Dirty ears

[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 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 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.