Important Tips On Cleaning Dog's Ears

Having a healthy dog means maintaining the dog’s hygiene, and one of the most primary aspects of basic hygiene includes cleaning dogs ears. Some dogs are gifted with naturally clean and healthy ears, whereas others require a lot of care for ears. Usually, dogs with long ears are more likely to get ear infections and require regular cleaning and checking of their ears. But as responsible pet parents, irrespective of which breed you have, you must invest and maintain ear hygiene. Here in this blog, we will tell you all about the best way to clean dogs ears and how to do it the right way!

Importance of Basic Ear Hygiene

Cleaning dogs ears is an important task and should not be avoided by responsible pet parents. There is dirt in the air around us which often goes inside the dog’s ears just like we get ear wax. The ear canal of the dog’s ear has such a structure that the dirt stuck inside it cannot come out easily. This is because it has a horizontal shape. If the process of cleaning dog ear wax is not done on time and regularly, there can be infection and itchiness in the ear, causing trouble and pain to your dog.

Figuring out When to Clean the Ears

Before you get to the process of cleaning dogs' ears, you must make sure that your dog's ears require cleaning. This is because over cleaning the ears can also irritate the insides of the ear. How can you recognise a clean, healthy ear? An ear or ears of a dog are considered clean and healthy when they do not have any odour or dirt within them. There is no inflammation due to infection or bacteria, and it is pink. Ears that have a bad smell or odour are usually signalling a yeast infection.

When you notice any changes in the above-mentioned points along with frequent shaking of the head by your dog, be aware that it is time to check and clean your dog’s ears or maybe take a trip to the vet (if you feel the situation is out of hand).

Using an Ear Cleaner

The selection of ear cleansers depends upon the severity of dirt in the ears. Many people look for ways of how to clean dog ears at home naturally. In the event when your dog's ears are not very dirty, or it's just dust, a normal ear wipe is good enough. But if the amount of dirt and wax is present in significant amounts, you will have to refer to medicated ear cleansers, the constituents of which might include EDTA, Salicylic Acid, Tea Tree oil. Such an ear cleaner would be the best dog ear cleaning solution as it is mild. To clean your dog's ears, it is essential to use high quality, good ear cleaner. You must ensure that the ear cleaner you use does not contain hydrogen peroxide or alcohol as it can irritate the ear and even cause inflammation. You can speak to your vet before choosing an ear cleaner.

Did you know that the insides of the dog’s ears contain susceptible tissue? The use of hydrogen peroxide can damage the tissue and even the entire ear; therefore, it is safer to stick to milder and hydrogen peroxide-free ear cleansers.

Cleaning Dog Ears: Step by Step Guide

Mentioned below is a step by step guide to help you in cleaning dog ears. Have a look:

• Sit on the floor and make your dog sit in front of you.
• Clutch one ear and vertically hold the ear flap so that the ear canal is exposed and you can straighten it out.
• Hold the ear flap firmly while making sure that you don't hurt the dog; take the ear cleaning solution on the other hand.
• Now you must squeeze the ear cleaning solution inside the ear canal. Fill the ear canal, and do not worry if you spill some. Make sure that you do not touch the insides of the ear with the tip of the bottle of the ear cleaning solution.
• While holding the ear flap with one hand, start massaging the base of the ear just below the ear opening for a minimum of 30 seconds. By doing this, you help the solution break and disintegrate the debris collected inside the ear. You will hear a sound similar to ‘squishing’ as there is the movement of the cleaning solution inside the ear.
• Using a clean cotton ball or gauze, you can now clean the debris from within the inner and upper part of the ear canal.
• Give your dog a few seconds to shake their head thoroughly. This helps in making the solution, along with the debris to move out of the ear canal.
• Take another piece of cotton ball or gauze and clean the insides of the ear once again.
• It is time now to award your dog with a treat for being patient and cooperating with you.
• Repeat the same process in the other ear.
• You can apply medication if required after cleaning your dog’s ears.

With this, we end our blog on cleaning dogs ears, and we sincerely hope it helps you clean your pooches ears at home. If you need help cleaning your dogs ear you also book a dog grooming at home or you can buy the cleaning tools from our online pet store Zigly.