Keep your dog’s ears clean and healthy with our step-by-step guide.
You will need:
- Cotton wool or cotton wool pads.
- Bowl of warm water.
- Pet-friendly ear cleaner. Lift
Check the ears
Lift your dog’s ear flap to take a closer look inside his ear. Inspect the ear, particularly the part which leads inside to the ear canal, for any dirt or wax. If there are any signs of redness or infection, including strange smells, take your dog to the vet’s.
As long as the dirt or wax is not excessive, you can clean your dog’s ears using a pet-friendly ear cleaner.
But only use a cleaning solution if your dog’s ears are dirty; if they are clean, simply keep checking them on a regular basis, and give the ear flaps a quick clean with water (skip straight to step five for this).
A dog’s ears should only need cleaning a few times each year. If you find you are cleaning them more than every two months, take him to the vet.
Insert ear cleaner
Insert the bottle of ear cleaner and gently squeeze the recommended amount of fluid into your dog’s ear.
Massage below the ear
Massage the base of the ear in a circular and upwards motion. This will help to bring any dirt up to the surface. Your dog may want to shake his head as the cleaner can feel unusual or cold. This is fine and will actually help to get dirt out of his ear.
Wipe away dirt
Use the cotton wool or cotton wool pads to wipe away the dirt, working around the entrance to the ear canal. Never insert anything into the ear canal as you risk permanently damaging the ear. Make sure you use a fresh piece of cotton wool for each ear.
Dampen a cotton pad
Moisten a fresh piece of cotton wool.
Wipe the ear flap
Starting from the top of the ear flap, carefully wipe downwards towards the base. Again, use fresh cotton wool for each ear.