do you clean your dogs ears??

how often should a dogs ear be cleaned? How do you know if they are dirty? My dogs ears (tikeya) is verys hairy inside and I cant see the skin :o.

What do you use to clean a dogs ears? cutip??? :confused:

thanks

Tikeya and jynnelle*

I clean Nebo's whenever I take him to work.....which is at least once a month. How often they should be cleaned kind of depends on the dog. If the dog is prone to ear infections, or has heavy ears that hang down (like cockers, hounds, etc.) they should be cleaned more often. You can look at the ear and see if it's dirty usually...there will be a buildup of brownish earwax and sometimes an odor.

When I clean the ears I use an Ear Cleaner (available at pet stores)....just pour a bit on a cotton ball and swab it in ear. If the ear is very dirty sometimes you have to use 2-3 cotton balls.

Star's ears I check weekly and clean as needed, usually once a month. Wilbur's, I'm noticing, need to be cleaned bi-weekly or so.

Some links on the topic:

http://webcenter.petplace.aol.com/ar...asp?artID=3215

"Do Not use Q-tips or any other objects in the ear canal. This can push the dirt further into the ear canal leading to more serious problems for your dog. It is safest to only clean the part of the ear that you can visually see."
http://www.indulgeyourpet.com/cleaningears.shtml

http://www.cybercanine.com/earcare.htm

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/sniffbut...rcleaning.html

I asked my vet (years & years ago) the same questions about ear care. She told me to only clean what I can see (all the bumpy stuff) with a Q-tip & showed me how. She put in a Q-tip & dragged the wax UP out of the ear, she said not to go downwards. & because Max is highly pron to ear infections (as we learned) We have a huge bottle of special ear ceaner/drying stuff. Everytime I clean Max's ears I have to pour some of the stuff into his ears. When ever Max sees the bottle he'll cry abit, but he knows it has to be done.

I lay him down, clean with a Q-tip, roll him over clean the other one with a Q-tip & the I tell him not to move & pour the stuff in one ear & rub the outside of his ear & roll him over again & pour the stuff in that ear & rub it... Then I tell him to stay & not to move until I can run away from him.

He'll shake his head & the extra cleaner will flyout & go everywhere & getting that stuff in ur mouth is the worst taste ever!! & the thought of where it just was doesn't help.

Urg..I should be an expert on cleaning ears by now. Josie seems to be pron to ear infections and gets them a lot. I just look to see if her ears are red (doesn't have to be right in the ear, even the outter part) Now Zeke seems like he might be pron as well -sigh- He had a REALLY bad infection a while ago..I didn't even know till he started shaking his head a lot and yulped if you touched it..he has a lot of fur too in his ears...

slleipnir go to ur vet & ask for some ear cleaner/drier stuff, it should be in a white plastic bottle with blue on it. If the ears seem a tad red put some in, if the dogs get wet, put some in, when u clean their ears put some in. Max had to have an operation cause of an ear infection & we were told to give him lots of the stuff. & Max hasn't had problems since & when little ones start up, we give him some once a day untill the red is gone & poof he's ok.

thanks guys, I will get a cotton ball fluff and get it a lil damp and I will swipe in Tikeyas ears like wolf_Q suggested, I dont have any ear cleaner stuff though, and my parents are camping and I cant drive lol "failed my test", but thanks for the advise everyone :)

I'd suggest getting an actual cleaner. Qtips shouldn't be used because they push dirt and wax buildup farther into the ear canal, making it more likely that a dog will get an infection.
I really need to get some more cleaner...

Quote:

---

Originally posted by wolfsoul
I'd suggest getting an actual cleaner. Qtips shouldn't be used because they push dirt and wax buildup farther into the ear canal, making it more likely that a dog will get an infection.
I really need to get some more cleaner...

---

I dont really want to walk all the way to the nearest pet store to get cleaner, since I have 0$ because I spent it on food for me for the two weeks that I am home alone. My mom didnt leave me any food :rolleyes:. so now I have no moola and no transportation. and ya it sux.

I am not going to use a cutip, I am going to use a cotton ball :).

Maybe...if the person who has you for the petswap will see this thread and buy you some ear cleaner...Lol

I use a bit of ear cleaner on a cotton ball. I clean at our big weekly grooming session.

big weekly cleaning session. nver jerd of it hahahaha

I just brush Tikeya once a month, and I just brushed her teeth the other day.

LOL! i wish I could just do once a month. But weekly isn't too bad. I have to make sure I brush everyday to keep it tidy until our big weekly grooming. If I miss a couple days, his hair is a mess (kind of like mine when I wake up).

Quote:

---

Originally posted by tikeyas_mom
thanks guys, I will get a cotton ball fluff and get it a lil damp and I will swipe in Tikeyas ears like wolf_Q suggested, I dont have any ear cleaner stuff though, and my parents are camping and I cant drive lol "failed my test", but thanks for the advise everyone :)

---

Your parents went camping without you?!? :eek::eek::eek:

popcornbird my parents always do stuff without me, Because I dont feel like leaving my rats with a friend, I cant go anywhere fun. :(:(. They went on a 2 week camping trip 6 hours away, without me :(:(.

*sigh*

and binka I can understand why you have to brush Kai everyday I mean he is a sheltie right? lol he must get stangles ;). Tikeya doesnt get tangles since she has a short coat.

