How to Clean Dog Ears At Home: An Easy DIY Solution
How to Clean Dog Ears At Home? How often do you clean your dog’s ears? If the answer is “not very often,” then you might be interested in this post. Dog owners typically have a hard time cleaning their pup’s ears because they don’t know how to do it or find it difficult.
Luckily, there are simple and easy steps that can be followed to clean dog ears at home! In today’s blog post we will share some tips on how to clean your dog’s ears with vinegar so that you will no longer need to worry about dirt and bacteria getting trapped inside your pup’s ear canal!
Are you supposed to clean dog’s ears?
Cleaning your pup’s ears is an important part of the dog grooming process. Unless you do this on a regular basis, the dog’s ears can become a breeding ground for bacteria and infections. Cleaning a dog’s ears doesn’t have to be a traumatic experience for you or the dog if you follow some simple instructions.
How often do you clean your dog’s ears?
If you have a dog with long ears such as a spaniel, an ear cleaning should be performed once a week. Once a month for cleaning a dog’s ears is the norm for other types of dogs, but you should check your dog’s ears periodically to look for signs of problems.
How clean dog ears with an infection?
First, check your dog’s ears regularly for any signs of problems. Problems to look for include debris such as dirt, tiny parasites, or any signs of discharge. Your dog’s ears should appear pink and healthy. If they seemed inflamed, project a strong, unpleasant odor, or seem sensitive when you touch them, there could be an infection or other type of problem.
You shouldn’t attempt to clean your dog’s ears if you think you see a problem. Instead, take him to your veterinarian for a treatment procedure. If the dog’s ear problem isn’t addressed soon, it could result in hearing loss.
Your dog may develop chronic ear infections if he has allergies. Check with your veterinarian to find out what you can do to lessen the effect of these allergies and keep your dog from developing ear infections that could eventually affect his hearing.
Can you clean dog’s ears with alcohol?
I cringe at all the homemade dog ear cleaning solutions out there that use alcohol in them. Never use hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol, as they can harm the dog’s ear canal. These products can cause inflammation to the ear canal and further exacerbate infections.
Plus – anyone with a squiggly dog? Just imaging how much that hurts if it accidentally gets in their eyes. ouch!
Can you clean dog ears at home with this? No.
Can I clean dog’s ears with hydrogen peroxide?
Like I just said: Never use hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol, as they can harm the dog’s ear canal. These products can cause inflammation to the ear canal and further exacerbate infections.
Can you clean dog ears at home with this? No.
Can you clean dog’s ears with coconut oil?
While it is good for gentle care of a mild bacterial ear infection, it doesn’t really have what is needed to break up the dirt and wax.
Can you clean dog ears at home with this? No.
Can you clean dog ears with tea tree oil?
While people use it (diluted with a carrier oil) in their ears for ear pain and mild ear infection, that doesn’t translate to Fido. There are reports of oils like tea tree oil and pennyroyal oil (often used for natural flea control) causing liver damage, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, and other problems.
Can you clean dog ears at home with this? No.
Can you clean dog ears with Listerine?
Really? People ask this?
While the very low level of methyl salicylate in Listerine is non-toxic to dogs, Listerine has an alcohol content of 26.9%, which if applied directly to inflamed or irritated skin, can be painful, as we have already mentioned.
Can you clean dog ears at home with this? No.
Can you Clean dog ears with iodine?
While it is an antiseptic and antifungal agent, most homemade recipes that use it also require alcohol for the cleaning part of the solution.
Can you clean dog ears at home with this? No.
Can you clean dog’s ears with contact solution?
Usually these are a saline solution – salt water. That would be like using rubbing alcohol.
Can you clean dog ears at home with this? No.
Can I clean dog’s ears with baby wipes?
Baby wipes have a number of chemicals that are harmful to dogs. We need to remember that the formula was made for human skin, and the chemicals on the wipes are usually too much for dogs.
Can you clean dog ears at home with this? No.
Can you clean dog’s ears with Q tips?
No. Just No. DO NOT use cotton tip applicators (Q-tips) due to the risk of perforating the ear drum or causing trauma to the ear canal.
