Avoid dog ear infections by practicing preventive care.
That means regularly examine and clean your dog’s ears. Cleaning your dog’s ears is important for good grooming and overall health. This is especially true for canines with pendulous ears, lots of hair in their ears, allergies or other medical problems that render them susceptible to ear infections.
Keeping the dog’s ears clean is important because a damp environment creates an ideal breeding ground for bacteria and fungus, often leading to painful sensitivity, redness, swelling and infection.
A weekly ear cleaning with an approved cleansing solution minimizes or prevents dog ear infections.
If ear problems are discovered:
Soak a cotton ball thoroughly in the ear wash.
Squeeze out excess and gently clean dirt, wax and other matter from the exterior area of the ear.
Hold the ear flap up so the ear is tilted up; fill the ear with cleanser until it runs out. Do this while holding a towel to catch overflow from head shaking.
Gently massage the base of the dog’s ears so you hear a squishing sound. If your dog attempts to move around the ear may be infected or you may be massaging too vigorously to free the discharge, so be very gentle.
Aggressive pressure is not required when cleaning your dog’s ears. Use cotton balls or soft cotton cloths around the entrance to the ear canal.
Be careful not to rub too hard as you can do more harm than good by rubbing the ears raw, leaving a nesting ground for bacteria and ultimately infection.
If you suspect your dog has an infection then take it to your vet for a check up.