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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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