# Dog ear cleaning



## SwimDog (Sep 28, 2014)

The title caught my attention!

Do your dogs have ear problems?

My experience has been that most groomers don't actually clean inside the ear if it appears healthy, so I don't think you would actually be losing out on that service.


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## Melfice (Aug 4, 2012)

Nope, my dogs have healthy ears and no problems so far. They are my golden is going to be 3 next month, and my Brittany is 2.5 years old. I hope their ears cont to stay healthy for a long time.

Thanks for the information, and I have one more dog a Pomeranian who is 1 years old. His ears are great too. I have read and know people who have a lot of problems with their dog's ears. I'm happy that I don't at the moment


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## SwimDog (Sep 28, 2014)

Most ear problems require vet diagnosis and then a product to treat the problem (yeast/bacteria vs mites). There are some types of preventive solutions for dogs who are at risk - check with your vet for recommendations. I worked for many years at 4+ groom shops and we did not clean out healthy ears. Unhealthy ears got cleaned - but then owners were told to take the dogs to the vet as the cleaning was only very temporary - without the underlying conditioned addressed they would be gross again very quickly.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Melfice, I changed the title to Dog Ear Cleaning for you.

Just an FYI to all, you have 24 hours from the time you make a post to go in and edit it, including changing the title. Select Edit, then Go Advanced, and make any changes.

After the 24 hours, you can't make any changes. If you need a title changed after the 24 hours, or you need a thread moved, contact any of us Mods, that's the only changes Mods can make. 


As to ear wash, I use Virbac Epi Otic Advanced Cleaner- my Vet recommended it. I really like it, it has a dry agent in it. 

Virbac USA | EPI-OTIC® Ear Cleanser

You can get it through your Vet, Amazon, Petco, I think PetsMart also.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Duplicate posted-deleted


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## Melfice (Aug 4, 2012)

Thanks for the tips and information, SwimDog 

I'm going to ask my vet for recommendations next week


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## Melfice (Aug 4, 2012)

CAROLINA MOM said:


> Melfice, I changed the title to Dog Ear Cleaning for you.
> 
> Just an FYI to all, you have 24 hours from the time you make a post to go in and edit it, including changing the title. Select Edit, then Go Advanced, and make any changes.
> 
> ...


Oh thanks haha I did not go to the Advanced area. So I did not see how you could edit the title. And thanks for the link too


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## Christen113 (Dec 3, 2014)

I use this too: Virbac USA | EPI-OTIC® Ear Cleanser. If there's any kind of funky smell, I like Zymox which you can also get OTC at Amazon. After a bath if their ears get wet, sometimes I just use a little rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide to help dry them out and it's always seemed to work just fine.


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## Melfice (Aug 4, 2012)

Thanks Christen113 for the information!


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## Test-ok (Jan 15, 2015)

I've hear that no grain dog food also help as far as ear problems go. I have a lab that had terrible ear problems, we switched to grain free food and it really made a huge difference.


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## Melfice (Aug 4, 2012)

Rusty grew up on Fromm Large Breed Puppy food, and it has grains in it. But since then, all my dogs are on grain free diets and so far everything is working out great.

I think you are right that grain free food makes a huge difference.


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## SunnynSey (Jan 17, 2015)

The best tip for ears I ever got from my vet was to use hypoallergenic baby wipes. I was a bit skeptical as my crew loves to get dirty and before long you could potatoes in their ears, but it really does the trick. I use the Huggies fragrance free hypoallergenic baby wipes for weekly maintenance at it works great. For the crevices around the outer part (NOT the ear canal) of the ear I like to dip a long q-tip in EpiOtic solution and clean those impossible to reach spots.


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## siulongluiy (Apr 25, 2012)

SunnynSey said:


> The best tip for ears I ever got from my vet was to use hypoallergenic baby wipes. I was a bit skeptical as my crew loves to get dirty and before long you could potatoes in their ears, but it really does the trick. I use the Huggies fragrance free hypoallergenic baby wipes for weekly maintenance at it works great. For the crevices around the outer part (NOT the ear canal) of the ear I like to dip a long q-tip in EpiOtic solution and clean those impossible to reach spots.


I also use Fragrance-free Hypoallergenic baby wipes for Oatmeal. I'm lucky as his ears have been clean all his life so far! He will be 4 in a month!!!

Just a quick wipe periodically, usually 1.5-2 weeks will do the trick!


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## Susan: w/ Summit we climb (Jun 12, 2014)

*Grain-free helps ear problems?*



Test-ok said:


> I've hear that no grain dog food also help as far as ear problems go. I have a lab that had terrible ear problems, we switched to grain free food and it really made a huge difference.


Any ideas or guesses about why grain-free food helps with ear problems?


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## Melfice (Aug 4, 2012)

Thanks a lot for all the good tips and information everyone!

As for the grain-free, I think it's because grain can cause a lot of trouble for dogs with allergies. Grains can trigger them, causing ear issues I'm thinking


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## ScottyUSN (Jul 18, 2011)

Another Epi-Otic fan.. A little preventative maintenance is always better than a trip to the vet. Any sign of scratching, smelly, or even after a pond or lake swim.

Squirt a little in the ears and give them a nice ear massage. You can either just let them shake the fluid off on there own (being outside for this is good), or use a cotton ball (NEVER USE A Q-TIP DOWN THE EAR CANAL) to see if you have any residue. 

Dark brown or reddish/brown can be a sign of infection, get into the vet.


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## Melfice (Aug 4, 2012)

ScottyUSN said:


> Another Epi-Otic fan.. A little preventative maintenance is always better than a trip to the vet. Any sign of scratching, smelly, or even after a pond or lake swim.
> 
> Squirt a little in the ears and give them a nice ear massage. You can either just let them shake the fluid off on there own (being outside for this is good), or use a cotton ball (NEVER USE A Q-TIP DOWN THE EAR CANAL) to see if you have any residue.
> 
> Dark brown or reddish/brown can be a sign of infection, get into the vet.


Thanks for your reply and info


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## LUCKYme (Mar 29, 2015)

Yes go to the vet and they will recommend something for your pup! Its really important not to over clean the ear. 

As someone mentioned previously about grain-free diets and ear problems. It is incredibly uncommon for dogs to have food allergies associated with grains ( in a study I read it was about 2% of dogs with food allergies). Unlike cats, the ancestors of dogs when killing and eatting prey (rabbits and other grazing mammals) they would not only eat the meat but they would consume the stomach and all that was in it (which was grasses and grains). With that being said, most allergies are associated with the protein source which will cause ear problems, and sometimes dermatitis in the lip fold and on paws.


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## priya16 (May 16, 2015)

Dog ears are extremely sensitive and dog ear care is a very important step of dog grooming. If you leave them without caring for them, the ears can breed infections and painful problems for your dog. All the wax should be cleaned off regularly so that your dog’s ears are clean and don’t invite any infections.
If you want to clean your dog ear you can use Epiotic Ear Cleaner For Dog - 100 ml. 
How to use this:

1-Turn the white nozzle to open

2-Apply liberally into the ear canal

3-Gently rub the base of the ear and then wipe the interior of the ear with a cotton or cloth moistened with EPITOIC Ear Cleanser

4-Use 2-3 times a week for regular cleansing

5-In the case of otitis externa, it may be used before each application of any other therapy

Please note: Do not use any product without vet consultation.


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