Cleaning Ears

[Ashley]

I've been noticing Quinn being a bit smelly, so I checked her ears and one ear seems fairly gunky/dirty. She typically has very clean ears...does anyone clean their dogs ears? Could it be a mild infection? I've already made several pointless vet visits this year, and with the restrictions due to covid would rather not go again unless needed...

 

[Boogie]

Echo needed his ear cleaning. The vet gave me drops for a week then cleaned his ear out weekly for three weeks. He told me not to touch it at all after the drops.

His ear is fine now.

I think cleaning them yourself may cause more problems - just as we are not supposed to clean our own ears.

 

[Sophiedoodle]

does anyone clean their dogs ears?

I clean dogs ears All.The.Time.
The doodles are prone to ear infections due to hair growing in the ear canal and owners, against our advice. not removing the hair

I would say that if it’s unusual for her then it likely is a little ear infection

 

[Naya]

We are lucky that Harley hasn’t really ever had any issues with her ears (unlike the rest of her ). Lyla (my daughter’s pup) seems to get first years a lot. She wipes them if it’s bad with a cotton pad.

 

[Selina27]

Cassie went through a stage of having smelly ears. I got some stuff called garlic juice which you apply to the outer ear to counteract the odour. It worked well for her.
She hasn't had a problem for a few years now. Thinking about it it could have been before I changed her food.
It reduced the smell, but it does say to see a vet if infection present, the garlic juice is not to treat that.

 

[snowbunny]

My lot have never had a problem with ears (well, Squidge did as a tiny puppy, but nothing ongoing). I think the general advice to leave them be unless there's a problem with their design which means they don't look after themselves is for the best. However, if there's a smell, I'd say it needs sorting. Could you just call your vet and ask if there's anything you can pick up at the pharmacy?

 

[Jelinga]

@Ashley, I have never cleaned Rourke's ears. If Quinn's ear is a bit smelly, give the vet a ring and they might suggest some drops or to go in. When I worked for the vet, I used to love dogs' smelly ears

 

[Jacqui-S]

After Lilly's FIRST and only ear infection a year or so ago our vet gave us ear cleaner and told us to use it EVERY time she got wet including after a walk in the rain......

 

[edzbird]

Coco had a smelly ear once. It required a vet visit for a good cleaning (loads of black gunk) then drops for a week - which he loved, you get a good ear rub. It has never happened again.

 

[Natalie]

I mostly leave ears alone, I accept a little bit of ear smell - maybe like the way our ear wax smells - and a little bit of dirt - but I tend to leave alone apart from a regular check, I think they are generally self cleaning? I once asked my vet about a slight Dorito smell, and she said it was completely fine for monty.

 

[Ashley]

hmm, I'm leaning toward a possible slight infection, likely from swimming in some sort-of-disgusting water on the weekend. I'll call the vet and see what they say.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Anne123]

I clean Finns ears. Not the inner ear, just outside and I must say it helps to keep the inner ear clear too. You can use baby swipes for it. My vet told me this....

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

I used to have to clean Brogan's ears. After trial and error, I found that using a gentle solution from the pet store and cotton make up remover pads worked the best. Squeeze in a bit of the solution, give a nice ear massage then wipe out with the pads. If there's actually an infection you'll need something from the vet (which you're sorting already) but this was good for prevention.

I learned the very hard way that cotton swabs are not the way to go. Poor Brogan.

Carbon seems to be a self-cleaning oven: knock on wood, never a problem so I just leave him alone.

 

[VanillaBean]

We clean Vanilla's every week if it has a build up and have a solution that we put in once at the same time, worst in spring and summer. This is due to her allergies and she is prone to get a deep infections which then cause problems.
Honey we keep an eye on her but don't really need to clean hers to much.

 

[Lab_adore]

We have to clean Maxx's ears as he is prone to ear problems. It is a nightmare as he HATES it. The vet said twice a week but it ends up being more like once every three weeks but this seems to be enough to keep nasties at bay.