Dirty ears

[wilsonjami]

Hello! My name is Jami and I just joined this site. My wonderful friend ROBILEE encouraged me to sign up. My boyfriend and I just adopted a 2yr old boxer named DUKE this past weekend from the pound. We absolutely LOVE him. He has fit into our family so well it's unbelievable. Anyways, I have a question. I was going to clean his ears but I am unsure what to use. I was going to use a q-tip and alcohol but didn't know if that would hurt him. I've never really owed a dog before so this is all new to me.

[Karen]

That should be fine, just be gentle, and don't go into the ear canal itself. Does he have "up" ears or "down" ears? Has he been to the vet yet?

[tikeyas_mom]

I bought a really great ear cleaning solution from my local holistic vet Called Blue Thunder. It has helped my Black Labs ears alot. All you do is drop a few drops of the liquid into the dogs ear canal, massage it, and then let the dog shake.. We would love to know more about you and your dog, What color is he? Congrats on adopting him, you'll really enjoy this site I'm sure. :)

[WELOVESPUPPIES]

PICTURES PLEASE. I also own a Boxer named Duke :D, we also have a female named Champ. They are an awesome breed. We must see pictures :D Welcome to PT. I think you can also use a vinager and water 1/2&1/2 solution. I usually just use a Q-Tip or clean them with the damp towel after they have had a bath. You can get solutions at Pet stores and even from your vet.

[Pam]

Welcome to PT! :) As you have probably guessed, we all love pictures here. When you get the opportunity, we'd love to see some pictures of Duke and hear all about him! Regarding his ears, I would suggest a visit to your vet first. If it is yeast (what my Bella gets) you will need a more specific medication. Your vet will swab the inside of the ear and look at it under a microscope.

And......any friend of RobiLee's is a friend of ours! :cool: Please do tell her we need to see and hear more of her and her girls! :)

[Taz_Zoee]

Welcome to PT. I'm sure you will find this site addictive. I'd love to see pictures of Duke! Zoee has a boxer friend named Tessa she likes to play with.
As for the ears, Bruce (BF) used to have to clean out DJ's (RB Cocker) ears all the time, because Cockers are prone to icky ears. But like others suggested a vet visit would be a good thing to make sure there is nothing more serious than just dirty ears going on. :D :D

[Pawsitive Thinking]

:D Hmmmm......hard to reply without PICTURES! :D

Welcome to PT

[finn's mom]

I bought a really great ear cleaning solution from my local holistic vet Called Blue Thunder.

I think this is the same thing, and I made it at home last night. Hope it works out as well for us as it did for the guy who posted it on another forum. Not sure how much Blue Thunder cost, but, I bought enough to last probably for years, and it cost me about $12. Here is the recipe.

Here is the recipe for anyone interested in trying it:

Blue Power Ear Treatment

16 oz. bottle isopropyl alcohol (or witch hazel)
4 tablespoons Boric Acid Powder
16 drops Gentian Violet 1% Solution
Mix all ingredients in the alcohol bottle & shake. (make sure you shake before every application).
Treatment: Fill ear with solution & massage gently for 30 seconds and wipe with a tissue. Fill a second time and just wipe without massaging. The dog will shake the excess out. Be careful, the Gentian Violet could stain. I use a eye dropper to fill the ear.
Treatment:
2 times per day for the first 2 weeks
1 time per day for the next 2 weeks
1 time per month thereafter

If you are concerned about the alcohol burning the inside of the ear (it could if the dog has been scratching its ear), then you can substitute the alcohol with witch hazel.

All ingredients are available at a pharmacy. The Boric Acid is usually in the First Aid section where you find the alcohol. The Gentian Violet will be the hardest to find and may need to be special ordered.
Even despite the alcohol, dogs don't object to even the first treatment. The Boric Acid soothes the ear & the Gentian Violet is an anti-infection agent. This solution is also effective for the treatment of fungus type infections on the dog including hot spots.

Avoid getting in eyes.

[Kfamr]

I would refrain from using Q-Tips. Duke could become irritated and shake his head - then the Q-tip could damage his ear.


I use cotton balls or folded up toilet paper when washing my dog's ears.



Welcome to Pet Talk, Jami and Duke! :)

[k9krazee]

I would also avoid Qtips. I use either a kleenex or toilet paper.

