Time to Clean Your Pet"s Ears?

Veterinarians see a lot of patients with ear infections. In fact, it’s the second most common reason for a client visit, according to pet health insurer, VPI Pet Insurance. With ear problems prompting so many trips to the vet, should ear cleaning be a necessary part of grooming your pet?

Generally, cleaning a dog’s ears on a routine basis is not necessary, according to Leonard Jonas, DVM, MS, DACVIM, a veterinarian with Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital in Wheat Ridge, Colo. That’s because animals have a naturally occurring self-cleansing process.

“I’ve had pets my whole life,” Jonas said. “I don’t remember ever routinely cleaning out their ears.”

However, that doesn’t mean pet owners should never take notice of their dog’s ears. Certain breeds, lifestyles and physical characteristics will make a dog more prone to what Jonas calls “abnormal situations,” in which the pet’s normal homeostasis is disrupted. This is when something, either systemically or locally in the ear, interferes with the normal surface barrier defense system and the normal cleaning process that keeps bacteria and yeast under control.

There are signs to watch for if your pet is having an issue with its ears. These, according to Jonas, include:

• Shaking its head
  
  


• Flapping its ears
  
  


• Rubbing at its ears, either with a paw or by rubbing against furniture or carpet
  
  


• Self-massaging the ear to ease itch, pain or irritation
  
  


• Debris and/or redness inside the ear
  
  


• Sores inside the ear
  
  


• Odor in the ear due to abnormal oils and bacteria
  
  

“If you [the pet owner] look in the ear, you can see sometimes a lot of debris,” said Jonas, explaining what an ear with an infection or problem may look like. “Then [you] see redness on the ear flaps (inside) or sores developing. And then there’s also odor that occurs when you have an abnormal ear.”

Breeds to watch
There are certain breeds of dogs—such as Shar Peis, bulldogs and poodles—that have narrow ear canals and have a higher chance of incurring ear issues. Poodles, especially, have more hair in the canals, Jonas explained. “The hair itself is not a problem, but if they’ve got something abnormal with their whole defense system, all that extra hair in there makes it difficult.”

Cocker spaniels are notorious for ear problems, Jonas added.

When to clean your pet’s ears
According to Jonas, it’s best to consult your veterinarian before going forward with an ear-cleaning regimen. Unlike cleaning the teeth, cleaning the ears does not need be done regularly. If a pet owner suspects that something may be wrong with the ear, it’s advised to visit the veterinarian and establish whether the dog’s ear needs to be cleaned by the owner either routinely or for an instructed period of time.

Cleaning the dog’s ears without first seeing a veterinarian is not a good idea, Jonas said, “because you don’t know what’s going on inside. You don’t know if there has been a ruptured ear drum; you don’t know if there’s a stick or a stone or something stuck down inside the ear that needs to be fished out by a veterinarian.”

A veterinarian can diagnose the problem and make the proper recommendations, which may be cleaning and/or medication.

Typically, there are two situations for which a dog’s ears would need to be cleaned regularly. The first is when a veterinarian instructs for it to be done, and the second is when the dog is frequently in water. “Water in their ears disrupts the normal defense barrier system in that ear, and can make them prone to getting infections and irritation and inflammation,” Jonas said.

If there needs to be ear cleaning
A veterinarian should show the owner how to properly clean the dog’s ears because “there are a lot of different techniques, and it depends on what the problem is,” Jonas advised.

There are a couple of precautions to always remember, according to Jonas. First, never use a Q-tip, because it tends to push the wax and debris further into the ear. Second, be sure a groomer does not pluck the hair out of the dog’s ears, unless that hair is contributing to an ear problem; Jonas believes that doing so may cause irritation.

One thing pet owners should also consider is that if the dog has an ear infection, it could be very painful for them. Forcing the dog to get its ears cleaned or putting medication in them can be a dangerous situation for the owner and the dog.

“If your pet doesn’t want you to do it, don’t, because it hurts,” Jonas said. “You’re just going to create a problem, and you need to look to alternatives.”

Originally published by Healthy Pet.