Humans aren’t supposed to use them in their ears either.
Don’t use squirt bottles to clean your dog’s ears
They all say “Try to avoid touching the tip of the bottle to your dog’s ear, because this will help minimize the spread of any bacteria or yeast.” That is a challenge to do when you are with a moving target.
Also, that irrigation flooding feeling isn’t something the dogs are particularly fond of.
How to clean dog ears
If your dog’s ears simply appear dirty, follow the instructions below for cleaning a dog’s ears:
Locate the point where skin meets hair inside their ear canal by looking up into one of its corners with a flashlight or other light directed upwards towards them; It is typically positioned just forward of the ear canal.
Open the jar and grab a cotton pad. Squeeze excess liquid from the pad back into the jar. Hold the cotton against your dog’s skin where you found they point inside their ear canals if there was one. If no such point exists, hold to the underside of his outer flap near its rear edge.
Gently press down on the area as you keep pressure applied until you see some seepage coming from an inner corner or other parts of your pet’s ear canal. This will indicate dirt coming loose; It may also bring up any discharge present at the time for this procedure when it emerges from where it had collected before being wiped away.
After a few seconds and as soon as you see this seepage, wipe it gently and thoroughly with the dampened cotton ball or pad. This will remove all dirt from your pet’s ear canal and prevent any future buildup of debris inside his ears that can cause infections.
Discard the used pad when finished.
If there is still some discharge present after performing these tasks, don’t worry! You’ll just need to use another clean portion of the cloth for those last little bits.
Repeat until no more dirt comes out when applying pressure to your dog’s skin in areas where he was found to have one point at which hair protrudes into their ear canal (or if no such point exists).
Talk to your pooch
A good trick to getting your dog used to having his ears cleaned is to pet him and talk soothingly to him while handling the ears. Also, when cleaning a dog’s ears, be careful not to jab or clean further in the ear than you can see. After all, you would hate it too.
Clean dog ears with vinegar
That is the secret to my Dog Ear Wipes recipe – white vinegar and Witch Hazel.
White vinegar is a great cleaner and disinfectant because it’s made from acetic acid. The acidic nature of vinegar is so powerful it can dissolve mineral deposits, dirt, grease, and grime. It’s also strong enough to kill bacteria. Do not confuse this with distilled vinegar – that is milder and not good for cleaning.
Now let’s talk about Witch Hazel
Witch Hazel has the unique ability to clean skin pores and absorb excess oil without leaving the skin too dry. Witch Hazel can often replace a daily cleanser for those with normal skin types.
You can see how these two pack a powerful punch together and are safe for your fur-baby ears.
Clean Dog Ear Solution Supplies
The containers I like to use are the Ziploc Twist ‘n Loc, Storage Containers for Food, Travel and Organization. They are 4 ounces and I fill 2 of them – one for the travel bag and one for the home kit. 4 or 8-ounce Jelly Jars would work too – I just don’t think glass travels well.
- 1/2 Cup White Vinegar
- 1/2 Cup Witch Hazel
- Container With Lid (for storing)
- Organic Cotton Rounds Compatible with Makeup Products, Eye Makeup Remover Pads and Baby Wipes, Small, 300 Count – Noleo (you could use cotton balls too but I like these best for ease of use and control of the solution)
How to make Dog Ear Cleaning Wipes
Step 1: Pour one liquid into the other.
Step 2: Pour mixed liquids into a jar or container(s) – I split it into two.
Step 3: Add pads to liquid and press down so that you can put the lid on.
Now you are all set for your weekly ear cleaning sessions!
Dogs need their ears cleaned on a regular basis, just like humans – and you can enlist the services of a dog groomer or take matters into your own hands by following the instructions above.
Tip: If the container is out of pads and you still have solution in your container, you can add more pads to it.
Other dog care articles you may find helpful:
- Crazy Things People Search for: Can Dogs Eat Chicken Feet and More!
- Best Nose Butter For Dogs: A DIY
- Super Easy Homemade Dog Paw Balm
- How to Choose a Veterinarian For Your Dog
- 8 Tips For Good Dog Oral Hygiene
