I've never had a big dog before, and now I do! I love her, but I'm having to learn how to care for her. She has these big floppy ears, and I understand that I should be cleaning out her ears periodically, BUT I'm afraid I'm hurting her or doing it wrong. Can you clue me in on the proper procedure?

Thanks!

Donna, I have a Weimaraner and I have to keep her ears clean. I use a cleaner I get from the vet and gauze pads. (When she hears me tear the gauze pad pkg, she hides under the table.) I squirt some of the cleaner in her ears, try to keep her from shaking her head so it won't fly out. Then I wrap the gauze around my finger and wipe it out. My vet said not to use a cotton swab. Just keep wiping until the gauze is clean.

Daisygirl

Thanks! I'll try that. She's not too fond of my messing with her ears either.

Donna

Ladies having to clean many large dogs ears and watching the Vets at the different shelters do it there is a right and a wrong way. Buy a good ear cleansing lotion at any pet store and then buy some Q-tip brand q-tips because their stem is stronger than the cheaper brands. Now "NEVER" squirt the cleaner into the ear itself, always put some on a cotton ball (dampened)then clean the upper/outer part of the ears until they are clean. Then squirt plenty of cleaner on a q-tip and gently wipe the inner canal of the ears You will never be in too far as long as its only insereted about an inch or so. Keep doing this with a clean q-tip over and over until no more dirt etc. can be seen....It is also good to have your pets ears seen by a vet at least every couple of months in the summer for ticks and mites....A dog will always shake their head as they hate the feel of anything especially wet and cold in their ears. Offer a special treat everytime when done and before you know it they won't fuss at you anymore.

[ February 22, 2006, 07:40 PM: Message edited by: chatty lady ]

Ack! We've squirted the blue stuff right in the ear. What do we know. Thanks for straightening us out chatty.

HA! That's right, Dotsie! That's what my son did. I told him I didn't think he should do that, but he said it told him to do that on the bottle. Ah, well. Live and learn. I think Sadie shook most of it out on my son. lol! Serves him right.

Hi. I had a Sheltie and we had to clean her ears. We could dress this dog in a tu-tu and she would not mind, but she hated for us to do her ears until we learned better. What we did really wrong: we bought stuff from the grocery store from the pet aisle. Hartz. It said to put it directly into the ear, and then wipe the ear out. Oh poor Whitney screached and screamed! When we realized we should not be doing this, we looked at the ingredients. First ingredient: ALCOHOL! Yikes! We then got stuff from the vet, and learned how to do it properly. I feel guilty for hurting my pet even unintentionally. Poor baby. I hope she is forgiving me in her doggie heaven. LL, L

[ February 22, 2006, 10:03 PM: Message edited by: Lynnie ]

Donna, the best thing to do is consult with your vet and get them to instruct you on how to do this properly. I have been told there is a right and wrong way to clean dogs' ears and there are also good and bad products. I suggest you get with the vet first before doing anything.

Kelly

Actually, at the vet I worked for, he always squirted the cleaner in the ears as do I. Then you massage at the base of the ear to work it in. It is okay if they shake because it helps loosen it up and sometimes helps get the gunk out of there. My vet always used special q tips for vets, but a normal one will do. Sometimes it takes many to get the ears clean. This is how he showed me to do it and he is very picky about ears too. Always use a cleaner with a drying agent. Your vet can recommend one to you. I use Espree ear cleaner and it smells like peppermint. It is wonderful.

Not trying to be contradictory or anything but there is alot of mis-information in this thread. As Scissoratrt said there is absolutely nothing wrong with squirting ear cleaner into a dogs ears, in fact that's how your supposed to do it, also don't worry about sticking a Q-tip too far into a dogs ears, their canal doesn't go directly to the ear drum like ours, it is U shaped, so no danger in sticking it in too far. There is also no need to take your dog to the vet every few months to have their ears looked at. If you see a tick, pluck it, if they are dirty clean them, if they smell and seem to hurt THEN take them to the vet. No need to take them when care isn't needed unless your vet is really good looking, or your wanting to help him pay for his Porsche or something