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7 Tips to Keep Your Dog’s Ears Clean

7 Tips to Keep Your Dog’s Ears Clean

You love your dog and take pride in their grooming. Clipping the claws, giving your dog a bath, and perhaps trimming the fur are common hygiene practices. But we can sometimes forget the ears, especially when we don’t realize how important they are. Dog ears are super sensitive and if not taken care of can be the perfect spot for infections. Don’t wait until your dog has an ear infection! One of the best ways to prevent ear infections in dogs is through frequent cleaning. There isn’t a specific schedule, but a good rule of thumb is to check regularly and give your dog’s ears a good clean if you see them getting grimy. This can also be a great bonding time with your pet. While it is a preventative measure, ear cleaning should still be done correctly. Here are some tips to help you along the way.
A woman washes dog's ears

Clean your dog's ears on a regular basis to prevent ear infections.

1. Start With a Nice Belly Rub

Rub your dog’s belly and throw in some soothing words - the more relaxed she is, the easier it will be to do a proper ear cleaning. It is imperative to make this process as fun as possible for the pet. Otherwise, in the future, it will be hard to even get your dog to stay still.

2. Check That an Ear Cleaning Is Due

After your pet is comfortable, start by examining the ears. There is no need to do a cleaning if your dog’s ears are not dirty, so look out for small debris of wax and other forms of dirt like dust. If you find these, get your tools setup. You will need:
  •    Clean towel
  •    Cotton balls or gauze
  •    Q-tips
  •    A safe cleaning solution, such as EcoEars
dog-belly-rub

"I love it when the human cleans my ears, mostly because I get treats and a belly rub!" 

3. Use a Cleaning Solution

Place a small amount of the preferred cleaning solution in the ears then proceed to massage the base of the dog’s ears. EcoEars is an excellent solution for ear cleaning and because it uses all-natural ingredients it is completely safe for your pet. Once this is done, your dog might want to shake his head. Let him. This helps to loosen some of the debris in the ears.

4. Opt for Cotton Balls

While your first instinct may be to use cotton swabs, they are actually known to damage the eardrum. We highly recommend that you use cotton balls or gauze for a safe and thorough cleaning both on the inside and outside of your dog’s ear.

5. Start Inside, Work Your Way Outside

When cleaning, always start inside the ear working your way outside, including every time you use a new cotton ball. This guarantees that you aren’t just pushing the dirt around, but getting rid of it. Be careful not to push too far inside the ear to the point where the dog is uncomfortable. The general rule of thumb is only clean as far as you can see, steering clear of the internal organs of the ear which tend to be quite delicate.

6. Don’t Overdo It

It’s easy to get obsessed with dog ear cleaning, especially when you’re trying to prevent an ear infection that could hurt your pet. However, cleaning the ears too many times can upset the natural flora balance making the pet more susceptible to infection. So, it is okay to see some slight wax in there once in awhile. When it does start looking murky, you might want to get in there to do some clean-up.

7. Finish Off With Some Words of Encouragement

Your dog might feel some discomfort while you clean his ears, so it's nice to say some nice and encouraging words. This helps to get her morale back up and with some luck, she might look forward to the next cleaning.
words-of-encouragement-to-your-dog

Make ear cleaning - bonding time! Build trust with words of encouragement and gentle movements.

Even with clean ears, your dog is still susceptible to dog ear infections. Products like EcoEars will not only help you to fight such infections, but also prevent them thanks to the anti-bacterial content of the solution. In general, cleaning regularly does contribute to reducing the likelihood of ear infections in dogs and helps to ensure that medication can penetrate into the ear in case of infections.
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