Did you clean your dogs ears this month?

I’m sure you bathe, brush, feed, walk, play with your dog on a regular basis – but do you have an ear cleaning routine as well?

Dogs can be at risk for developing infections in the ear canal which can be painful and even create further health issues. But, with routine ear care, dogs can live happier and healthier lives.

Dogs with floppy ears (ears that lay flat on their head) are at a higher risk of ear infections than dogs with straight-up ears. This is because the ear will trap dirt, debris, and moisture against the head with no airflow to reduce the buildup of harmful bacteria.

Dogs which have large amounts of hair growing from the ear, usually long-haired dogs, are also more prone to developing ear issues. This is because the hair can help keep bacteria, dirt, and grime trapped inside the canal of the ear.

Some ways to tell if your dog’s ears may need cleaning or medical attention include:

• Shaking of the head frequently

• Repetitive scratching of the ears

• Redness of the inner ear

• Pus or grime located in the ear (needs medical attention)

• A foul smell which resembles yeast (needs medical attention)

So, how often should you clean your furbabies ears?

• A good rule of thumb is once a month or after every bath (whichever is sooner).

How do you go about cleaning a dogs ears? Here are the steps that I follow.

• Use an All Natural Ear Wash & Ear Dry Product. Using both a “wash” and a “dry” product will help to ensure that no additional moisture is inside of the ear canal when you are done with this process.

• Grab some cotton balls or soft paper towels. I use two Viva paper towels – they are soft – and I can use one sheet per ear. DO NOT USE cotton swabs as they can actually push debris back into the ear canal putting your dog at further risk for infection.

• Depending on your dog & how large they are, you will want them either in between your legs or on your legs. My Golden Doodle, Jovi, (in the video) sits amazingly well for me, but my Beagle, Molly, does not. So she sits on my lap and I am using my legs and arms to keep her still.

Ear Wash:

• Flip the ear over so you can see inside the ear

• Squirt a little bit of the Ear Wash into the ear canal. If your dogs want to shake their head/ears after you do this, let them – that is a natural reaction.

• Flip the ear back over and slowly & softly massage the ear wash solution in the ear.

• Grab the cotton ball or paper towel and gently wipe out the ear wash solution – you will probably see some dirt/ear wax that you are removing from the ear when you do this – that is normal.

Ear Dry:

• Flip the ear over so you can see inside the ear

• Squirt a little bit of the Ear Dry solution nto the ear canal. If your dogs want to shake their head/ears after you do this, let them – that is a natural reaction.

• Flip the ear back over and slowly & softly massage the ear dry solution in the ear.

• Grab the cotton ball or paper towel and gently wipe out the ear dry solution – you will probably see moisture, but will likely not see any additional dirt or ear wax