ear cleaning

[icebucket]

Boni (my beagle's) ears smells and everytime i try to clean her ears, she wont stay still. She keeps on trying to get away. I'm scared that maybe i might accidentally insert the cotton buds in her ears. Any suggestions to how i can get her to hold still? I was also wondering how often beagle's ears should be cleaned.

 

[Barb04]

I use a large cotton ball and soak it with the cleaning solution. Then I squeeze some in the ear and wipe it with the cotton. It's hard to hold them still; I think after doing it many times, they kind of get the idea that you're going to do it anyway.

 

[avenlee]

I put ear wash solutions in my two dogs all the time and they still HATE IT! The both of them will see me shaking the bottle and RUN for their lives it seems. I'm forever fishing them out from under the chairs. lol Just keep thinking its for their own good.

 

[beagle_lovergirl]

Try doing it in front of a glass door or something you can clean easily. Put a glob of peanut butter at the height of your dogs nose. She'll start licking it and stay still. Then you can clean they're ears. Also try cleaning her ears when she's REALLY tired. She won't move as much.

 

[Ash47]

Beagle ears should be cleaned often. Since they are drop ears and don't get air to them, they can get infected easily. Spud's ears both have yeast infections and he is taking Tri-Otic in both of them now. Keep a watch on them!

 

[aurorab]

The best thing to do is get a good hold on them. I almost have to sit on Baby, well at least get a good grip. Then squeeze in some solution and massage just under the ear. It will make a squish sound, if not you might need more in the ear. Massage for oa while you want to break the stuff up and get it to works its way out. The wipe out as much as you can w/ a cotton ball or tissue/papertowel. You can use a q-tip to get some of the gunk and liquid out, but don't dig too deep or too much, this can either push it in farther or irratate the ears. Don't rub too much that you make it sore or bleed. If you can't get it all at one time do it over a few days. I try to do it every few weeks to keep them clean. Also when you are done they might shake out any excess so do it somewhere that won't make a mess. If they keep shaking there might be a bit of the liquid still in there, rub a bit more and then clean out lightly.
If no gunk comes out have the vet check if it is too far down or a wax plug. Also if it doesn't clear up or gets worse check w/ vet it could be mites or infected.
Not a fun job but necessary.

 

[Martine]

What solution do you use - do you buy it from petshops or the vets?

 

[joce]

The medicated stuff our vet gave us was actually the exact same ingredients as the stuff we bought at the petstore It only cost three times as much. This was a while ago but I always get it from the store now instead.

 

[NikkiMR]

Ear Infection

We are not sure if our beagle has an ear infection but I've scheduled an appointment for Sat morning just in case. The vet said to clean it very carefully and watch him so.......
What was the solution that you got at the Vets that was the same as at the Pet store- just in case thats what we get at the Vets on Sat I'll know....
Nikki

 

[showpug]

I can't stress it enough...I love Malaseb Ear Flush. It's safe and it's anti-yeast and antimicrobial properties work wonders to keep ears healthy. This was a great product that we prescribed at the vet clinic and it's over-the-counter! Yippeee!! Here is a link!
http://store.yahoo.com/healthypetscom/malflus12oun.html

 

[yanya]

We used to have quite a time trying to clean Kairi's ears, then one day when we went to clean them they were spotless. Another week went by and they were still clean! Then one day while laying in the pool, I looked over next to the gate. There in the shade were my two dogs, Patches and Kairi. Turns out the whole time Patches had been cleaning Kairi's ears. To this day, I've never again had to worry about Kairi's ears. It's very amusing to be sitting in the living room and see Kairi stroll up to Patches, sticking an ear in her face. Clean clean clean! Kairi then gets up, circles around Patches and sticks the other ear in her face. Clean clean clean!

 

[Whitedobelover]

never use q-tips they are horrible and cause problems. use large cotton balls only or a gauze strip... that is the best....

 

[icebucket]

i use cotton balls too and solution for ear cleaning ( i bought them at the vet) How often do you clean the ears? If i clean Boni's ears today tomorow they'd still be a bit dirty.. is this normal?

 

[Gempress]

Zeus has those big adorable hound ears too. For everyday ear cleaning, I use ready-to-go ear wipes that I got at Petco. They're much easier to use than cotton balls and do a great job. I think they feel better, too. Zeus loves it when I clean his ears with them, he'll just sit there with a half-asleep, glazed look while I massage and rub. It's like he's thinking "Little to the left...little more...right there! That's the spot!"

 

[icebucket]

lol..when i clean Boni's ears she just cant wait to get down and continue with her playing

 

[gaddylovesdogs]

May has the big labbie ears that get infected easily, so at the vet's reccomendation I clean her ears every other day in the summer and once a week in the winter. I take ear cleanser and put it on a q-tip to get all the stuff deep down in her ears and then I have a drying powder that I squirt in her ear. I'm thinking of getting baby wipes too, just to wipe them out every day, at the reccomendation of my sister.

 

[Mordy]

if a dog has persistently "dirty" ears, there's an underlying problem that needs to be addressed. food allergies are a common cause and switching to a grain free food often resolves the problem. it's not a "one fits all fix", but more often than not it makes a dramatic difference.

it's not always the grain that's the issue tho, it can be any ingredient in a particular food.

 

[Renee750il]

None of mine have problems with dirty ears - neither the grrrrls hound-y ears or Bimmer's big radar scoops. But Bimmer does check both grrrrls' ears from time to time! If there's the tiniest bit of dirt he makes them hold still while he cleans. You should see Shiva . . . it makes her quite nervous after a few moments!