Cleaning Ears
Cleaning the ears is an important part of grooming a dog. Ear wax, dirt, debris from being outdoors, mites and moisture in a dog’s ears can be painful, uncomfortable and lead to infections and diseases of the ears. Cleaning your dog’s ears once a month is an appropriate preventative measure that’s relatively easy to do.
Applying the same rules to cleaning your dog’s ears you would follow to clean your child’s ears will keep you both safe and make it a comfortable experience.
I begin by dampening a paper towel, cotton ball or tissue (guaze will work as well) with a little warm water. I wrap the tissue around my index finger and wipe out the part of the ear that I can clearly see, without going ‘into’ the ear canal.
Once I’ve done so, I moisten a q-tip and work it carefully around the opening of the ear canal, always able to see the cotton tip. I roll the q-tip between my fingers and pull it outward as I’m doing so, to draw whatever debris may be inside out of the ear, careful to never go into the ear canal.
A dry cotton ball, to wipe out the ear, picking up any small bits of dirt or loose hair finishes the process.
I’m careful when bathing to never allow water into the ears, as canine ear canals are long and deep and I’ve been told water inside would be difficult to get out and could cause infection and irritation.
If your dog is shaking his head a lot, scratching his ears or flicking them more than usual that’s your cue to have a look inside and give them a cleaning. If your dog is showing signs of pain when you handle their ears or their ears are unusually dirty it’s a good idea to take them to a veterinarian to have them cleaned and checked for mites, infection or other causes of irritation.
