How can dogs clean their ears at home?

Today we will talk about the hygiene of our pets. At first glance, care of the oral cavity and ears is not very important. Many owners appeal to the fact that in the wild, no one does this, and the animals feel great. But one must take into account the strong immunity of those animals, many generations of natural selection, and also the fact that a strong inflammatory process most often leads to the death of the animal.

Thus, it can be said that hygienic procedures are an important point, which can not be ignored. Today we want to talk about how dogs clean their ears. It would seem that in this difficult? However, the owners often rush from the extreme to the extreme. Some completely ignore the need for these procedures, while others, on the contrary, begin to perform them almost daily.

The basic rule for owners

Since it is not at all difficult for dogs to clean their ears, it is not necessary for them to contact a veterinarian. It is quite possible to manage on their own. Typically, this procedure is performed once every few weeks. However, there are some subtleties here. For short-haired dogs, the auricle of which is open, this interval is too long. For example, for shar pei, the ideal interval is 5-7 days. That is, you must always pay attention to the characteristics of the breed. Below we will describe in detail how dogs clean their ears.

Healthy ears are pure ears

Often a beginner in dog breeding commits the same mistake. Looking into the auricle and seeing in it a small amount of dark brown discharge, he immediately grabs his head and starts to remove them. Well, if just a moist tampon, and then connects and special means to treat otitis, believing that this is a sign of the inflammatory process. A healthy dog in the auricle always produces sulfur. We are talking about these allocations right now. They protect the ear conch of the dog. Therefore, when talking about how dogs clean their ears, we once again stress that there is no need to perform this procedure every day.

Step One: Inspection

It is necessary to assess the condition of the auricle, the absence of redness, liquid discharge of various shades, and also unpleasant odor. All these symptoms indicate that elementary hygiene is no longer necessary and it is necessary to contact a specialist.

Already at the first sight it becomes clear that the ear canal in dogs is not direct, like ours. Therefore it is very important to know how to clean the ears of a dog, so as not to damage the inner ear.

Step Two: Preparation

This procedure is necessary in order to make cleaning the most comfortable, painless and protect the shell from damage. First you need to moisturize your ear with green tea, brewed both for drinking and necessarily cooled to room temperature. This is the softest product, which also has an acidifying and antibacterial property. In no case should you pour the cleanser (this applies to green tea and other solutions) directly into the dog's ears. This can lead to irritation and inflammation. Now let's go directly to the question of how to clean the ears of a dog.

Let's move on to cleaning up

You will need cotton balls, discs and sticks. Lift the drooping part of the ear and put the moistened ball in the ear behind the goat and move it up. You may need a few to completely eliminate all dirt. Now it's time to arm with a cotton swab.

Push it into the vertical ear opening until it stops, and then push it up. That is, you have to wipe the vertical walls of the channel. Depending on how much dirt has accumulated, you may need several balls and sticks.

Be careful

Since you will have to clean your dog's ears at home, try to master the technique as correctly as possible, so as not to cause pain to the animal. First of all, remember that you do not have to push the stick very deeply, so as not to damage the middle ear. The procedure requires easy pressure.

Depending on the breed, the process may vary slightly. For example, in a basset hound, ears are heavy, hanging down to the ground. That is, you'll have to wash all the canvas beforehand, and then start cleaning the sink. It is big enough, and it will not be difficult for the owner to put it in order.

But how to clean the ears of a dog at home, when they are small, as, for example, Shar pei? The ear canal is very narrow, so you can only compact the sulfur plug with cotton buds. Chopsticks can be cleaned only the shell itself, remove sulfur from the crinkles of the outer shell. If there is a lot of dirt, it is better to wash it with water, however it should be done together with the veterinarian.

The use of hydrogen peroxide

In different sources, you can find many tips on how to clean the dog's ears with hydrogen peroxide. In fact, it is not entirely clear why this is needed. If the ear is pink, smooth, not painful, then no special means for cleaning it will be required. Even the same green tea serves merely to wet the cotton pads and sticks and soften the skin. If you find a slight redness, you can locally burn it with peroxide, and in other cases it is better to do without such a tool.

We have not in vain raised this topic. Doctors very often ask whether it is possible to peel ears with peroxide to a dog. Many in this case refer to the fact that there are many bacteria in the ear cavity, and if not to slow down their growth, it will lead to inflammation. Nothing like this! If the dog is healthy, then veterinarians recommend not doing any procedures of a medical nature with it at all. This applies to the ears. Conduct an analogy with young children, all that is required of us is to clean the shell of natural sulfur. If there is a problem (pain, temperature, swelling), then we turn to a specialist.

Chlorhexidine is a universal assistant

It is a natural antiseptic, which, like hydrogen peroxide, is very often used in everyday life. They cauterize the wound, handle cuts, and often disinfect ears to pets. And this is done after each cleaning, just for prevention. Ask any veterinarian, and he will tell you that you do not need to do anything like that. It is not recommended to clean the ears of a dog with chlorhexidine. It can be used in the only case when during the cleaning you notice the alarming symptoms (discharge, smell, redness), and you have no opportunity to go to the doctor and get a full consultation. Then bury a few drops in the sink and massage gently. Remember that this procedure will remove only a part of the symptoms, so you need to undergo examination and full treatment.

Painful Ears

It is very important to know how to properly clean the ears of a dog, if it does not allow them to touch. Very often on the turn of the ear you can see redness and sores. Just wipe with a cotton disc in this case may not be enough. Boric acid will be an ideal option for treatment . It dries and acidifies the ear, and yeast and bacteria die out in a dry and acidic environment. You can use any anti-inflammatory ointment (zinc is also suitable for this very well), in which to add 2-3 pinch of boric acid. This composition needs to process the entire cavity of the dog's ear.

If the condition becomes worse, the entire ear cavity is red and swollen, fluid flows, there is an unpleasant smell, the animal moans or whines, then do not self-medicate, but seek medical help.

A variety of means for caring for the ears

To date, in the shops there are a lot of preparations for caring for the ears. But can dogs clean their ears with all these tools? Let's understand. All preparations can be on water or on an oil basis. The second is better, since it does not irritate the skin. Most of them are safe lotions that do not have a curative effect. Their purpose is to help you clear your ear from dirt and not cause irritation. Although petroleum jelly with a drop of tea tree oil can be an excellent alternative.

But with an antimicrobial substance you need to be very careful. It can be used only for the treatment of inflammatory processes, and in the dosage recommended by the doctor, and also according to a certain scheme.

Another group of drugs is antiallergic drugs. Indeed, food allergies can cause a lot of trouble, but without a doctor you can hardly find the cause, so it's better to seek help from a specialist.

Instead of concluding

Home pets are completely dependent on their owner and trust him unlimitedly. Therefore it is extremely irresponsible to put experiments on them. The procedure for cleaning the auricle is very simple. Do not complicate it with the use of peroxide and similar means. If the ears are healthy - it's all superfluous, just a simple cotton ball moistened in green tea, and a few sticks. If there are problems, then they should be decided by a specialist.