How to Clean the Ears of Your Dog

For a dog, an ear infection is very painful and, if left untreated, can cause deafness. If you learn to clean the ears of your dog on a regular basis, you can prevent the wax and dirt buildup that causes infections and improve your canine companion's health. Read on to learn how to clean the ears of your dog.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Pluck out excessive hair in the dog's ear gently with your fingers or a hemostat to keep the airflow to the ear canal clear. Use an ear powder to help the hair slide out more easily and less painfully for the dog.

2. Clean the dog's ear with a solution made for that purpose. Take a cotton ball and swipe the cleaner inside the dog's ear flap, the outer ear. Take a clean cotton ball and wipe around inside the ear, but no further down than the canal opening.

3. Squeeze some of the solution directly into the dog's ears to provide a deeper cleaning if they are prone to ear wax or dirt. Massage the base of the dog's ear between your thumb and index finger until you can hear the solution make a squishing sound.

4. Let the dog shake his head to release some of the wax or dirt. Clean any discharge on the ear flap and inside the ear with cotton balls. Do the second ear in the same fashion.

Tips & Warnings

• If your dog has been shaking her head frequently and you find the inside of one or both ears extremely waxy-looking and bad-smelling, you're probably dealing with an infection and should immediately take your dog to a veterinarian.