D]

I hear caring dog owners lick them clean.

dont forget to give those little glands a nibble to .lol