Dog Ear Care – How To Keep Them Clean and Healthy

If you are giving your dog a weekly check over you can also look carefully at his ears and make sure they stay perky and healthy. A dog's hearing is crucial, and if he develops infections or can't hear properly, you not only deprive him of all the delicious sounds in your house and neighborhood but you prevent him communicating properly with other dogs too. You need also to be able to monitor his hearing to make sure that he isn't developing deafness that might signify infection or illnesses

It's a good idea to get your dog used to have his ears examined regularly, so start this routine care as early as possible.

Firstly, depending on breed and length of ears and ear fur, check the outside flap for cuts, bits caught in the fur, sore places, abscesses and infections. If you have a sleek dog this will be easy, but if he's a King Charles spaniel for example you'll need to tease out the fur carefully to check the whole skin area and find any cuts or blood blisters from scraps with other animals.

Next look inside the ear. Look right down into the ear canal and gently draw it backwards and upwards so as to get a good view towards the eardrum. Is there any redness or inflammation along the sides of the ear canal, or any wetness in there?

Check for any creepy crawlies like tiny white mites or other unsavourables that can occur quite commonly in dogs. If mites are present you may notice a black, crusty exudate which is the telltale sign of mite infestation. They feed on earwax and the resulting debris harbours bacteria and leads to inflammation and infection of the ear canal. To get rid of the mites you will need to treat them weekly for three weeks to catch the mites at all stages of their development. Ask for your vet for antibiotic treatment for any infection.

Wash the ear out gently with warm water in solution with an ear wash that your vet will be able to recommend. Dry the ear as much as possible, then instil a few drops of a prescribed insecticide in some carrier oil. Massage the ear gently so that the oil reaches the inner reaches of the canal. Leave this for a week and then repeat the process: wash and dry the ear and apply the oil, and massage. Repeat one more time, and by now your dog should have a clean ear and won't be shaking his head or trying to scratch it.

Never put Q-tips or anything similar down the ear canal to dig out any exudate - you may well damage the lining of the ears or puncture his eardrum - if washing and cleaning alone don't help, then let your vet deal with it.

Next article: Canine Dentition - How to take care of your dog's teeth