How to Safely Maintain Your Dog’s Ear Hygiene

As a responsible dog owner, checking your dog’s ear hygiene on a regular basis should be your duty as a part of everyday grooming. However, cleaning your dog’s ear at home naturally can be challenging if your pooch is not supportive or you are not comfortable with cleaning your dog’s ear.

Some dogs have their ears clean and healthy naturally, while others require ear cleaning regularly to avoid the build-up of dirt that leads to ear infections.

Moreover, dog breeds like Cocker Spaniels and Basset Hounds are highly susceptible to developing ear infections; however, all breeds of dogs can establish them.

This blog is highly informative to tell how to maintain your dog’s ear hygiene at home and how often you should clean your dog’s ear. Moreover, you will also get to know whether homemade or commercial dog ear cleaners are best. Just stay in touch and enjoy reading.

Why is it necessary to clean your dog’s ear?

There is a possibility that cleaning your dog’s ear on a daily basis might be an irritating process for both you and your dog; however, it is necessary because of the following reasons:

Remove moisture: Cleaning your dog’s ear will assist in getting rid of excess water or any moisture that might enter the ear canal during swimming or bathing.

Rule out foreign body: Most of the time, some type of organic matter or a weed may get stuck into the ear while your dog is enjoying playing in the park. Examine the ear to pull them out.

Prevent infections: Accumulation of wax and dirt in your dog’s ear serves as food for harmful bacteria that cause infections. Medication may not get into the ear because of excess wax. 

Moreover, keep their bedding neat and clean to avoid any secondary skin infections that often lead to ear infections. 

Provide comfort: Regular ear cleaning not only makes your dog healthy but also makes him feel fresh and comfortable all day.

How to clean dog ears at home naturally?

Are you all set to learn how to clean your dog’s ears at home and how to maintain dog ears hygiene at home? Well, let’s get to it:

Equipment required for dog ears cleaning at home

Ensure the following things before starting ear cleaning of your dog:

1. Homemade ear cleaner (always try to use the best ear cleaners that are dog-specific)
2. Cotton wool pads or damp cotton wool
3. A small towel (must be cleaned)
4. A helping hand (especially if your dog is not supportive)
5. Plenty of treats

7 easy steps to clean your dog’s ears at home

Step 1: To look inside the ear, make sure your dog is comfortable, then lift their ear and hold it between your thumb and forefinger.

Step 2: Make sure the ear does not have any redness, discharge, or a bad odor. There may be a small amount of light-colored wax present. However, it is important to seek veterinary care if there is a lot of wax, redness, pus, or an offensive odor.

Step 3: Using damp cotton wool, wipe around the entrance of the ear to remove dirt and excess wax.

Step 4: Be sure not to insert the tip too far into the ear canal when applying your chosen dog-friendly ear cleaner. Squeeze the cleaner bottle to release it.

Step 5: To easily allow the cleaner to pass into the ear canal, massage the ear’s base gently.

Step 6: Use damp cotton wool to wipe away any extra ear cleaner.

Step 7: Repeat the same procedure for the other ear.

If you ever feel your dog is getting anxious or irritated, stop the cleaning process immediately until he gets calm. Otherwise, take him to the vet to rule out the root cause.

Best dog ear cleaning solutions homemade

Here are some of the best homemade ear cleaner recipes for your dog:

1-Vinegar-based dog ear cleaner

The vinegar solution works by keeping your dog’s ears clean, along with preventing the onset of fungus, yeast, and certain bacterial infections by lowering the pH. So, it is the best homemade ear cleaner for dogs’ yeast infections.

Recipe:

• Vinegar (apple cider or white distilled vinegar) = 1 teaspoon
• Clean water = 1 teaspoon           

2-Hydrogen peroxide solution

Hydrogen peroxide serves as a strong disinfectant that destroys bacterial cell walls. Always make sure to have a low concentration of hydrogen peroxide to avoid any damage to your dog’s ears.

Recipe:

• Hydrogen peroxide (3% sol.) = 1 teaspoon
• Clean water = 1 teaspoon

3-Boric acid and vinegar solution

It also works by killing bacteria and fungi to avoid infections. First, dissolve the boric acid in vinegar thoroughly, then add povidone-iodine and rubbing alcohol.

Recipe:

• Vinegar = 4 tablespoons
• Boric acid = ½ teaspoon
• Rubbing alcohol = 5 drops
• Povidone-iodine (optional) = 5 drops

4-Essential oil ear cleaner

Tea tree oil is best suited to clean your dog’s ear and root out infections.

Recipe:

• Olive oil = 1 tablespoon
• Tea tree oil = 1 drop

5-Witch Hazel solution

In case your dog is prone to ear mites, you should try flushing his ears with witch hazel to kill these mites. Moreover, it has the ability to dry off quickly and provide a soothing effect to your dog.

Conclusion

Maintaining the ear hygiene of your dog is necessary to keep him healthy and active. There are several homemade remedies that can serve as a potential antiseptic solution to combat infections.

However, you can also choose commercially available dog ear cleaning products to ensure more promising results.  

FAQs

What to use to clean dogs’ ears home remedies?

Several homemade dog ear cleaners are out there, but you can use a vinegar solution, boric acid & vinegar solution, hydrogen peroxide solution, and essential oils like tea tree oil to clean your dog ears at home. To get detailed recipes, you can read out the above-mentioned blog.    

How often should I clean my dog’s infected ears?

As a rule of thumb, you must clean your dog’s infected ears once a month. However, for long and floppy ears dogs, it is necessary to clean their ears every week. Moreover, make sure to clean and dry your dog’s ear after each bath and swimming. 

How to clean dog ears with vinegar?

You can simply take a teaspoon of vinegar (either apple cider or white distilled vinegar) and mix a teaspoon of clean water in it. After thoroughly mixing, apply gently to your dog’s ears for the sake of cleaning and avoiding infections.

Does apple cider vinegar get rid of yeast in dogs’ ears?

Yes, apple cider vinegar is best suited to clean the ear of your dog particularly and also helps to combat bacterial and yeast infections by rebalancing the pH and drying out the ear canals.