That's sad. :( Why don't you want to leave the rats with a friend? Why not leave them with Jordan? ;) She would take excellent care of them. :p My parents would NEVER go camping without me or anyone else in the family. When we camp, the whole family goes, otherwise no one goes. :)

Quote:

---

Originally posted by popcornbird
That's sad. :( Why don't you want to leave the rats with a friend? Why not leave them with Jordan? ;) She would take excellent care of them. :p My parents would NEVER go camping without me or anyone else in the family. When we camp, the whole family goes, otherwise no one goes. :)

---

well your lucky :(:(.

I also have Cheeko, Spring, Spur, Sage, and a bunch of fish that need to be fed everyday and givin fresh water. So ya I dont think ordans mother would like coming down everyday (half an hour trip) to feed my pets ... it wouldent be fair to her. And it would be alot of money in gas. :(:(.

I wouldn't use just water on the cotton ball....I think I've heard that you can use rubbing alcohol, but I'm not positive on that.

I check Mickey's ears for a smell and I look inside regularly. Like if I'm holding him up, I sneak a smell of his ear. Lol. It doesn't stink and the vet said we shouldn't have to worry about doing his ears. We have cleaned them once though, with a face cloth or something. I forget. :p

Quote:

---

LOL! i wish I could just do once a month. But weekly isn't too bad. I have to make sure I brush everyday to keep it tidy until our big weekly grooming. If I miss a couple days, his hair is a mess (kind of like mine when I wake up).

---

Oh God, you guys should see Mickey's fur when he wakes up. He's starting to get the hair behind his ears and when he gets up, it's all sticking out, it's too funny. :D

normally i will but cami hates me cleaning her ears that i just leave it for the groomers.. then her ears smell nice and cinnomony sp.. But she is now scratching the inside of her ear alot and grunting and crying when she does it.. :( poor cam.. but are corgi's or eskimo's really likely to get ear infections? i think that it would be corgis most cause they have there ears up.. And dirt goes in and stuff? i dont know.. lol

wolfq writes:

Quote:

---

I wouldn't use just water on the cotton ball....I think I've heard that you can use rubbing alcohol, but I'm not positive on that.

---

I have prescription ear drops for down inside Maddie's ears, then
my vet told me to use hydrogen peroxide on a cotton ball to
clean up any excess gunk. Definitely agree with you about not
using water.

camcam writes:

Quote:

---

i think that it would be corgis most cause they have there ears up.. And dirt goes in and stuff? i dont know.

---

Ear infections seem to be predominately caused by moisture
getting trapped in the ear, so the dogs that seem more prone to
ear infections are ones with either flopped over ears or with
a lot of hair inside their ears.

I have to deal with ear infections with Maddie, brought on by
allergies, otherwise with her prick ears, she should be more
like Murph and Oz and not be prone towards ear infections.

Par...

I wouldn't use alcohol in the ear...If there is an infection, it will sting like crazy. Hydrogen peroxide doesn't sting, but you can see it fiz when it's on bacteria.

thanks so much I will use peroxide on a cotton ball, I dont remeber the last time I clean her ears :o:o:o:o. so It is going to be a nasty experience. I am going to keep up with her ear cleaning from now on ;). Today is Tikeya big grooming day :p. she gets a bath and ear and teeth brushed because she needs it ;).

okay this has nothing to do with a dog but when i was at my grandmas i had a q-tip in my ear and my brother went to hug me so i leaned down and his shoulder accidently pushed it in my ear! well it ruptured my ear drum and my grandma said to pour proccide down it and it stung soooooooooo bad i was screaming.. :rolleyes: ok off subject..

om g ouch!!!!

I lied I didnt give Tikeya a bath, I gave her more or less a rinse down with water in the tub :p. She is so hyper now !!!! :D:D she is runing around the house like a maniack

If you dont clen your dogs ears it will get mites or even infected.
^ ^
< . . >
___

Quote:

---

Originally posted by wolfsoul
I wouldn't use alcohol in the ear...If there is an infection, it will sting like crazy. Hydrogen peroxide doesn't sting, but you can see it fiz when it's on bacteria.

---

Who says hydrogen peroxide doesn't sting? It would if the ear is sore at all...same as alcohol....ear cleaner stings too!

I need to clean Abbey's at least once a week--they're long, and if she is out a lot, the moisture gets trapped in there and could lead to infection--she had an ear infection when we first got her, and it was not fun giving her the drops to help it heal.
I have ear cleaner I got at the pet store, and I use a cotton ball. They also make ear wipes, which you can just use to clean the ear, no worry about peroxide, water, or alcohol--the pad is already damp.

When we first got Guinness, there was quite a buildup of wax in his ears. (Probably cause his moron ex owners who abandoned him never thought to clean his ears). The vet gave us a bottle of blue stuff, it's called Chlorhexiderm Ear Flush.

We had to fill up his ear until it was almost full, then massage the sides of his ear together (the base of the ear) to loosen up the wax, then use cotton balls to get the junk out. Unfortunately he now associates our bathroom with ear cleanings, so he won't go in there. We had to do this once a day for 7 days, then we only have to do it once a week or so.

Bailey's ears actually do pretty good, she only has to have them cleaned once a month. Good luck with Tikeya's ears!

lovemyshiba--I heard about those ear wipes but I couldn't find any at PetSmart. What is the name of them/who makes them? Thanks!

We use baby wipes to clean up the parts of the ear we can reach. Other than that, I let the vet do it. Murphy is very prone to ear infections, unfortunately, so we have to watch hers very closely. We have a solution that we got from the vet (of course, I don't know the name, only that it is blue and has a high alcohol content so it dries the ear out). He told us to use it after a bath or swim to help get the water out of their ears. We have been very lucky with Honey and Lilly, thank goodness!!! :)

dont need to, great diet, absolutly zero ear wax, ever. :D