Cleaning ears?

[boxhitch]

nothing in the sticky for firstaid
8 month old is shaking his head too much, looking inside there are no large buildups of any sort
but there are small dark masses
Need to clean out deep in his ears, wondering what works best ?
Odd time to have ear mites but thinking he maybe gets them from associating with local cats, not sure
Thinking of wiping with alcohol swab

[Arctic Lake]

Are you talking about an animal or a human ?
Arctic Lake

[labguy]

It really depends on what is causing the irritation.

Below is a recipe that's worked very well for me. Yeast infections and water in the ear canal and can be treated with this product very well.

If it's mites, grass awns or other foreign objects then you need to see the Vet to have it scoped and removed.



16 oz. bottle isopropyl alcohol (or witch hazel)
4 tablespoons Boric Acid Powder
16 drops Gentian Violet 1% Solution

This recipe makes a LOT of product. I have an excess supply and would be happy to give you enough if you want to try it.

You know how to get a hold of me if you want some.

[RICKADY]

Doctor or Phamacist or vet would be a good idea to give a call.
Hope it all works out, yes a pun.
Good luck

[srupp]

Hmmm stop by your vets and get a bottle of whatever they stock for cleaning out ears..squirt in wipe clean with q tips and clean wipes.
we check and do PRN
cheers
steven

[RackStar]

You should keep 8 month old children away from outdoor cats. The shaking of the head seems concerning.

[russm]

Our bulldog gets some brown waxy buildup in her ears if i dont stay on top of it,we use a cleaning solution we get from him, squirt it in massage it and wipe clean with cotton. I made the mistake of using a baby wipe one time and all of the skin in her ears peeled and they were quite inflamed for a while, definitely wouldn't recommend that.

[dru88]

I Think I remember my vet telling me a little baby oil on a cloth and wipe the ear clean

[PressurePoint]

I use what ever ear cleaner the vet has in stock. That or your local pet store. I have a black lab who has had ear problems since she was about that age. It’s typically a build up of a yeast type growth/bacteria which left untreated can get super smelly and cause a lot of discomfort.

I usually piggy back the prescription drops and the ear cleaner. Every couple weeks I’ll flush her ears then a couple nights later use the medicated drops. Clears and cleans it right up.

if they have been really bothering your pup which can cause anxiety and such, you can go to your closest dispensary and buy CBD dog treats. That or even just buy some cbd for yourself and just drop a couple drops on their dog food which really puts my dog at ease if her ears are bugging her.

[Trav]

My dog will shake her head like an ear irritation when she gets something in her eye too. Sometimes a seed will get caught under the eyelid.

[boxhitch]

All good info thanks
we used an alcohol swab for now, wiped out two small gobs of sticky crap in one ear about the size of mouse turds
Seems to have helped, will look again in a.m.

Whats with the baby wipes and skin peeling? Must have been the glycol content maybe?

[russm]

All good info thanks
we used an alcohol swab for now, wiped out two small gobs of sticky crap in one ear about the size of mouse turds
Seems to have helped, will look again in a.m.

Whats with the baby wipes and skin peeling? Must have been the glycol content maybe?

Not sure,i figured if theyre safe for babies they should be safe for a dog, i felt really bad after that one.

We also use the medicated drops after cleanings,its been a big help.

[bankshot]

One of my dogs got a piece of wheat grass/spear grass in her ear. It worked it's way in far enough I couldn't see it, vet used a scope and long tweezers to remove it. She was shaking and tilting her head which caused us to take her in.

[srupp]

Hmm description. .it sounds like typical yeast like infection..moist warm ear canal..

Its treatable..
Cheers
Steven

[labguy]

Hmm description. .it sounds like typical yeast like infection..moist warm ear canal..

Its treatable..
Cheers
Steven

Does very much sound like a yeast infection. Box hitch, if you want to clear this up, come and get the solution I talked about in post # 3 or mix some yourself. It works wonders for that type of issue and doesn’t cause irritation and redness that alcohol swabs can. I could meet you at Fishers if you want.

Putting a Q tip in a dogs ear, unless you really know what your doing, is unadvisable. Your call.

[adriaticum]

Depends on the breed, age of the dog and what they eat.
Some dogs require more ear maintenance than others.
When my poodle was young and ate raw diet I had to look into his ears every day and clean them almost every day.
When I switched him to kibble around the age of 2 all the ear wax stopped.
When I switched him back to raw food at a later age he was not producing any wax.
For many years now I don't have issues with his ears at all and clean them maybe every 6 months.

Get Epi-Otic from any store and put a few drops in the dogs ears and work it in to loosen the wax.
Then wipe with cotton.
I would recommend learning the anatomy of a dog's ear so you can use cotton swabs and properly cleaning the ear without the danger of piercing the dog's ear drum. (this is what I do)

[mastercaster]

You can usually tell if a dog has a yeast infection in its ear. It'll have an odour and when you clean it it'll be dark. Mine had a very mild one in one ear a few months back,,,,her first. It was mild enough that there was zero odour but she would shake her head so I knew something was amiss. Cleared it up with some anti biotics from the vet that was squirted into her ear twice over a 7-8 day period in between applications.

Considering how much my griff is in the water and in wet tall grass she doesn't usually even have any ear issues and I rarely clean them. Other owners of this breed have griffs that constantly have ear issues,,,,,allergies maybe from the food they eat??

[835]

It really depends on what is causing the irritation.