Welcome to PT! :D

[RobiLee]

Hi Jami! I'm so glad you decided to join. Absolutely thrilled that you rescued a dog. It's wonderful and something that I hope to do some day. I'm not ready to add a 3rd one just yet though...lol. You are going to be able to get lots of useful dog info here and you are also going to meet some wonderful people here. I'll show you how to add pictures at work if we ever get a real break ;).


Pam, thanks for your comment. I will try to do better and get some pics of my girls on here. I know I don't post but I do check in once in awhile just so I can see all the doggy pics.

Well, I just popped in to say HELLO and WELCOME to JAMI! I also wanted to let you all know that she is expecting a baby boy at the end of August so I need to teach her how to post pics so we can see lots of her baby boy also.

[Catlady711]

Some ear facts....

It's very difficult to get far enough into a dog's ear to reach the eardrum. If you look in THIS (http://www.dvmpharmaceuticals.com/images/Health/erectear.jpg) diagram of a dog's ear, the part you are actually cleaning only reaches to about where the number 2 is on the chart. The eardrum itself is around a corner (number 6) and if a vet needs to really get a good look in there or to do a deep cleaning the dog must be sedated. General cleaning with a plastic shank Q-tip will not damage the ear unless you are trying really hard to do so.

Keeping a dogs ears clean and dry are an important part of preventing ear infections. Everything drains down in a dogs ear, so any water (from swimming or bathing) goes in the ear but doesn't drain out very well. Also dogs with long, heavy or furry ears have more problems due to lack of air circulation (ie. basset, cocker). Always keep ears dry.

Alcohol can be very irritating to a dogs tender ears, and can cause inflamation to the point that medications must be prescribed before the inflamation goes down enough the vet can even look in with an otoscope to see the eardrum.

If your dog has an ear problem, see your vet first. I've seen COUNTLESS cases where owners have tried to self treat with the wrong medications and actually caused more problems or worsening infections. Many OTC ear medications are filled with irritating alcohol and may do more harm than good. Also most OTC ear meds do not contain antibiotics or anti inflamatory meds which are by prescription only.

Continued head shaking/ear scratching can lead to a hemotoma, a broken blood vessel in the ear flap. It's a very, very painful condition that may require a fairly major surgery to repair and is a bloody mess to deal with. If your dog is shaking his head or scratching his ears more than normal, ALWAYS check with your vet first. If there is debris in the ears, leave it for the vet to see. If you clean it out before your vet visit, it makes diagnosis difficult because a sample can't be examined.

[beeniesmom]

Some ear facts....

It's very difficult to get far enough into a dog's ear to reach the eardrum. If you look in THIS (http://www.dvmpharmaceuticals.com/images/Health/erectear.jpg) diagram of a dog's ear, the part you are actually cleaning only reaches to about where the number 2 is on the chart. The eardrum itself is around a corner (number 6) and if a vet needs to really get a good look in there or to do a deep cleaning the dog must be sedated. General cleaning with a plastic shank Q-tip will not damage the ear unless you are trying really hard to do so.

Keeping a dogs ears clean and dry are an important part of preventing ear infections. Everything drains down in a dogs ear, so any water (from swimming or bathing) goes in the ear but doesn't drain out very well. Also dogs with long, heavy or furry ears have more problems due to lack of air circulation (ie. basset, cocker). Always keep ears dry.

Alcohol can be very irritating to a dogs tender ears, and can cause inflamation to the point that medications must be prescribed before the inflamation goes down enough the vet can even look in with an otoscope to see the eardrum.

If your dog has an ear problem, see your vet first. I've seen COUNTLESS cases where owners have tried to self treat with the wrong medications and actually caused more problems or worsening infections. Many OTC ear medications are filled with irritating alcohol and may do more harm than good. Also most OTC ear meds do not contain antibiotics or anti inflamatory meds which are by prescription only.

Continued head shaking/ear scratching can lead to a hemotoma, a broken blood vessel in the ear flap. It's a very, very painful condition that may require a fairly major surgery to repair and is a bloody mess to deal with. If your dog is shaking his head or scratching his ears more than normal, ALWAYS check with your vet first. If there is debris in the ears, leave it for the vet to see. If you clean it out before your vet visit, it makes diagnosis difficult because a sample can't be examined.


You are well informed cat lady! I was going to post almost the same thing but saw yours.