[Soleil]

What does everyone use for routine ear cleaning? How often do you clean your dog's ears?

 

[Adara]

Nothing, unless there is an issue. Other than cleaning the outer area when I give a bath or it appears dirty, I leave ears alone. I did have a Vizsla with ear issues and I cleaned weekly with Epiotic.

 

[maggiemay]

Reba's ears get pretty dirty because of the beach sand. We clean her ears with diluted vinegar and cotton swab as necessary.

 

[lemon]

I clean Elsa's every two weeks- they are never dirty. I clean Roxy, Buddy, and Jaguar's (those puppy ears get dirty!) every week with Epi-Otic, cotton swabs, and Q-tips for the crevices.

... p.s. I'm also a nail and ear freak...

 

[PatchworkRobot]

I have some doggy ear wipes that I use whenever it crosses my mind (every 2-3 weeks). It's not something I give much thought to.

 

[HerMewMew]

I just look inside, if they are dirty I use a Q-tip or wash cloth to clean out residue...
I don't use washes. Should I be using a wash???

 

[KoaRad]

I have some doggy ear wipes that I use whenever it crosses my mind (every 2-3 weeks). It's not something I give much thought to.

I do this too ... and to be honest I got the wipes from the store because I was lazy and it made the process faster.
Now when I notice that they're getting dirty I just grab a wipe and clean them out quick.

 

[stryker2]

Clean them a couple times a week. They play hard and we have had lots of rain & mud. You can use baby wipes or just a 50/50 mixture of rubbing alcohol and white vinegar on a cotton ball. We don't go all the down into the ear canal

 

[GrdnDelite]

I just swipe inside ears with Vetericyn on a gauze sponge about 2x weekly.

 

[monicaei]

We use diluted rubbing alcohol. Every few weeks. Never with a q-tip. Just a tissue or cotton ball. Don't want to damage the ear drum.

 

[ZeldaRules]

I use Epi-Otic(bought from the vet) every 2 weeks and clean the visible parts of the ears with cotton balls and q-tips. I let Zelda's ears go without a good cleaning for too long and she developed an ear infection, saw all the gunk in there at our last vet visit, he let me take a look. Not pretty, so now I am a nazi about it and keep up with it. I am all for preventative maintenance, especially with how active my dogs are outdoors.

 

[ssgharkness020147]

I've found its more effective to use astringent when the ears are wet. Since going that route they no longer smell, when I have cleaned the ears they have not been dirty at all.

 

[HerMewMew]

Thanks for this thread.... I will be looking into more information about ear cleaning....

 

[Patches Mom]

I use the vinegar & alcohol mixed cotton balls paper towel Buddy has dirty ears all of the time.?

 

[KCFilley]

I used to use a commercial ear cleaner and Q-tip but Joe still seemed to have ear infections. The vet told me to stop using Q-tips and switch to warm water and a no tears baby shampoo in a squirt bottle. I fill the ear with this liquid and massage the ear over the opening. My dogs then sling their heads to get out as much water as possible. Then I rinse with plain water. I believe since using the shampoo and rinsing that Joe has not gotten any more ear infections. I don't know if it's because I do it more often or because I'm not packing the dirt further into the ear with the Q-tips.

 

[the_discowhore]

Don't clean ears, and have never had a problem.

 

[Q734]

Rubbing alcohol, really?

What if they've got a scratch or thin spot somewhere? Ugh @ imagining the burning.

/uses a vet prescribed diluted Chlorhex wash due to past ear dramas, couldn't imagine putting alcohol in sensitive ears since we have a stealth itcher.

 

[LindaH]

Parker has a tendency toward itchy yeasty ears, so I use vinegar/water solution which really helps keep the yeast at bay. I wet a cotton pad, squeeze excess into each ear and massage at the bases of the ears to thoroughly get the solution into the ears. I let Parker shake out the excess, then I use cotton pads to clean out any dirt/discharge left behind. I keep a watch on his ears for dirt or if he starts shaking his head too much. I have noticed feeding the sardines really cuts back on the yeasty ears, too. Just one or two a day makes the difference with him.

 

[dax0402]

I clean Baron's every 2 weeks with a commercial ear cleaner with cotton balls and thick Q-tips to get in the crevices. They usually just have a little amount of grime in them so it only takes 10 minutes.

 

[Hank]

Always use Epiotic. On my last 3 dogs. Love that stuff.
Only clean if I notice they are dirty/smell.
Bronsons ears always stink but whenever I try to clean them they are totally clean. so wierd.