Today we’ll talk about the hygiene of our pets. At first glance, caring for the oral cavity and ears is not very important. Many owners appeal to the fact that in the wild no one does this, and the animals feel great. But one must take into account the strong immunity of those animals, many generations of natural selection, as well as the fact that a strong inflammatory process will most often lead to the death of the animal.
Thus, it can be said that hygiene procedures are an important point that cannot be ignored. Today we want to talk about how dogs clean their ears. It would seem that this is complicated? However, the owners often rush from one extreme to another. Some completely ignore the need for these procedures, while others, on the contrary, begin to perform them almost daily.
Basic rule for owners
Since it’s not at all difficult for dogs to clean their ears, it is not necessary to consult a veterinarian. It is quite possible to do it yourself. As a rule, this procedure is performed once every few weeks. However, there are subtleties. For short-eared dogs whose auricle is open, this interval is too long. For example, an interval of 5-7 days would be ideal for sharpei. That is, you must pay attention to the features of the breed. Below we describe in detail how dogs clean their ears.
Healthy ears are clean ears.
Often a novice in dog breeding makes the same mistake. Looking into the auricle and seeing a small amount of dark brown discharge in it, he immediately grabs his head and begins to remove them. Well, if you just use a wet swab, it even connects special means for treating otitis media, believing that this is a sign of an inflammatory process. In a healthy dog, sulfur will always form in the auricle. Just about these allocations we now speak. They protect the dog’s auricle. Therefore, speaking about how to clean the ears of dogs, we emphasize once again that there is no need to perform this procedure every day.
Step One: Inspect
It is necessary to assess the condition of the auricle, the absence of redness, liquid secretions of various shades, as well as an unpleasant odor. All these symptoms suggest that elementary hygiene is no longer necessary here and it is necessary to consult a specialist.
Already at first glance it becomes clear that the ear canal in dogs is not straight, as in ours. Therefore, it is very important to know how to clean the dog’s ears so as not to damage the inner ear.
Step Two: Preparation
This procedure is necessary in order to make cleaning the most comfortable, painless and to protect the sink from damage. First you need to moisten your ear with green tea, brewed as for drinking and always chilled to room temperature. This is the mildest product, which also has an acidifying and antibacterial property. In no case should you pour the cleaning agent (this applies to green tea and other solutions) directly into the ears of the dog. This can lead to irritation and inflammation. Now let's go directly to the question of how to clean the dog’s ears.
Go to cleaning
You will need cotton balls, discs and sticks. Lift the drooping part of the ear and lower the moistened ball into the ear behind the tragus and push it up. You may need several of them to completely eliminate all the dirt. Now it's time to arm yourself with a cotton swab.
Push it into the vertical ear opening until it stops, and then push it up. That is, you must wipe the vertical walls of the channel. Depending on how much dirt has accumulated, several balls and sticks may be required.
Be careful
Since you will have to clean the ears of the dog at home yourself, try to master the technique as correctly as possible so as not to cause pain to the animal. First of all, you should remember that you do not need to push the wand very deep so as not to damage the middle ear. The procedure requires light pressure.
Depending on the breed, the process may vary slightly. For example, in Basset Hound, ears are heavy, hanging to the ground. That is, you will first have to wash the entire canvas, and then take up cleaning the sink. It is large enough, and for the owner it will not be difficult to put it in order.
But how to clean the dog’s ears at home, when they are small, like, for example, sharpei? The ear canal is very narrow, so with cotton buds you can only condense the sulfur plug. With chopsticks it will be possible to clean only the shell itself, remove sulfur from the convolutions of the outer shell. If there is a lot of dirt, it is better to rinse it with water, but this should be done with a veterinarian.
Use of hydrogen peroxide
In various sources, you can find many tips on how to clean the ears of a dog with hydrogen peroxide. In fact, it is not entirely clear why this is necessary. If the ear is pink, smooth, not painful, then no special means for cleaning it will be required. Even the same green tea simply serves to soak cotton pads and sticks and soften the skin. If you find slight redness, then you can locally burn it with peroxide, and in other cases it is better to do without such a remedy.
We have not in vain raised this topic. Doctors are often asked if peroxide can be used to clean the ears of a dog. Many in this case refer to the fact that many bacteria live in the ear cavity, and if their growth is not slowed down, this will lead to inflammation. Nothing like this! If the dog is healthy, then veterinarians recommend not to undergo any treatment procedures with it at all. This also applies to the ears. Draw an analogy with young children, all that is required of us is to clean the sink of natural sulfur. If a problem arises (pain, temperature, swelling), then we turn to a specialist.
Chlorhexidine - a universal assistant
This is a natural antiseptic, which, like hydrogen peroxide, is very often used in everyday life. Wounds are cauterized, cuts are treated, and the ears of pets are often disinfected. Moreover, this is done after each cleaning, just for prevention. Ask any veterinarian, and he will tell you that you do not need to do anything like this. Chlorhexidine is not recommended for cleaning the ears of the dog. It can be used in the only case when during cleaning you notice disturbing symptoms (discharge, smell, redness), and you don’t have the opportunity to go to the doctor and get a full consultation. Then drop a few drops into the sink and massage lightly. Remember that this procedure will remove only part of the symptoms, so you need to undergo an examination and proper treatment.
Painful ears
It is very important to know how to clean your dog’s ears if it doesn’t allow you to touch them. Very often, at the u-turn of the ear, redness and sores can be seen. Just wiping with a cotton pad in this case may not be enough. An ideal treatment option would be boric acid. It dries and saturates the ear with acids, and the yeast and bacteria die out in a dry and acidic environment. You can use any anti-inflammatory ointment (zinc is also very suitable for this), in which add 2-3 pinches of boric acid. With this composition, you need to treat the entire ear cavity of the dog.
If the condition becomes worse, the entire ear cavity is red and swollen, the fluid is flowing, there is an unpleasant odor, the animal is moaning or whining, then do not self-medicate, but seek medical help.
A variety of ear care products
To date, there are a lot of ear care products in stores. However, is it possible for dogs to clean their ears with all of these products? Let's get it right. All preparations can be water or oil based. The second ones are better, since they do not irritate the skin. Most of them are safe lotions that do not have a therapeutic effect. Their purpose is to help you cleanse your ear of dirt and not cause irritation. Although petroleum jelly with a drop of tea tree oil can be a great alternative.
But with the antimicrobial substance you need to be very careful. It can be used only for the treatment of inflammatory processes, moreover, in the dosage recommended by the doctor, as well as in a specific pattern.
Another group of drugs is antiallergic drugs. Indeed, food allergies can cause a lot of trouble, but without a doctor you are unlikely to find a reason, so it is better to seek help from a specialist.
Instead of a conclusion
Pets are completely dependent on their owner and trust him infinitely. Therefore, it is extremely irresponsible to experiment with them. The procedure for cleaning the auricle is very simple. No need to complicate it with the use of peroxide and similar means. If your ears are healthy - it's all superfluous, just a simple cotton ball dipped in green tea, and a few sticks. If there are problems, then a specialist should solve them.