Ear Cleaning - How Often?

[Guest iLoveLucie]

How often do you clean your Greyhound's ears? I was gung ho with my first Greyhound and did it every other week or so, but since we got our second dog, I'm much more relaxed... maybe I clean ears every 2 months or so... My bad - my boy got an ear infection. Had to get some expensive/greasy medicine from our Vet, but after 2 weeks we cleared it up. So now I want a good plan for going forward.

 

Also, what do you use to clean ears? We used to use hydrogen peroxide based on what we were told by our adoption rep. My vet looked at me like I was crazy when I told her that and tried to sell me an expensive ear cleaner... is that really needed?

[OwnedBySummer]

I clean her ears every week or two. She has one which gets dirtier inside than the other, don't know why. And for therapy dog work, I must have them clean. I use a cosmetic pad and "Nature's Specialties" ear cleaner for dogs.

[Guest Wasserbuffel]

I clean ears about once a month or so. I use some ear cleaning solution I picked up at PetsMart.

[KF_in_Georgia]

The smart-ass answer is "As often as necessary." If your dog is subject to allergies, the ears will need more frequent cleaning. And the frequency will change throughout the year: more cleaning in high pollen times like spring and fall; less in the winter.

 

You don't need the expensive ear cleaner, but get an ordinary ear cleaner at the pet store--something with some eucalyptus oil (soothing) and alcohol (astringent and will evaporate fairly fast) is a good idea.

 

The cotton cosmetic pads are fine. Otherwise, jumbo cotton balls: cleaner on the cotton ball, hold the ball in your hand to warm it up a bit, pop it in your dog's ear, and massage well. Then pull out the cotton ball and wipe out any excess gunk. If there's still a lot of moisture in your dog's ears, wipe with a dry cotton ball.

 

Some people pour ear cleaner into the ear, hold the ear for a bit to let the cleaner penetrate, then step back and let the dog shake out the cleaner and gunk. I'm not fond of that method because it uses/wastes a lot of cleaner and makes a mess; and the cold cleaner hitting the inside of the dog's ears cannot be pleasant.

 

Watch for times when your dog is shaking its head often. That's usually a sign the ears are bothering the dog; if you don't see gunk indicating that a cleaning is needed, try wiping out the ear with a dry cotton ball. The feeling of excess moisture in the ears (usually a reaction to airborne allergens) may be causing the head shaking.

[XTRAWLD]

Kasey has had beautiful ears since the day we got him, we are very fortunate. At most I only ever have to get out the "yellow" waxy kind. I'd say I used to clean his every 4 weeks or so, but find I clean it more regularly since Ryder has to have his done more often.

 

Ryder has one good ear and one really nasty ear. It wasn't cleaned properly the first time, and the vet couldn't seem to flush completely clean the second time either. Gave me a bottle to use to break up the nasty coffee grinds. By the third checkup he was satisfied enough that it would just go away with time - sheesh thanks doc! I clean his ears once every 2 weeks.

 

The prompt to clean them for me is excessive head shaking. Ryder's ears FLOP and it sounds so violent I know he's bothered by something trying to leave the ear canal. I pull up more gross black stuff from him all the time, it's disgusting! They also love to hang around us at the table when we are eating, staring at our food and it's the perfect opportunity to lean over and inspect the ears, because they are at full attention and I can look in.

 

I go against the "use a pad" method, because if I had to use that and just my finger I would not get anywhere, and I'd prolly push stuff around and make it worse - contrary to people saying that's what can be done with a Q-Tip. Yes, I use Q-Tips (I can just see the flaming coming out of the woodwork ) and I actually just clean the visible areas and slightly inside the canal, I'd say less than a cm down the hole. It seems that all the black stuff accumulates in the space you just can't get with a pad, and I have NEVER had an issue cleaning ears carefully with a Q-Tip. I don't use any solvents, just the Q-Tip to fish out the nasties. I treat Ryder when I remember with that ear solution but I truly think that stuff is just a crock and money grab - and it has a super short shelf life as well!

[KF_in_Georgia]

I go against the "use a pad" method, because if I had to use that and just my finger I would not get anywhere, and I'd prolly push stuff around and make it worse - contrary to people saying that's what can be done with a Q-Tip. Yes, I use Q-Tips (I can just see the flaming coming out of the woodwork ) and I actually just clean the visible areas and slightly inside the canal, I'd say less than a cm down the hole. It seems that all the black stuff accumulates in the space you just can't get with a pad, and I have NEVER had an issue cleaning ears carefully with a Q-Tip. I don't use any solvents, just the Q-Tip to fish out the nasties. I treat Ryder when I remember with that ear solution but I truly think that stuff is just a crock and money grab - and it has a super short shelf life as well!

 

I think the general caution for Q-Tips is to be sure you're reaching straight down in his ear rather than "in". That way, if he moves suddenly, he's not in danger of getting the Q-Tip pushed where it shouldn't go.

 

I'm a dog groomer, and the ear cleaner often is essential, especially for breaking down waxy or greasy build-up. But often the vet-recommended cleaner is the same stuff that's available on the shelf--for about a third the price.

