As pet parents, we know that it’s our duty to keep up a proper grooming and healthy routine for our canine. Nail and hair trimming, teeth cleaning are usually left to professionals, but ears cleaning can be done at home to prevent ears infections and avoid the buildup of dirt, especially if your dog’s breed has long-hanging ears such as Cocker Spaniels. Although the process of cleaning a dog’s ears is easy and only requires a few simple supplies, it might not always be a comfortable task to do. Get ready to learn how to give your canine’s ears luxurious care! Pet Barn will help you determine when your dog’s ears need cleaning, the symptoms of dog ears infections, and some tips and advice on the supplies and cleaner you might need.
How to Tell When a Dog’s Ears Need Cleaning?
How could you know if your dog’s ears need to be cleaned? First, you should familiarize yourself with what healthy and clean ears look like, they should be pink, odorless, debris-free, and not inflamed. If you notice any change or your puppy is shaking his head more than usual or expressing signs of pain, you should check and clean them. Some dogs require less ear cleaning while others are more prone to ear infections, the genetics of the dog’s breed plays a major role in identifying the shape of the ears and their vulnerability to infections. Also, dogs who spend a lot of time in the water require more ears checkup. If your dog appears to be in pain, and his ear looks red and inflamed, you should contact your veterinarian, because cleaning an infected ear often causes more harm to your dog.
How Often Should I Clean My Dog’s Ears?
The golden rule says that once a month is more than enough for most dog breeds. However, dogs with long flabby ears and dogs who swim a lot need ears clean every week while making sure no water is staying inside the ears.
Symptoms of Dog Ear Infections
The advantages of doing a regular check-up of your dog’s ears will help you become more acculturated to notice when something is wrong. During an ear cleaning, beware of the attitude of your dog as it’s a sign of their wellbeing. If your dog is normally a patient dog and was uncomfortable during the ear cleaning, this is an indication that he is in pain and may suffer from an ears infection.
There are also some other symptoms of ear infections that your dog could have or do like the following:
● Discharge
● Ear odor
● Head shaking
● Scratching or rubbing their ears along the furniture
● Extreme debris from the ears.
Ear-Cleaning Supplies;
You don’t need a lot of tools to clean your dog ears, few supplies are enough for a deep clean:
● A cotton ball or rounds (avoid using anything with a pointed tip like Q-tips)
● A dog ear cleaning solution is recommended by your vet.
● A towel
● Treats because your dog is surely a good boy.
Note: Never use alcohol, vinegar or hydrogen peroxide, or any homemade ear-cleaning solutions without asking your veterinarian. Ears contain very sensitive tissue, and using hydrogen peroxide or any other household product can cause irritation to healthy skin cells leading to damage to the ear itself.
How to Clean Dog Ears in Four Easy Steps?
1.Applying ear-cleaning solution; first, gather all the supplies and make sure your dog is calm and relaxed.
2.Lift his ear flap gently to apply ear solution cleaner. Put enough quantity to fill the canal.
3.Gentle Ear Massage; kindly massage the base of your dog’s ear for about 30 seconds. You will probably hear the sound of squishing, which is the sound of the cleanser breaking up the wax and debris.
4.Dry the ear; Your dog will automatically shake his head, which is completely normal, use a towel to wipe down his face, once your dog is done shaking his head, take a cotton ball and wipe out the ear canal without going very deep to avoid disturbing your dog, sometimes going deeper can hurt the ears tissues.
Although ear cleaning is a very simple process, it can get quite messy. As we mentioned previously, your dog may shake their head after applying the cleanser, which could cause a little mess around, so we recommend cleaning your dog’s ears in a room that is easy to clean afterward.
Now that you cleaned the first ear, repeat the process on the other ear. It’s easier than you imagined! Don’t forget to reward your puppy for being a good boy or girl, they deserve some love after you finish. Ear cleaning can really be annoying to your dog but you can make the experience a positive one with praise and a special treat reserved just for ear cleaning, that way your smart dog will learn to associate the ear cleaning experience with a tasty special treat.
Dogs are basically babies with sharp teeth! Be gentle just like you’re cleaning a fragile baby’s ears. Taking care of your canine’s ears helps prevent infections and other major problems such as ears mites. New pet parents might find ear cleaning a scary experience but there’s absolutely nothing to worry about, your canine friend realizes you wouldn’t try to hurt it. Pet Barn would love to hear about your cleaning techniques in the comments.
