By Susan E. Aiello, DVM, ELS and John A. Bukowski, DVM, MPH, PhD
Cleaning your pets' ears is important to their overall health and well-being. Dogs and cats have deep ear canals that travel down and in before reaching the ear drum. Because air flow is limited in the canal, moisture can build up, especially in dogs with floppy ears or a lot of ear hair. Moisture and ear wax promote bacterial growth, which is why ear infections are common in dogs and cats. You can help prevent infections by keeping your pet’s ears clean and dry. How often you should clean your pet’s ears (eg, weekly, twice a month, monthly, etc) depends on your pet’s physical characteristics and its individual habits (eg, dogs that spend a lot of time in the water need to have their ears cleaned more frequently). If you suspect that your pet already has an ear infection, see your veterinarian for a professional cleaning and appropriate medication.
Your veterinarian can recommend a commercial ear cleaning solution, which are designed to breakdown the ear wax and clean the canal of any other dirt or debris. It is a good idea to have someone else hold your pet while you clean the ears (or vice versa), at least until you get comfortable with doing it on your own. Be careful not to press on or obstruct the ear canal while holding your pet’s head, so that the cleaning solution can get all the way into the canal.
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