{"id":296,"date":"2012-05-07T22:21:19","date_gmt":"2012-05-07T22:21:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.net\/blog\/?p=296"},"modified":"2012-07-20T17:23:41","modified_gmt":"2012-07-20T17:23:41","slug":"how-to-keep-dogs-ears-healthy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2012\/05\/how-to-keep-dogs-ears-healthy\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Keep Dog’s Ears Healthy"},"content":{"rendered":"

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DR.\u00a0 DARA JOHNS \/ Daily News columnist<\/a>\u00a0(Florida’s Emerald Coast)\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n
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I am often asked by pet owners if they need to be cleaning their dog\u2019s ears.\u00a0 If a dog has normal healthy ears, no cleaning is necessary. But if there are\u00a0 signs of ear infection, yes, the ears would benefit from a good cleaning with\u00a0 the appropriate materials.<\/p>\n

Signs of ear infections include shaking the head frequently and scratching at\u00a0 the ears with the back leg. One might also notice a strange smell coming from\u00a0 the ears. The ear canal can be very red and inflamed. Excessive wax sometimes\u00a0 accumulates in the ear. This wax could be purulent from infection or thick and\u00a0 black.<\/p>\n

When cleaning the ears, one source of cleaner is your veterinarian\u2019s office.\u00a0 These cleaners are usually gentle and do not cause undue discomfort. I say\u00a0 undue, because some discomfort is unavoidable. Even healthy ears do not like\u00a0 having fluid put in the ear canal. The discomfort is minimized by buffering the\u00a0 solution\u2019s pH.<\/p>\n

Ear cleansers generally have a salicylic or acetic acid base to help break\u00a0 down the wax and aid in killing yeast. I like the ones that have a good smell,\u00a0 because it helps to destroy the odor emanating from the ear canal. Ear cleaners\u00a0 do not have antibiotics in them. They are made to be used frequently and as\u00a0 needed. If antibiotics were used in this fashion it would compound our problems\u00a0 with antibiotic resistance.<\/p>\n

One mistake I have seen is the use of antibiotic ointment as if it were a\u00a0 cleaner. Owners put antibiotic drops in the ears once a week or when they see a\u00a0 flare-up. These medicines were not made to be used this way. Ear washes are to\u00a0 be used on a daily or weekly basis to prevent infections. Antibiotics are for\u00a0 treating a severe infection. Occasionally a chronic severe case will warrant\u00a0 ongoing antibiotic therapy, but these are few and far between.<\/p>\n

What can be used at home for washing out the ears? A good natural wash\u00a0 consists of one part white distilled vinegar to one part rubbing alcohol.\u00a0 Combine these two ingredients and soak a cotton ball in the mixture. Wipe out\u00a0 the ear, rubbing the cotton ball so that the alcohol-vinegar mix trickles down\u00a0 into the ear canal.<\/p>\n

The vinegar will kill yeast, and the alcohol will kill bacteria as well as\u00a0 dry out the ear. The biggest problem with this cleaner is that the alcohol burns\u00a0 irritated skin. A gentler version would be one part white distilled vinegar to\u00a0 one part water. It helps treat yeast infections, and it is gentler.<\/p>\n

If you find that the ear canal continues to build up with wax even though you\u00a0 are cleaning out the ear or you see the signs of infection worsening, it is time\u00a0 to make an appointment with your veterinarian. He can look at cytology and\u00a0 discover the source of the infection so that a medical treatment can be\u00a0 prescribed.<\/p>\n

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Read more:\u00a0 https:\/\/www.nwfdailynews.com\/articles\/clean-49357-pet-ears.html#ixzz1uE0Sdbon<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DR.\u00a0 DARA JOHNS \/ Daily News columnist\u00a0(Florida’s Emerald Coast)   I am often asked by pet owners if they need to be cleaning their dog\u2019s ears.\u00a0 If a dog has normal healthy ears, no cleaning is necessary. But if there are\u00a0 signs of ear infection, yes, the ears would benefit from a good cleaning with\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,29,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dogs","category-healthy-pets","category-medical-issues"],"yoast_head":"\nHow To Keep Dog's Ears Healthy | The Animal Health Foundation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2012\/05\/how-to-keep-dogs-ears-healthy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How To Keep Dog's Ears Healthy | The Animal Health Foundation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"DR.\u00a0 DARA JOHNS \/ Daily News columnist\u00a0(Florida’s Emerald Coast)   I am often asked by pet owners if they need to be cleaning their dog\u2019s ears.\u00a0 If a dog has normal healthy ears, no cleaning is necessary. 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