Natural Ways to Clean Your Dog"s Ears

Fortunately, none of my current dogs have had any ear issues and I haven’t had to think about cleaning their ears much. Occasionally, I take a damp washcloth and swipe their ears but I haven’t had to do any hardcore ear cleaning in a long time. I know other dog owners aren’t as lucky! Some breeds are more prone to ear problems than others and other dogs develop ear problems just in the summer months due to increased water play. My recently deceased chocolate lab Scooby loved playing in the water when he was young and at times did develop ear problems. I fortunately had a veterinarian that was willing to show me the proper way to clean my dog’s ears and how to know when to bring him to the vet and when to deal with it myself…..if there were only more vets like that! Obviously, if your dog has an actual infection, you will need to treat it with antibiotics from your veterinarian, but if you are just looking for simple everyday ways to clean your dog’s ears and keep him from developing an infection, here are some tips and resources.

Over at the Daily Puppy, they have a wonderful step-by-step guide on how to clean dog’s ears with vinegar and water. Be sure to follow these instructions carefully!!!! OR visit the ASPCA website to watch a video on cleaning your dog’s ears AND use their warning signs list to help you decide if your dog needs to see a vet. I also recommend talking to your vet about natural ways to clean your dog’s ears, the method you plan to use, and how often you plan to inspect and clean your dog’s ears. All dogs are different, and when it comes to ear cleaning, there is not a one size fits all, so talk to your vet before trying anything at home.

In my personal experience, all my current dogs have floppy ears and no hair that grows in them, so I inspect them regularly and usually only need to swipe with a washcloth. My in-laws however have a small dog that has to have her ear hair trimmed regularly, and they have to watch her ears more closely for possible ear infections. I have learned to NEVER use cotton swabs or go down into the dog’s ear with anything! You should only ever clean the outer part of the ear and if you think there is something inside the ear, see a veterinarian. Personally, I would just be honest with your vet that you want to use natural ways to clean your dog’s ears, and if they won’t help you determine the best natural ways to clean your dog’s ears, find a new trustworthy vet that will!

Dogs Ears - Dog Ear Cleaning and How To Clean Dogs Ears

Dogs ears DO get dirty and cleaning dogs ears is important in order to keep them free of dirt and debris that can build up and cause problems that can develop into ear aches or ear infections.

You should examine your dogs ears regularly, at least on a weekly basis. Simply looking into the ears should be enough to see if there are problems with the ears. If the ears are dirty it’s time for cleaning dogs ears. Be sure though that the ears are just dirty and that the dog ear problems aren’t actually from ear yeast infection or bacterial infection. Dog ear cleaning for dirty ears is a different process than that of how to clean dogs ears when suffering from an ear infection. It’s easy to tell the difference between ears that are just dirty or those suffering from common ear infections. Dog ear infection symptoms will distinguish themselves in that they are usually red, sore, tender to the touch. They may be swollen and often times the dogs ears smell bad too. Additionally, you may notice a sticky debris or something that looks like black coffee grounds in the dogs ears. If your dog has an ear infection cleaning the dogs ears with an ear wash or over the counter ear cleaner isn’t going to do the job. These kinds of ear problems will need an actual dog ear treatment for ear infections.

If your dogs ears are dirty, clean dogs ears with an ear wash or dog ear cleaning solution. Dog ear cleaning solutions are available at most pet supply stores and you can also make a home-made ear cleaner for dogs.
How to clean dogs ears the best way is usually going to be if you can do it outside because once you apply the dog ear cleaner they will shake their head and it will go flying everywhere. If you’re not able to go outside for dog ear cleaning you might do it inside a shower or bathtub so the debris can splash around where it’s easy to clean up. Most over the counter dog ear cleaners will provide instruction on how to clean dogs ears with that particular solution. Usually cleaning dogs ears will involve adding enough dog ear cleaner to fill the ear canal, massage it around and then once the dog shakes it’s head you will wipe the remaining solution from the dogs ears with a soft cloth or tissue.

Most dogs don’t like getting their ears cleaned so proper care should be taken that your dog doesn’t bite you in the process. If a muzzle is needed then one should be used, Alternately, you can wrap a piece of cloth around the dogs mouth and secure it so it can’t bite during the ear cleaning process.

If the dogs ears are dirty, be sure you do the dog ear cleaning and don’t put it off because leaving debris in the dogs ears can lead to ear infection and then it will require medical attention and antibiotic ear drops to soothe and relieve painful ear symptoms. Dirty ears are not usually painful so if your dogs ears are aching, it may not need dog ear cleaning, it may need dog ear treatment for infection. Taking care of your dogs ears is very important, left unattended, ear problems can cause severe damage to the dogs ears, even hearing loss so take the time regularly to check those precious ears and take good care!

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