Preventative care is always best, which is why regular checking and cleaning of ears is so important. Just like clipping a dog’s toenails, cleaning your dog’s ears is suggested so that your puppy gets used to it as soon as possible. You can do this by gently holding the ear. And massaging it and turning over the ear flap while playing with your puppy.
If your dog doesn’t like to be touched on the ears, a gentle spritz of Calming Floral Spray can help him to stay calm. If you’re the nervous one you can even use the calming spray on yourself. It works wonders! Don’t forget that it’s important to ease your dog into it slowly. You want your puppy to associate ear cleaning with something positive. A good idea is to always have treats ready to offer him each time he is well-behaved during the process.
Most of the breeds have smooth, hair-free ear canals that require only regular whipping with cotton wool and Ear Cleaner.
How to clean your dog’s ears.
Wet a cotton ball with Vita Canis Ear Cleaner. Wipe the part of the ear that you can easily see, the inside of the outer flap. Then wet a new cotton ball to clean a little further into the inner ear. Make sure you use a new piece of cotton wool for each ear! Ideally, you want to do this about once a week. You want to keep your dog’s ears free from infection and smelling sweet. Alternatively, you can put a few drops of the Ear Cleaner inside of the ear, massage it. Then wipe thoroughly with cotton wool.
Ear plucking.
If your dog has a lot of hair coming from the ear canal some of it may need to be plucked. This will enable the free flow of air into the ear. Plucking can easily be done with your fingers. By gently but firmly holding a little bit of the hair growing inside the ear. There are also special ear powders that may help you in gripping the hair) and pulling. Do just a little bit at a time to avoid discomfort. Then use the Ear Cleaner to clean your dog’s ears.
Just like with human ears, you never want to use cotton buds because they can hurt your dog’s ears. Instead, opt for cotton wool or cotton pads.
Here are some facts about a dog’s ear and what we should be looking for when we check the ear:
Ear infections in dogs are most commonly caused by a range of factors, including bacteria, yeast, ear mites. Also excessive hair, moisture or wax, foreign bodies, and allergies. The ear canal in dogs is mostly vertical. Unlike the human ear canal, which is horizontal. Therefore it is easy for debris and moisture to be retained in the canal itself leading to problems.
When to see the vet.
If your dog shows sudden signs of ear pain, inflammation of the ear flap (redness), ear odour, discharge, continual head shaking or drooping of the ear please have your veterinarian check it out. There may be an infection or it could even be that a foreign body is present causing the infection.
Methods of transmission of infection include direct penetration from the external environment, overgrowth of microflora in the ear itself (perhaps due to stress), hot weather, or other factors (immunosuppression or injury for example).
How are you getting on with ear cleaning? Do you find it stressful or easy?
Stay safe!
Love, Jitka xx