How Do You Clean A Dog’s Ears?
To clean his ears, it is important to keep your furry friend healthy and happy. You should check them once a week or more to spot any infections or mites.
Most dogs only need their ears cleaned every so often. However, if you own a dog who loves to swim in water, or one with long, floppy ears, then you should aim to clean their ears every week.
What Do You Need?
The items you need to clean ears are simple: cotton wool, ear cleaner, and a pair of steady hands. If your vet has prescribed your dog ear drops, then you will need these too.
You should never use cotton ear buds to clean your dog’s ears. If you push these too far into your pooch’s ear, they can hurt the ear canal or damage the eardrum.
If your dog is fidgety, then you may need a second person to help you secure your dog as you clean their ears.
How To Clean Your Dog’s Ears
To clean them, make sure you have everything you need on hand. Before you start cleaning, check the exterior and interior of your pooch’s ears.
Look for any swelling, redness, rashes, discharge, and any foul smells coming for your pooch’s ears. Wax is normal and should be light brown in colour. If you see any dark coloured, red, or yellow discharge/pus, then your dog may have an ear infection. This will need treatment from a vet.
Additionally, if your dog’s ears smell pungent or foul, then this could also be a sign of infection or mites. Mites look like white pin-sized specks and are usually accompanied by black discharge. Your dog will typically scratch and shake their ears excessively with mites.
Once you have thoroughly checked your dog’s ears, you can begin the process. Grab some damp cotton wool and wipe away any wax and dirt that has built up inside your dog’s ear.
When you have wiped away the grime from your dog’s ears, you can use the ear cleaner. Most ear cleaners for dogs are designed with a dropper to make the process easier. Place the dropper inside the ear canal, but don’t push it inside too far.
Follow the instructions on the bottle/box of the ear cleaner to determine how many drops you need to administer. When you’ve administered it, massage your dog’s ear. This helps evenly distribute the liquid around your pooch’s ear.
Make sure you clean both your dog’s ears!
A lot of dogs will shake their heads after their ears have been cleaned, which is normal.
If he needs to be given ear drops, then administer them once you have cleaned the ears.