On of the most common problems we see during the summer is dogs with itchy ears. Ear infections can be prevented by cleaning your dogs ears regularly. Heres a few pointers on how to do it safely. As you can see from the diagram the outer ear flap (the pinna) is only a small portion of the entire ear structure. In dogs, the ear canal is divided into the out vertical canal, and the inner horizontal canal. Dirt collects in the vertical canal, as it has to fight against gravity in order to get out of the ear. There are a variety of products available to clean your dog’s ears. Drops can help loosen up any wax present, but even damp cotton wool will do the trick. 1. Before you start, pluck away any hair growing in the ear canal. To clean your dog’s ear, lift the outer flap towards the ceiling. This opens up the ear canal 2. Introduce any drops that you are using; gently insert the nozzle of the cleaner into the ear and give a gentle squeeze to dispense a few drops. 3. Remove the bottle and massage the side of the face just below the ear to work in the drops. 4. Use a wipe or cotton wool to clean out the ear. NEVER INSERT ANYTHING SMALLER THAN YOUR FINGER INTO THE EAR CANAL. You can safely put your finger in as far as the first knuckle, to make sure you get out all the dirt. Use as many cotton pads as necessary until they are coming out clean 5. If you see a little blood on the cotton wool, stop and try again a little more gently tomorrow. Ears that are very inflamed bleed easily, so if this is happening regularly you may need to see your vet to get the ears examined. Very dirty ears will need cleaning every few days, but it can be done only once every week or two just as maintenance to keep everything nice and clean and prevent ear infections.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Aug 2014 17:00:01 +0000
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