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Ear Cleaning Tips
Ear Cleaning Tips
Get everything ready and be prepared for your dog to shake his/her
ears and send debris flying! I recommend a liquid ear cleaner which is
also formulated to help dry out the canals after cleaning. Wipes are
great when the debris is limited to the outer ear, but if there's a lot
of gunk down in the ear canal, you'll need to pour a lot of liquid in there
to help get that out! I like to have a towel, some gauze or cotton balls,
ear cleaner, and an assistant if possible. Your assistant should be
ready to hold the dog still for you - this often means grabbing and
holding his muzzle firmly.
First, pour some liquid cleaner in the ears. There should be enough
there that you can see some pooling at the opening. Squish it around by
squeezing below the ear where the cartilage is. It will make a
disgusting noise - that means you're moving stuff around, which is
definitely going to help.
Take some gauze or cotton balls and gently remove some of the debris
& cleaner from the opening to the ear canals. If you rub hard, you can
cause some bleeding and pain for your dog.
Let your dog shake it's head. That can help mobilize some of the stuff
that's down deep. Then wipe again, gently.
Repeat this procedure until you are only getting small amounts of dirt
out. Remember to reward your dog afterwards for a job well done (and
yourself)!
Normal, healthy ears should be cleaned every week or two. This may
vary some depending on the breed and frequency of ear problems in
your dog. When dogs are having a problem, I recommend cleaning daily;
or if they are on topical medication, clean every other day and use the
medication daily.
Dogs can be trained to take the cleanings well. Find a treat your dog
loves, that you use only for training. Have him/her come to you when
you have all the supplies ready, and fake him out a few times - have him
sit but don't go through with the cleaning - just congratulate him and
give him a treat. If that's going well, pour some cleaner in his ear, let
him shake it out, and give him a treat & let him walk away. Then start
doing the other steps gradually. Getting young dogs used to this
process will help as they get older, whether or not they ever develop
ear problems.
Get everything ready and be prepared for your dog to shake his/her
ears and send debris flying! I recommend a liquid ear cleaner which is
also formulated to help dry out the canals after cleaning. Wipes are
great when the debris is limited to the outer ear, but if there's a lot
of gunk down in the ear canal, you'll need to pour a lot of liquid in there
to help get that out! I like to have a towel, some gauze or cotton balls,
ear cleaner, and an assistant if possible. Your assistant should be
ready to hold the dog still for you - this often means grabbing and
holding his muzzle firmly.
First, pour some liquid cleaner in the ears. There should be enough
there that you can see some pooling at the opening. Squish it around by
squeezing below the ear where the cartilage is. It will make a
disgusting noise - that means you're moving stuff around, which is
definitely going to help.
Take some gauze or cotton balls and gently remove some of the debris
& cleaner from the opening to the ear canals. If you rub hard, you can
cause some bleeding and pain for your dog.
Let your dog shake it's head. That can help mobilize some of the stuff
that's down deep. Then wipe again, gently.
Repeat this procedure until you are only getting small amounts of dirt
out. Remember to reward your dog afterwards for a job well done (and
yourself)!
Normal, healthy ears should be cleaned every week or two. This may
vary some depending on the breed and frequency of ear problems in
your dog. When dogs are having a problem, I recommend cleaning daily;
or if they are on topical medication, clean every other day and use the
medication daily.
Dogs can be trained to take the cleanings well. Find a treat your dog
loves, that you use only for training. Have him/her come to you when
you have all the supplies ready, and fake him out a few times - have him
sit but don't go through with the cleaning - just congratulate him and
give him a treat. If that's going well, pour some cleaner in his ear, let
him shake it out, and give him a treat & let him walk away. Then start
doing the other steps gradually. Getting young dogs used to this
process will help as they get older, whether or not they ever develop
ear problems.
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