Greenbriar Animal Hospital

Your dog needs an at-home ear care maintenance plan, for severe, chronic, and/or recurring ear problems (infections, accumulation of wax in the ears, proliferation of and/or permanent damage to the ear cartilage, allergies, and/or growths in the ears).

Major tips for your dog’s ear care at home:

Dogs have a large ear canal that slopes down towards the floor and then makes an almost 90 degree angle, turning into the head (towards the ear drum). Even small dogs have a large surface area inside the ear!

Many dogs benefit from regular ear cleaning (weekly to monthly), especially if they get recurring infections or waxbuild-up. For cleaning, use ear cleaner (not alcohol or peroxide) and do not use q-tips. See directions below.

If you notice that your dog’s ears are always dirty, call us for an appointment right away! This is a common sign of a chronic ear infection. Odor, redness, itching, and tenderness can be symptoms, too.

If the doctor prescribes ear medications, please let us know if you have problems getting them into your dog’s ears. We can arrange alternate meds, but most dogs with ear problems will need drops in the ears.

Unless specifically told to, do not clean your dog’s ears while you are using the prescribed ear medication. For many medications, using ear cleaner can dilute or even inactivate the drugs in the medicine!

Chronic or recurring ear infections are difficult to cure but can be kept under good control with diligence, regular follow-up visits, and medications used as directed. Some dogs will need maintenance medication once the infection has calmed down (drops you put in the ears 1-2 times per week).

Miscellaneous helpful things to know about ear care and dogs:

The keys to effective ear cleaning at home include being VERY GENTLE, using of LOTS OF LIQUID, and blotting rather than wiping the ear. Most ear infections are not contagious to other pets or people, but they may be spread onto different places on your dog’s skin; please let us know if he/she begins chewing or scratching at any particular areas of the body. Ear infections can be very painful, and can go into the middle ear and cause temporary or even permanent hearing loss. Severe and/or chronic ear problems can require sedation and deep cleaning/flushing or even major surgery!

Ear cleaning directions for your dog:

Fill your dog’s ear with cleaner. Gently massage the side of his head, including the ear, for 30 to 60 seconds. Let him shake, or blot excess cleaner with cotton, tissues, or baby wipes. An alternate method is to saturate ½ of a cotton ball (1 cotton ball for dogs with larger ears) with the cleaner and gently poke it just into the ear, then fold over the ear and massage the side of the head for one minute. Remove the cotton ball and blot any excess cleaner with cotton, tissue, or baby wipes. If ears are very dirty, repeat this procedure once. If the ears are still dirty after you do the cleaning twice, wait 24 to 48 hours and repeat. This lets the ear cleaner work to soften the discharge! If the ears are still very dirty, call us for an appointment since your dog may need an exam, ear testing, medication, or a professional ear cleaning. Ask us for an ear cleaning demo!