I absolutely love rubbing my dog’s ears! Regardless of the shape and size, dog ears are adorable and most dogs melt with ecstasy when they get their ears rubbed. However, ear massages alone will not be enough to keep your dog or puppy’s ears healthy. Basic ear care for dogs is required.
Ears are one of the central breeding areas for yeast infections, mites, fleas, etc. It is your responsibility to take good care of that area to prevent the buildup of microscopic dangers.
You will need to keep your dog’s ears free of moisture and build up of wax. Parasites grow best in that type of environment.
Different Dog Breeds Have Different Ear Cleaning Needs
Not all dog ears are created equal, therefore there are different cleaning regimens for different breeds. Some dogs need their ears cleaned every day, while others only need a touch up every few weeks or so.
A good rule of thumb is knowing that dogs that have larger ear flaps will need some personal ear grooming attended to more often due to lack of circulation.
You may also be faced with a dog that has too much hair growing from the inside of his ears. If so then you may want to trim away the excess hair.
2 Basic Ear Care For Dogs That Will Prevent Most Problems
1. Don’t Allow Water To Enter The Ear
As we spoke of earlier, moisture inside the ear can be very attractive to parasites and fungus. Mixed with ear wax and dirt, this creates a breeding ground of health problems for your dog.
One way to combat this is to avoid water from going into your dog’s ears. When bathing your pet, get him used to having thick balls of cotton placed inside the ears so that no water enters inside.
2. Clean The Outer Flap Regularly
Pay extra attention to cleaning your dog’s outer ear flap. You’ll want to use some sort of dog ear cleaning solution that will help in preventing infections.
You simply use a very soft cloth or a cotton ball, soak it in the solution, and gently rub the flaps clean. However, be careful not to clean too deep inside because the ear is extremely tender and going too far inside can cause pain.
And be sure not to use a Q-tip or any other sharp cleaning object. Otherwise, you can easily damage your dog’s ear canal if you poked too hard. This kind of damage to the ears cannot be repaired.
Ear care for dogs need not be complicated. Keep in mind these two basic things and your dog should be fine most of the time.
