How to Clean Your Dog’s Ears
Keeping your dog’s ears clean will help prevent infections and other skin irritations. Some dogs may never need their ears cleaned and some will need them cleaned frequently. Either way, it is a good idea to check your dog’s ears regularly so that they are easy to clean and you can catch any problems while they are easy to treat.
Step One: Inspection
Lift up your dog’s ear and look inside. The ear should look the same color as the rest of your dog’s skin. If you see any wax build-up or dirt you will need to clean the ear. If the ear is red, if it smells, if it appears touching the ear causes your dog pain, or if you find your dog constantly scratching his ears, he may have an infection, ear mites, or some other problem that will require the attention of a vet. It is best not to clean the ear yourself, but to call the vet to make an appointment. Assuming, however, that all you see is a build-up of wax and some dirt, proceed to the next step.
Step Two: Basic Ear Cleaning
Lift up your dog’s ear. Take a slightly moistened cotton ball and gently wipe the ear clean, making sure not to stick the cotton ball into the ear canal. Make sure to talk sweetly to your dog while you clean each ear. If the ears now look clean, your work is done. If the wax and dirt does not come off with the wet cotton ball or if you can see wax or dirt inside the ear canal, you will need to proceed to the next step.
Step Three: Advanced Ear Cleaning
Buy some dog ear cleaning solution from either your vet or a pet store. The solution should come with an eye dropper, but if not, you will need to purchase one of these too. If the outside of your dog’s ear is still dirty, repeat step two above, only this time use the ear solution on the cotton ball instead of water. Make sure not to enter the ear canal. You may need to clean each ear once and then repeat in a few minutes after the solution has had some time to loosen the wax and dirt.
After you have removed the dirt from outside the ear canal, it is time to clean the inside if it looks dirty. Using the eye dropper, place a few drops of the solution into your dog’s ear. Immediately, before your dog can shake his head, fold the ear down and massage the area, allowing the solution to make its way into the ear canal. After about 10-20 seconds, let go and stand back. Your dog will try to shake the liquid out of his ear, thereby also shaking out the wax and dirt. When he stops shaking his head, lift the ear to check inside. If it is still not clean, repeat this step one more time. If the ear canal is still not clean after the second round, you should call your vet. Your vet may advise bringing your dog in for a check-up to make sure he does not have an ear infection.
If you clean your dogs ears on a regular basis, or at least check to see if they need to be cleaned, then the cleaning process should be quick and painless. You will not give the dirt and wax enough time to harden or make its way into the ear canal. Like all other grooming procedures, make sure to talk nicely to your dog during the cleaning and reward him afterwards with extra praise or treats or both.