[Guest sheila]

I've never cleaned any of my dogs ears. I just looked in both my hounds ears and I don't see anything in any of them that need cleaning.

[inugrey]

I have a package of baby wipes that I use as necessary. Zoe needed it done every two weeks when we first got her but we're down to monthly now. Inu and Salem get wiped down maybe every two months? I just look and wipe i I see anything.

[tbhounds]

You clean as often as you need to-- no peroxide!

[JJNg]

My philosophy is that ears don't need to be cleaned unless there's a problem, especially if by 'cleaning' you're referring to actually putting some sort of cleaning solution down into the ear canal. If your dog develops an ear infection, it's unlikely to be due to lack of cleaning. It's usually an underlying allergy, occasionally swimming, that leads to ear infections. Regularly getting the ear canal wet with a cleaning solution in a dog that didn't have issues to begin with may actually predispose to problems. Gently cleaning out normal wax from the visible folds inside the ears with a moistened q-tip is ok.

[Guest mirinaaronsmom]

I've noticed that my floppy-eared hounds' ears get dirtier than Miri's. She has the huge bat ears. I don't know if that's why hers never seem to need it as often or if she just has cleaner ears. I use baby wipes, unless it's summer. Then I squirt some of the ear cleaner down there and let them shake it out (outside). I think I do it monthly, more likely when I think of it and have a few extra minutes.

[Hubcitypam]

I have honestly never cleaned ears on a dog unless there was a problem.

[Batmom]

My philosophy is that ears don't need to be cleaned unless there's a problem, especially if by 'cleaning' you're referring to actually putting some sort of cleaning solution down into the ear canal. If your dog develops an ear infection, it's unlikely to be due to lack of cleaning. It's usually an underlying allergy, occasionally swimming, that leads to ear infections. Regularly getting the ear canal wet with a cleaning solution in a dog that didn't have issues to begin with may actually predispose to problems. Gently cleaning out normal wax from the visible folds inside the ears with a moistened q-tip is ok.

 

Ditto all!

 

The only time I've used cleaning solution is if the dog has some crud down a aways and is head-shaking, scratching, etc. Then I'll squirt in a little prewarmed "gentle" solution to help loosen that and bring it up to where I can get it with a cotton ball. I think I've done that 2-3 times in a couple of decades.

 

If those visible folds get cruddy, I'll clean them as jjng describes, usually no more than 3-4 times a year. No reason to obsess about it.

[Guest iLoveLucie]

I've noticed that my floppy-eared hounds' ears get dirtier than Miri's. She has the huge bat ears. .

 

Too funny! My floppy-eared girl has great ears! It's my bunny-eared boy who got the infection I thought because his ears were always "up and open" that is what caused more stuff to get in there and cause the issue... Sounds like it just depends on the dog - some have good ears and some have dirty ears!

Edited December 15, 2011 by iLoveLucie

[GeorgeofNE]

I've had George for four years and I've never cleaned his ears. I don't think it's a routine thing you need to do if your dog has healthy ears. He has no odor, no discharge, nothing.

[LaFlaca]

Wendy's ears get cleaned every two weeks or so. I truly believe that she pounds dirt from the yard into her ears. You can grow potatoes in there.

[krissy]

I've never cleaned Summit's ears. I check them regularly but they're never dirty so I just let them be. No point fixing something that ain't broke. I do see lots of patients with some very dirty ears though, so it's important to stay on top of it.

[Guest KennelMom]

If they need it...most of the dogs, that's never.

[Guest FrankieWylie]

When we first got Magic his ears were quite dirty. I baby wiped them

 

Now, I clean them with a baby wipe every time we give them a bath, which in our house is about once a month or so....sometimes more often.

[Hubcitypam]

Now, I clean them with a baby wipe every time we give them a bath, which in our house is about once a month or so....sometimes more often.

That is interesting. When I worked at the daycare the groomer strongly discouraged bathing any dog without medical problems more than once a month.

 

My greys have pretty much been bathed with a hose in the yard twice a year in late spring and early fall and ears cleaned as needed (almost never). I have spent several thousand sending Poodle for a shave down every 6 weeks (8 if I was really poor) for the last 10+ years.

[Guest june]

Interesting topic. I have two who I almost never clean their ears just when I happen to think about it. My third however is the laziest but has the dirtiest ears. I took her to the vet when I cleaned her ears for the first time because I got so much gunk I was afraid she had an infection. Turns out she just has dirty ears :lol I try to remember to check her ears about once monthly. The others not so much.

[Guest FrankieWylie]

Pam, my husband has allergies. So ours get bathed more often just to keep everything down. They get oatmeal baths, just water and crumbled up oatmeal. This has also helped with their dry/itchy skin. Since their first oatmeal bath a few weeks ago the itching was down tremendously. I haven't notice it at all since their bath this weekend. That could also be due to the change in their diet as well lol ! We are switching to more raw and less kibble.

Greys do not need to be bathed that often for their health . It's just what we do over here for the health of our people