How to clean your dog's ears
You shouldn't clean your dog's ears just for the sake of it. If you have a dog with clean ears that never itch against the ears, you don't need to clean the dog's ears and can leave them completely untreated. However, some dogs with major problems may need help cleaning their ears regularly, so try to find a way to do it "as infrequently as possible" without it becoming a problem for the dog. If your dog is suffering from recurrent ear infections, this should be investigated by a vet. If you are unsure whether you need to clean your dog's ears, we recommend that you consult a vet.
If your dog has minor problems with his ears, for example if you notice that he scratches a little on and off for short periods and is not bothered by soreness, does not smell sour or bad from the ears, you should consult a vet.and you don't see a lot of itching or angry redness or swelling down towards the ear canal, there are ear cleaners for dogs that you can buy at the pharmacy. There are different variants for different purposes, some of which, although over-the-counter, should only be used in consultation with a vet. Always read the packaging!
However, if the symptoms described above apply to your dog, or if your dog is itching intensely or shaking its head a lot and appears depressed, instead of trying to clean your dog's ears, see a vet.
How to clean your dog's ears:
Hold the dog's ear flap, on droopy ears you may fold the ear flap back so that the ear canal can be seen.
The ear canal goes vertically down when the dog holds its head normally and looks forward. Drip a small amount of ear cleaner into the ear canal according to the instructions for use of the specific preparation provided
Then massage on the outside of the ear canal, going around the ear it should feel like a fairly hard texture going down from the ear. If you do it right you should hear like a clunking sound when you massage.
Wipe off the excess with a cotton pad, for example. Don't put tops or anything else in the ear canal!
It's perfectly normal for the dog to shake its head afterwards.
If the dog continues to show discomfort and irritation from its ears, contact a vet.
