Don't Miss

Don’t ignore your pet’s ears! A how-to on effective care

By Eric Forrest on March 29, 2017

If you only cleaned your ears when you went for a haircut or to the doctor, you can imagine how yucky they might get in the meantime. The same goes for animals, and dogs especially. Between the time your pet’s ears get inspected and cleaned is at the groomer or vet, you can help your animal’s ear health by learning how to effectively care for them.

It’s a little scary, playing with sensitive areas like ears, but have no fear. From a recent article on Petage and other places, we’ll relay some tips to you here.

This seems obvious, but always be on the lookout for things like swelling, irritation, excessive ear scratching, and odors. These are common signs that something is up and you should get to the vet as soon as you notice something like this.
If you’re wondering how to safely and effectively clean an animal’s ears, one way that’s easy and made with natural products can come in the form of an ear wipe. These often plant-based products are kind to the environment and help clean up buildup and remove anything that shouldn’t be hanging out in your pet’s ears.
There are a number of other options, like total ear care kits that you can find at the pet supply store, and this is good news for consumers and pets. We like options and pets may not like every product you try. See what works for you and your animal.
Trends in animal ear care often mirror trends in human health and beauty products. As we want more, better, safer products for ourselves, we also want them for our pets. Companies that create grooming products know this, which is good.
Liquid drops and pre-soaked pads are other options for use. A combination of these products might work best. Follow directions on the label and take any advice on safety they provide. Techniques vary when going in for the wipe or application, but most agree that you should clean what you can see. Going any deeper may cause damage. Once per week is a good routine to get into for cleaning.
For a proven at-home solution, use a mix that’s one part water, one part white vinegar.

To prevent infections and improve ear health in your animals, it’s important not to forget about ears. And teeth, and paws, etc. Your vet and groomers will help you along the way, but it is imperative that you be vigilant about your pet’s health in between visits. For more helpful information, use the search box atop our homepage’s right column. We’ve got hundreds of articles that will help you care for, have fun with, and love your animals.

slider