In order to maintain a dog’s overall well-being, it holds great significance for the owner to adequately attend to their physical health. While tasks such as nail trimming and brushing hold their own importance, giving due attention to ear cleanliness is equally pivotal. So, let’s embark on this journey together.
This instance revolves around shedding light on the indispensable nature of cleansing a canine companion’s ears, and also delves into techniques for achieving this at the comfort of your home. Whether you’re an individual who hasn’t ventured into the realm of ear cleaning or an owner who encounters challenges in this domain, I urge you to delve into the insights presented here.
Dog Ear Cleaning Needs
When humans accumulate earwax, they use cotton swabs or ear picks to clean their ears, right? If you leave it as it is, the earwax builds up and becomes uncomfortable, and above all, if it accumulates, it can make it difficult to hear. Therefore, dogs also need ear cleaning. Especially since a dog’s earwax is often wetter than that of humans, regular care is essential to maintain cleanliness.
It Is One of the Important Care To Keep Your Ears Healthy and Prevent Diseases.
Compared to things like teeth brushing and grooming, many people tend to overlook caring for their dog’s ears. However, precisely because the ears are a part we don’t usually pay attention to, it’s important to provide careful care.
There are different types of dog ears, such as erect ears and drooping ears. In the case of erect ears, it’s relatively easy to check the dog’s ears in daily life, so issues are more noticeable even if they arise. On the other hand, for dogs with drooping ears, the ear canal can be obstructed and hard to see, making it more difficult to notice abnormalities compared to dogs with erect ears.
Furthermore, when problems like inflammation occur in the ears, bacteria can breed and cause a strong odor. Therefore, even if you sense any discomfort when interacting with your dog, it’s crucial to take a closer look.
Neglecting To Clean Your Ears Can Lead to Many Problems
Just like humans, ear cleaning is important for dogs too, and neglecting it can lead to various illnesses. Among the ear diseases in dogs are external otitis, otitis media, inner ear inflammation, and ear mites.
External otitis is particularly common in dogs. It is inflammation of the outer ear canal through which sound passes, often caused by the proliferation of bacteria in the ear. It can also occur due to allergies, so be cautious.
Otitis media is inflammation that occurs around the middle of the ear, involving the eardrum and the deeper middle ear. External otitis can sometimes progress and lead to otitis media, so be attentive.
Inner ear inflammation occurs in the inner ear located deep within the ear, and it may result from the effects of external otitis or otitis media, so vigilance is necessary. The inner ear also plays a role in maintaining balance, so any abnormalities in the inner ear can lead to unsteady movements.
Ear mites cause a disease known as otodectic mange, where ear mites proliferate within the ear, leading to the production of dark brown, viscous earwax. Since dogs might feel itching and scratch their ears, causing injuries and inflammation, caution is necessary.
A Real Challenge! How To Clean Your Dog’s Ears
Once you understand the problems caused by insufficient ear care, let’s actually try cleaning the ears. When cleaning the ears at home, it’s important to be extremely careful to prevent the dog from moving. Additionally, using force can lead to injuries and other issues, so be sure to proceed with care and gentleness.
Trim the Hair Around the Ears in Advance if Necessary
When cleaning a dog’s ears, it’s important not to immediately remove earwax, but rather prepare the area around the ears to some extent before proceeding. Breeds of dogs with single coats like Poodles and Maltese have hair growing inside their ears, so earwax can get tangled in the ear hair, making it difficult to keep the ears clean. To clean the ears properly, it’s essential to prepare beforehand.
Moreover, the hair inside the ears can reduce air circulation, which can encourage the growth of bacteria. When dealing with ear hair, it’s smoother to use dedicated tools to either pluck or trim the hair. The hair around the ears has strong roots and doesn’t easily come out, so pulling it can cause pain for the dog. On the other hand, the hair inside the ears is softer and easier to pluck, so it can be removed easily without applying too much force. While plucking ear hair might not be very painful, some dogs might get startled by the sound of hair being plucked near their ears, so it’s important to gradually get them used to it.
Furthermore, the hair in the ears also plays a role in blocking external bacteria, so excessive plucking can lead to inflammation and other issues. When plucking a dog’s ear hair, don’t try to remove all of it. Instead, focus on plucking only the hair that seems to be interfering when dealing with long earwax or other obstructions.
Use a Special Ear Lotion To Clean Your Dog’s Ears
When tending to your dog’s ears, it’s advised to utilize specialized ear lotion. Experts often make use of a a pair of tweezers enveloped in cotton. However, if you’re not well-acquainted with this, there’s a potential danger of pinching or harming the ear canal due to using excessively large cotton, hence requiring carefulness.
For pet guardians who aren’t at ease with ear cleaning, a good starting point is using cotton swabs or gently wiping the surface with cotton. To prevent any harm to your cherished dog’s ears, practice meticulous cleaning.
In instances where dogs are in good health and routinely receive ear maintenance, their ear passages won’t be excessively congested with deep-seated earwax. Therefore, as long as you can remove what’s visible to the eye, your dog’s ears can be kept clean.
Nevertheless, if a dog experiences an infection in the outer ear, the earwax might accumulate deeply, making thorough cleaning challenging. There’s a potential hazard that attempting to clean the inner regions on your own could inflict harm on the ear canal, worsening the situation. In such scenarios, it’s recommended to entrust the cleaning to experts like veterinarians or groomers.
We Will Introduce You to the Easy-To-Understand Video!
I introduced the method for ear cleaning in the previous section, but there might be times when the information doesn’t fully click just from the text. Here, I will introduce a video about how to clean a dog’s ears, so let’s check it out.
What if It Is Difficult or Difficult To Clean Your Dog’s Ears?
Cleaning a dog’s ears can be done at home, but there might be times when you find it quite challenging. You might feel hesitant about putting your hands into your dog’s ears yourself, and you might also worry about what to do if you accidentally hurt them. What should you do in such situations?
Go to a Pet Salon or Animal Hospital Without Overdoing It
When handling the task becomes a challenge, it’s wise to rely on a professional without exerting unnecessary pressure on yourself. By engaging a skilled pet groomer who possesses a deep understanding of canine well-being or by seeking assistance from a knowledgeable staff member at an animal hospital experienced in dog care, you can effortlessly attend to your furry companion’s ears, ensuring peace of mind throughout the process.
Regarding the expenses associated with delegating the responsibility of cleaning your dog’s ears to a professional, the typical cost ranges around 500 yen per session. Depending on the establishment or medical facility, this service might be encompassed within grooming or examination fees. It’s advisable to seek detailed information through inquiries.
For the maintenance of your dog’s ear hygiene, it’s ideal to undertake the cleaning process roughly once a month, or between 1 to 2 times a week if the accumulation of dirt is particularly severe. While the inclination to manage everything independently is admirable, it’s also important to recognize that accumulating stress due to inadequate results could prove counterproductive. The financial investment in professional care doesn’t become exorbitant, making it a prudent choice to entrust this task to skilled experts if you find it challenging to perform yourself.
Summary
Cleaning a dog’s ears can be effective with just soaking a cotton pad in ear lotion and gently wiping, so beginners will find it easy to start from here. However, if the ears are heavily dirty, you still need to clean them using tools like cotton swabs.
If you find ear cleaning challenging on your own, you can rely on pet salons or veterinary clinics to do it for you. Take good care of your beloved dog’s ears, and please ensure their ear health as well.
