Keeping Your Dog’s Ears Healthy

Routine home dog ear care is very important to the health of your dog. Excessive wax, foul odor, redness, constant scratching, excessive matting of hair in the external ear, rubbing the ears against other objects, head shaking, and disorientation can all be signs of ear problems.

Inspect Your Dog’s Ears Regularly. Use a petscope to check for redness, excessive wax build up or any other foreign matter. Sniffing your dog’s ears is another way to detect problems early. If you see a dark waxy discharge this may be a sign of ear mites. On the other hand, if you see a pus-like discharge along with a foul smell this may be a sign of a bacterial infection. Allergies are also known to cause some dogs to have smelly ears.

Dogs with floppy ears, like spaniels and bloodhounds, are very prone to ear infections because very little air flows into their ear canals. There are also breeds, like the Lhasa, that have a heavy growth of hair inside their ears. Excess ear hair is a problem, try plucking just a few hairs at a time will be less irritating for the dog.

Some vets recommend that owners routinely flush their dog’s ears with warm water at the slightest hint of odor. Other home dog ear care cleaning remedies include mineral oil, hydrogen peroxide, or a combination of equal parts of vinegar and rubbing alcohol. If your dog has open sores it's best not to use the vinegar and alcohol because it will cause a burning sensation. A dog ear wash containing Tea Tree Oil, which is also formulated to dry the ear canal is an excellent choice. Try using a pet ear-drying agent after bathing or swimming especially if your dog's ears retain moisture and don't dry promptly.

A dog’s ear canal is L-shaped. It descends vertically and it makes a 90-degree horizontal turn before it reaches the eardrum. Many vets urge caution when inserting anything into the ear canal, especially cotton-tipped swabs. They can actually push dirt and foreign matter deeper into the ear if not handled properly. You can even lose the cotton tip in the ear canal.

Dont put off your dog’s ears cleaning job. Remember regular cleanings can prevent many common ear problems. If you think a problem may be developing that is beyond the scope of your home dog ear care routine, take your dog to the vet for a check up immediately.