Keeping your dog's ears clean is a very important part of having a healthy pet. You should give your dog regular inspections at least once a week. These inspections should continue until your next veterinary visit. It is important to keep your dog's ears healthy and pain-free, as they are very sensitive part of their body. Be sure to watch out for excessive wax, foul odor, redness, scratching or matting of the hair. If your dog is constantly rubbing the ears against other objects or shaking their head, these can be signs of ear problems.
Performing a home ear inspection is very easy. All you need to do is use your eyes and your nose. Often times, problems can either be seen or smelled. By performing these home inspections you'll be able to detect problems early, and this will save you and your dog much pain and suffering. Sometimes it is necessary to purchase a pet scope in order to see inside your dogs' ears. You should check for things like excessive wax buildup foreign objects or extreme redness.
You may also choose to smell your dog's ears. If you detect a foul odor in any way this could be a good sign that your dog has ear problems. If you see dark discharge this may be a sign of mites. However, pus like discharge may be a sign of an infection. Dog's ears are very sensitive and are acceptable to allergies. Your Veterinarian will be able to investigate further, if any of these symptoms are present. It is important to look at your dog's ears and smell your dog's ears immediately after a veterinarian checkup. By doing this you will learn what is normal.
Not surprisingly, the type of breed you have can often determine the type of your problems you will have. Breeds with long floppy ears like spaniels and hunting dogs seem to be very prone to infections, because there's not a lot of air circulation. Their floppy ears hang over and do not allow air to pass into the canal. Often these can be perfect breeding grounds for mites and bacteria. Other dogs that ears stand straight up such as Doberman pinschers or German shepherds are not very prone to ear infections.
Some breeds have excess hair in their ears; this can also cause many problems. If your dog has excess hair this hair must be routinely removed or your dog may suffer from chronic ear infection. It is not acceptable just to cut the hair, as the hair will grow back. You must pluck the hair that grows inside your dog's ears. Be sure to apply dog powder to the inside of both ears and make sure the hair is completely covered especially at the base. Once the powder has dried, you may begin to pluck a few hairs. You can use your fingers or tweezers, but just pluck a few hairs at a time and it will not hurt your dog as much.
After you have plucked several hairs you may want to give your dog a good rub and stop for a few minutes. Mixing in a few dog treats may also help your dogs learn by association. If you don't want to pluck your dogs hair, you may have your vet do it or professional groomer.
There are solutions and wipes and other remedies, you can use to keep your dogs' ears clean, be sure to ask your veterinarian what they recommend for your specific breed. Remember, keeping your dogs ears clean and free of bacteria and parasites is the best way to ensure that your dog will be happy and healthy.
