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cleaning ears

chloe92us

Well-known member
Does anyone have any good suggestions for cleaning, disinfecting, and maintaining clean ears? My tri always has junk in there and I can't find anything that works well. How often do most of you clean the ears?

Thanks.
 
We comb Sally's ears through at least three times a week and wipe inside with some ear wipes that have chlorohexidine on. The chlorohexidine is a disinfectant and safe to use on skin as we use it reguarly in hospitals too. The wipes are from Pets at Home if you are in the UK. Think they're about £5 and last a long time. If her ears are particularly long or thick they may need combing daily.
 
Does anyone have any good suggestions for cleaning, disinfecting, and maintaining clean ears? My tri always has junk in there and I can't find anything that works well. How often do most of you clean the ears?

Thanks.

My tri, India, has always had to have her ears cleaned, while my other two have just naturally clean ears. India's ears have always had a bit of gunk, and I thought it was 'normal' for her. When I wanted to enter India in the PSOM study, the university vet found India has yeast in her ears and wax. We used ear cleaner, and special drops and the yeast is gone, but a piece of wax remains. We've been using an oily ear cleaner, and will most likely have to have the wax surgically removed when India gets her dental this month, because dogs have to be under general anesthetic for the procedure so their ear drum won't be damaged.

India had been treated for yeast in her ears in the past, but I didn't realize she still had it. The university veterinary dermatologist felt that India may have allergies that are causing/perpetuating the yeast. They found yeast on her feet as well.

The idea of India having allergies all this time without my realizing it was upsetting to me. I changed her diet from her normal kibble to a commercial frozen raw diet that met AAFCO standards. I noticed that she no longer needed daily eye drops, and her face and ears smell good every day without extra cleaning! After a month or so on raw, I have phased her to a grain free kibble that agrees with her and she continues to do very well.

The reason I'm telling this whole, long (too long!) story is because you might want to ask your vet if your tri has yeast and wax, and then work closely with the vet to clear it up completely before you end up with wax that needs to be surgically removed, like we have now with India. :flwr:
 
wow, thanks for all your info. Mine definitely has dirty ears all the time, and it's like a dark brown film that is really hard to get off. I just cleaned them again this morning and she absolutely hates it. I have to put her on top of the washing machine so she can't escape. She's due for her annual vaccs and exam, so I will talk to the vet about it. My other two dogs have perfectly clean ears, too! I never have to clean them!
 
Milly got ear mites at Christmas so I am meticulous about cleaning her ears now. The vet gave me a liquid cleaner and I do it once a week. There is not normally much dirt however if i leave it for two weeks they are filty. She's not that fond of it but is used to it now. We got our new little pup yesterday and I can't believe how dirty his ears are too. Looks like it will be a weekly ritual for both of them.
 
I just use cleansing wipes for the outer ear which you can get at any pet shop.If the gunk in the ears persists,even with regular cleaning it's best to make an appointment with your vet to check for infections or mites.My sister's cavalier had so much compacted wax and underlying bacterial infection she needed to have her ears syringed and then treated with antibiotic drops.(she was a rescue).
Prevention is better than cure abd I'd recommend dosing the dog with a topical solution like stronghold every 3 months to prevent infection of mites in the first place.It also is a wormer and kills fleas.
Sins
 
I have a Jack Russel who cleans ears like she has OCD or something - so get a jack russell = no more ear cleaning!
 
hahaha! I have a Jack Russell!

And she is not doing the job...Wow, how about those jack russells? Quite a different personality than my Cavaliers...How about you?

My JR is 14 YO and shows no signs of slowing down. She still makes me exhausted...her personality more than her energy these days, though. YAP YAP YAP! And do all of them have OCD? Mine has it with little plastic bathtub duckies. She carries them around ALL DAY...even outside to do her business! I keep a stash of them in the cabinet b/c as soon as she makes a hole in one (and it takes her a WHILE she is so gentle with them), she acts like it's the worst thing in the world! :eek:
 
Yeh I think it is a trait that JRT's have OCD! A friend of mine has a 2 year old & she's the exact same I'm afraid!!

Ps - poor duckies!!:eek:
 
Zola was permanently getting ear infections and her ears used to smell awful as a result despite the best efforts of the vets and any drops that they would prescribe. Then I tried this stuff - http://www.zimfamilycockers.com/EarCleanerRecipe.txt The powdered boric acid was a little difficult to get hold of (I got it on ebay), but it works brilliantly and her ears have been fantastic ever since. I reckon I put it into her ears maybe once a month now.
 
I brush my guys ears daily (usually twice daily) and clean the insides weekly with Epi Otic.
 
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