Gun Dog Forum

What does everyone use to clean their dogs ears? I can't find the stuff I was using, so I'm looking for some new stuff....

On the rare occasion I have cleaned them I use a damp paper towel with some soap if I need it. Very seldom have I had to do anything but just wipe them.

Ezzy

I use a product called "Oxyfresh Pet Ear Cleaner" works well and my little guy needs it, about twice a month.

i get a bottle of chlorhexiderm from my vet. and i have r-7 natural cleaner and creme.
both work for me however the chlorhexiderm has a code date which runs out before i ever use it up.

When my boys get in the water, which is fairly often, I use homemade "Swimmer's Ear" in their ears.

I squirt some in their ears and massage the ear well. I then wipe out the excess with a paper towel. If there is visible gook, I get it out with a Q-Tip.

The "Swimmer's Ear" is half white vinegar and half rubbing alcohol. I usually add some glycerin to take the sting out.

Best,

I've thought about using 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water. I'm not so sure about the alcohol though...I wouldn't want that in my ears if they were bugging me... I was using an organic solution of tee tree oil, St. John's Wart and other herbal oils. I've got one here that needs to have the ears cleaned out regularly....and the rest are fine.

I use epi-otic

I use the Swimmer's Ear when we've been in gooky pond water.

I got into using it back in high school when I was water skiing 5 days a week through the summer.

If you put glycerin in it, it doesn't feel any different from water.

Best,

Greg-
Sounds like something I just might try! How much glycerin do you add??

Country-Side Breeders wrote:Greg-
Sounds like something I just might try! How much glycerin do you add??

If you're using 1/4 cup each of the others, add 1-2 tablespoons of glycerin. The more you use, the less it stings, but the greasier the result.

If you don't have isopropyl alcohol, substitute vodka. It's pretty much the same thing .

Best,

Hydrogen peroxide will work also. Will disinfect while it cleans. I use that and campfo-Phenique in the rabbits ears if they are dirty or have ear mites.

Ezzy

Old vet friend of mine always recommended, a simple solution of luke warm water and dawn dish washing liquid, followed by a rinse of luke warm clear water. As they say on TV Dawn really cuts the grease. I found it very effective and readily available, at my house....."pear"

And...all the choices of scents it comes in now, too! Just have to remember to only use a TINY amount of dish soap or a person could be rinsing forever.

Reading all these replies astounds me. I've never had to clean out Justus' ears, and my vet says he's the cleanest dog (coat, ears, etc) that she's had in her office. Just lucky I guess. I'm glad I don't have to worry about it, it sounds like it might be a difficult task!

Edit: *knocks on wood*

I don't think it's a common thing to have ear problems...it's just that sometimes a dog's ears need to be cleaned. None of the other dogs I have EVER needed their ears cleaned...even after hunting or swimming. Just like asthma or allergies in us...some get them and some don't. There sure is a variety of choices to get a dog's ears cleaned, isn't there?

Hydrogen Peroxide is great for cleaning out ear wax. It just isn't as good at cleaning out pond gook.

Also, the alcohol breaks down surface tension and also has a drying effect.

Go to your local pharmacy and look at the ingredients in the "Swimmer's Ear" product they sell for $5 for a couple of ounces....

Best,

I can't imagine how loud that bubbling from the hydrogen peroxide must be in their ears if they can hear so much better than us.

countryside with the dog that you are cleaning the ears all the time is their any color? a dark rust brown and smell? if so you may have a dog with a yeast type infection in the ear and may need antibiotics.
my golden's used to get that all the time. i had to make should all the hair around the opening of the ear was trimed and used the chlorhexiderm to dry out their ears any time they went into the water. also i use cotton balls in their ears to clean it out, put some together to fell the ear, give it a few twist, it gets where you can't see with a q-tip.

thank's for the recipe greg i use that from now on.

llewgor wrote: if so you may have a dog with a yeast type infection in the ear and may need antibiotics.
my golden's used to get that all the time. i had to make should all the hair around the opening of the ear was trimed and used the chlorhexiderm to dry out their ears any time they went into the water. also i use cotton balls in their ears to clean it out, put some together to fell the ear, give it a few twist, it gets where you can't see with a q-tip.

thank's for the recipe greg i use that from now on.

I've been using Tresaderm and it keeps it cleared up, but I've run out of cleaner and was looking to see what everyone else uses. The Tresaderm seems to work pretty well. I had another one a few years back with the same problem...only hers were much worse. If I didn't clean them EVERYDAY, I was back at square one. With this one, I only need to do it once a week. I'm probably going to use Greg's idea as well.