# Importance of Regular Home Dog Ear Care



## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

1. Importance of Regular Home Dog Ear Care

Routine home dog ear care is very important to the 
health of your dog. Performed between your regular 
checkups with the veterinarian, it will help keep 
your dog's ears healthy and pain free. If you see 
signs of trouble you may be able to head them off 
before they require an extra visit to the vet. 
Excessive wax, foul odor, redness, constant 
scratching, excessive matting of hair in the 
external ear, rubbing the ears against other 
objects, head shaking, and disorientation can all be 
signs of ear problems.

Inspect Your Dog's Ears Regularly By Using Your Eyes 
& Your Nose!

By performing a home dog ear care inspection; you 
will be able to detect problems early. Use both your 
eyes and your nose. If you need help seeing inside 
your dog's ears you may want to invest in a pet 
scope. A tool very similar to the kind your doctor 
uses to check your ears. Check for redness, 
excessive wax build up or any other foreign matter.

Sniffing your dog's ears is another way to detect 
problems early. Normally a dog's ears shouldn't 
smell foul in any way. If you see a dark waxy 
discharge this may be a sign of ear mites. On the 
other hand, if you see a pus-like discharge along 
with a foul smell this may be a sign of a bacterial 
infection. Allergies are also known to cause some 
dogs to have smelly ears. If you're new to this and 
are unsure have the vet check your dog's ears. Right 
after the vet gives your dog a clean bill of health 
make sure you inspect your dog's ears. This way you 
will learn how your pet's ears should normally look 
and smell.

Is Your Breed of Dog More Susceptible To Dog Ear 
Care Problems?

Due to the warm, damp, and dark environment, as well 
as poor air circulation, your dog's ear canal can be 
the prefect breeding ground for mites, yeast or 
bacterial infection. This is why, for certain 
breeds, home dog ear care is even more important. 
Some pets may require routine applications of dog 
ear care products to keep their ears free of mites, 
yeast or bacterial infections.

Some dog's ears stand straight up which allows for 
more air to flow into the ear canal. Dogs with 
floppy ears, like spaniels and bloodhounds, are very 
prone to ear infections because very little air 
flows into their ear canals. There are also breeds, 
like the Lhasa, that have a heavy growth of hair 
inside their ears. This hair must be routinely 
removed as a prevention against chronic ear 
problems.

If Excess Ear Hair Is A Dog Ear Care Problem Learn 
How To Remove It

If you suspect that excess ear hair is a problem, 
you may need to pluck the hair that grows inside 
your dog's ears. This is a routine dog ear care task 
that can be performed at home and is much easier 
then it sounds. You will want to apply dog ear 
powder to the inside of both ears. Make sure that 
the hair is completely covered, especially at the 
base. Once the powder has dried start plucking a few 
hairs at a time with your fingers or a tweezers. 
Plucking just a few hairs at a time will be less 
irritating for the dog.

You may want to stop a few times to give your dog's 
ears a good rub. Make sure you give your dog lots of 
praise and a few dog treats too. Once all the inside 
hair has been removed, follow up by cleaning and 
inspecting the ears. If you are unsure about this 
dog ear care procedure, have your vet or a 
professional groomer show you how to do it.

Things You Should Know About Cleaning Your Dog's 
Ears 

Some vets recommend that owners routinely flush 
their dog's ears with warm water at the slightest 
hint of odor. Other home dog ear care cleaning 
remedies include mineral oil, hydrogen peroxide, or 
a combination of equal parts of vinegar and rubbing 
alcohol. If your dog has open sores it's best not to 
use the vinegar and alcohol because it will cause a 
burning sensation.

If your dog is prone to ear infections you may want 
to use a pet ear care product that is specifically 
formulated to clean and dry up excess moisture in 
the ear canal. A dog ear wash containing Tea Tree 
Oil, which is also formulated to dry the ear canal 
is an excellent choice. Tea Tree Oil's natural 
antiseptic, antibacterial and fungicidal properties 
can help keep your dog's ears problem free.

It's also a good idea to use a pet ear-drying agent 
after bathing or swimming especially if your dog's 
ears retain moisture and don't dry promptly. There 
are many good pet ear care products available for 
routine ear cleaning that will dissolve wax, remove 
foreign debris and dry the ear canal. There are also 
home dog care treatments available that will kill 
pesky ear mites and ear ticks.