Below is a recipe that's worked very well for me. Yeast infections and water in the ear canal and can be treated with this product very well.

If it's mites, grass awns or other foreign objects then you need to see the Vet to have it scoped and removed.



16 oz. bottle isopropyl alcohol (or witch hazel)
4 tablespoons Boric Acid Powder
16 drops Gentian Violet 1% Solution

This recipe makes a LOT of product. I have an excess supply and would be happy to give you enough if you want to try it.

You know how to get a hold of me if you want some.


you probably know my friend lol..... She just started to hunt test her golden ... she came home with a bunch of this.. I use it on my Lab who has allergy issues.... it works very well and is cost effective....

[35rem]

Bear in mind that dogs have a differently shaped ear canal than humans. Ours goes straight from the outside to the eardrum. Dogs on the other hand have an almost 90 degree bend in the ear canal making it impossible to reach the bottom with a Q-tip. Q-tips should not be used on dog ears as there is a good chance you will be packing debris down in to the horizontal part. Ear cleaning solutions are the best option. Since you are trying to remove wax anything water based will not work well; water and wax do not mix. Most cleaning solutions will contain alcohols to dissolve wax. Since alcohol alone can irritate and dry out ears other things are added to prevent this. Since ear cleaning solutions are cheap at your vet get yourself a bottle. Non medicated ear cleaner does not require a prescription. Home made solutions may work, but usually irritate more. The recipe mentioned here has gentian violet in it. As long as the ear drum is intact you can get away with it, but if this stuff gets past the ear drum it can cause permanent deafness (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24622028). The only way to tell if the ear drum is intact is to look at it through an otoscope and a decent otoscope like your vet uses costs $900... Compare that to spending $15 on a decent bottle of ear cleaner that IS safe to use.

To clean the ear: Grab ear and squirt a little bit down the ear canal. Massage it in well and wipe the outside of the ear with a clean gauze or some cotton wool. Repeat until the gauze stays clean; similar to cleaning your rifle :-). With very dirty ears you may want to put a bit in twice a day to soften up the wax before a full cleaning.

If this does not solve the problem it is time to get your vet to check the ears out.

The most common problems I see are yeast infections, bacterial infections, ear mites and foreign bodies; usually speargrass awns. From the outside they all look the same; the patient is bothered by the ear, shaking and scratching. There is brown to black waxy debris, redness, swelling and pain. First step in diagnosing the problem is looking in the ear with a proper otoscope. We check for foreign bodies, mites and try to visualize the ear drum. Next is taking a swab from the material and examining it under a microscope. This helps to distinguish between a yeast and a bacterial infection. With repeat offenders samples may have to be sent to a lab for culture and sensitivity testing to ensure the medication chosen will be effective. In some cases grass seeds can puncture the ear drum or be so close to it that your dog needs to be sedated for safe removal.

[labguy]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This is the best information....period.

35rem........question.......In your opinion is gentian violet an issue for a perforated eardrum when diluted to the degree mentioned in the recipe?

Our mutual friend Dr. D.J.P. indicated it shouldn’t be a problem.

Appreciate your input.

[35rem]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This is the best information....period.

35rem........question.......In your opinion is gentian violet an issue for a perforated eardrum when diluted to the degree mentioned in the recipe?



As I said: Gentian Violet has proven to be ototoxic (damaging to the inner ear). At a low concentration the effect may not be noticeable, but why would you take the risk if you can avoid the problem all together with a $15 bottle of ear cleaner that will last you 2 years?? Would I use it on my own dog? Hell no.

[35rem]

Forgot to mention regarding gentian violet: Health Canada recently issued a warning advising Canadians to stop using this chemical as it may increase the risk of cancer.

https://healthycanadians.gc.ca/recall-alert-rappel-avis/hc-sc/2019/70179a-eng.php

[BRvalley]

my vet gave me a bottle of burroughs solution to clean my boys ears out, use it on his paws if they get yeasty as well....$20 bottle has lasted over a year now and it does seem to work, I will usually do several applications daily for a few days in a row and his ears will clear right up....clean his ears with a paper towel, try to remove as much debris and wetness as possible, vet instructed 8 drops per ear, hold the ear back so you ensure the drops get down the canal, and then massage his ear to help work it in

[one-shot-wonder]

My Chesapeake has had ear wax/yeast growth over the years(10 yr old now), spear grass removed, the whole nine yards. Typically in the summer and winter is when he gets bouts of ear gunk build up and that is due to lots of swimming. He loves to dive inverted for rocks and be submerged for 20-30 seconds at a time and so in the summer his inner ears don't dry out much. Winter can be similar but less sever with rolling in the snow and moisture build up.

I used to use vet prescribed ear cleaner solution on a cotton swab and carefully clean out. I have gone to using vinegar on a cotton swab now with same results. Cheap and we always have some around.

[35rem]

I have gone to using vinegar on a cotton swab now with same results. Cheap and we always have some around.

As I stated before wax and water based solutions, vinegar included, do not mix well. Without looking down the ear canal with an otoscope it is impossible to tell whether the ears are truly free of wax or you only flushed the bigger chunks out.
And: please do not allow/teach your dog to dive for rocks. I have had to open up quite few to take rocks out of their intestine and seen major damage to teeth from playing with rocks as well.

[Struff55]

Interesting how people will have total disregard for experience and knowledge and go with a Medicean show type approach.