Unclean ears of your dog can often provide a favorable breeding ground for yeasts, virus, parasites, and bacteria, with their dirty, warm and moist environment. Taking care of your dog’s grooming and hygiene is your responsibility and must not be taken lightly. Make cleansing the ears of your canine friend a weekly ritual from the very start to avoid any undesirable health problems or infections later.
Choosing a Cleansing Product For Your Dog’s Ears
The foremost step in cleansing your pooch’s ears is to choose a good cleaning product. You can get one at a good wholesale dog supplies store. When selecting the cleansing solution, try not to pick a product that contains alcohol as one of the ingredients as it may sting insides of your doggie’s ears. On the other hand, an alcohol-containing product may work just fine if your dog has any threatening ear condition that can be soothed with a powerful disinfectant.
A soft cotton cloth and preferably an ear powder are some other things that you will need.
When to Clean Ears of Your Dog?
If your dog scratches his ears often, his ears smell bad, or when he shakes his head quite frequently lately, these are usually viable signs that you need to clean his ears. But this may also be an indication of an infection and may suggest that you should consult your vet.
Try starting your cleaning session when your pooch is relaxed, preferably after a meal or may be near the bedtime. Be gentle yet firm and help him stay calm. Cleansing process can be an odd experience for your dog but make sure that he is settled and you have all things ready with you at an arm’s length.
Step-by-Step Method to Clean Your Dog’s Ears
1. Gently turn the ear-flap (pinna) of your dog upwards. Once his ear canal is easily visible, put a few drop of ear cleansing solution in your pooch’s ear and slightly massage his ear flap between the base of his ear and your thumb or forefingers for 20-30 seconds. This allows the cleansing solution to seep deeper inside the ear.
2. Your pet may shake his head to get the extra solution off him. Let him do that and once he calms down, proceed with the next step.
3. Remove extra debris and wax that may have surfaced due to the solution and shaking with the help of a soft cotton cloth. Do not try to insert anything in the ear canal.
4. Fold back the ear-flaps of your dog when you are done and let his ear canals go dry. After around five minutes, put in some ear drying powder in his ears and your job is done.
Regular cleansing sessions of your pooch’s ears help evade many ear problems and may save you many avoidable vet visits in the future. Hearing is one of the strongest senses for dogs and must be cared for properly.
Brenda Lyttle is a freelance writer and a dog lover. She is the owner of one Labrador and loves making costumes in her free time. Click here to see the animal costumes made by her.