A dog's ear canal is L-shaped. It descends 
vertically and it makes a 90-degree horizontal turn 
before it reaches the eardrum. Even though your 
dog's eardrum is better protected than a human's, 
you should still proceed with caution when cleaning 
the ear canal. Many vets urge caution when inserting 
anything into the ear canal, especially 
cotton-tipped swabs. They can actually push dirt and 
foreign matter deeper into the ear if not handled 
properly. You can even lose the cotton tip in the 
ear canal.

Start cleaning the external part of the ear by 
swabbing inside the earflaps and all around the 
gnarled area at the entrance of the ear canal. If 
you choose to use a cotton-tipped swab you will need 
a long type since a dog's ear canal is much deeper 
than ours. If your dog will tolerate it, gently and 
carefully swab the inside of the ear canal. A much 
safer method is to fill the ear canal with a pet ear 
cleaning solution and gently massage the outer ear. 
After a few minutes allow your dog to shake his head 
to help clear the ear canal. If you're using a 
commercial pet ear care product be sure to follow 
the instructions carefully. 

Make Ear Inspections An Important Part Of Your Home 
Dog Ear Care Routine

Checking your dog's ears only takes a few minutes so 
make it a part of your dog grooming routine. And 
when your dog's ears need a cleaning don't put it 
off. Remember regular cleanings can prevent many 
common ear problems. If you think a problem may be 
developing that is beyond the scope of your home dog 
ear care routine, take your dog to the vet for a 
check up immediately. An infection, if left 
untreated, can be very painful for your dog and 
could even damage your dog's hearing.


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## midnightoreocookie (Feb 21, 2011)

Wow! Thank you so much, that is much more complete than our Havanese dog-care book! I will look for a kit as you suggested.
 Danielle and Oreo


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

Thanks! I clean my guys ears daily. Knock on wood, they have never had an ear infection.


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

lfung5 said:


> Thanks! I clean my guys ears daily. Knock on wood, they have never had an ear infection.


 That information was Emailed to me I bought a Havanese book that was downloaded when we first got Maddie and the Author sends all sorts of things. I would rather just have a good book.
I have not practiced what I preached I try to clean out the ears but only after a bath. And I still have not tried pulling hair out I like the idea of drops sounds easier. I try very hard not to get water in the girls ears. And I fold them up after the bath to try to air them out.


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## lulu (Jan 12, 2007)

what to do when your havanese won't let you go even close to his ears! He gets very mean, i need to do something, but i hate to invest $$$ into ear cleaners/vets & so on if I can't even treat his problem.......any advice would be MUCH appreciated!!!


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## nancyf (Nov 6, 2007)

We had a vet appointment today for Bella's ear. It was red and nothing I did helped. I always clean their ears, pull the fuzzy hair out, and use an ear wash after bathing to prevent problems from wet ears.

I thought she might have mites but our vet said that mites aren't a problem in our area of Texas. 

They took a sample from both ears and discovered Bella has a yeast infection in her ears. We have drops for her ears. 

I gave her a bath this evening and put cotton balls in both ears and I dried them with a swab after the bath. I don't mind the extra work if it'll keep Bella healthy and keep another $120 vet bill!


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

I tried the cotton balls and they fall out . Am I just not putting it in far enough?


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

I have tried the cotton balls and they fall out or they get so wet. So, I do not use them anymore. We have not had an ear problem yet. Jack is over a year old and he is JUST letting me play with his ears, so some of the thick tuffs off hair are going to be coming out. 

When washing your Hav make sure the ear flaps are down when water is running over the head, so water does not get in the ears. DO NOT let water in the nose when you hold your Hav's head up while rinsing him.

Treat after grooming (removing tangles, mats, removing ear hair...nail clipping, filing nails, ear cleaning, ...whatever you do that your Hav does not feel comfortable with).


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## sanducando (Dec 9, 2010)

We just got over an ear infection with our hav, and we found it easiest to give her her ear drops/cleaning early in the AM when she just woke up or in the PM right before bed. They tend to be more submissive when they're tired hehe. This is also when I attempt to brush, but she would rather get ear drops than a good brushing. We're still working on that.


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