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Posted by Charla Dawson Aug 4, 2006 |
Some dogs need to have their ears cleaned on a regular basis other dogs will never need their ears cleaned. Breed has a lot to do with ear trouble, dogs with floppy ears, for example Labradors and Bassett Hounds, are famous for having horrible ears. Also, dogs with allergies will have problem ears. What I mean by problem ears are ear infections - red irritated ears with a bad odor.
Dogs with ear infections are usually shaking their head and/or scratching at their ears, if your dog has these symptoms then you should call your veterinarian. When it comes to ear trouble first look at the ear, it should be nice and pink, the color of your dogs normal pigment elsewhere on the body. If the ear is red with a brown waxy substance then your dog has an ear infection brewing and will need medications from your veterinarian. These medications will probably be an ear cleaner along with an ointment. Your veterinarian will probably show you how to use the medications (if he/she doesn't volunteer, then ask).
To clean your dogs ears first hold the pinna (ear flap) up so that the affected ear is tilted up, fill the ear with the cleanser until it runs out. (Do this outside because it will get messy). While holding the pinna with one hand use your free hand to gently massage the base of the ear so that you hear a squishing sound. If you don't hear the squish then you may not have enough cleanser in the ear or you are not massaging enough. The dogs ear canal is "L" shaped so in order for the cleanser to spread throughout the ear canal you need to massage. After massaging let go of the ear and stand back, your dog will shake his head and the cleanser will go flying along with dirt and debris that was in the ear canal. If you let go of the ear prematurely you will be doused with ear cleanser and debris. Use gauze squares to gently remove any debris that is at the surface of the ear, there is no need to put your finger in the ear canal, the cleanser works to bring debris that is deep in the ear to the surface. Repeat the cleaning if necessary.
Some dogs need their ears cleaned on a regular basis to ward off infections. There are ear drying solutions that work great for floppy eared dogs or dogs that like to swim. If you have a swimmer I highly recommend using an ear drying solution after every swim. The ear drying solutions do not require you to wipe out any debris, just apply, massage, and stand back for the head shake.