The best way to clean your dog’s ears is with a gentle pet ear cleaner. This is a quick guide for how you should go about it.
Place the nozzle all the way down the ear canal – dogs have long ear canals so you will not be at risk of puncturing the eardrum and if you do not put it down far enough, it is likely you won’t get the drops all the way down the canal.
Once you have squirted some of the cleaner into your dogs ears, you should then massage the area below and slightly in front of the ear canal fairly firmly. When you do this, there should be a ‘squish squish’ sound. Then stand back!! As it is very likely that your dog will shake his head and cover you with cleaner mixed with waxy ear gunk.
It is important to note that many veterinary dermatologists are now recommending that you DON’T pluck the hair from your dog’s ears. There are exceptions to this rule, however, and it is best to check with your vet what is right for your dog. Ear plucking can lead to irritation of the ear canals that may then make ear infections more likely.
Additional information and tips can be found in our ear cleaning guide.
