Making a Dog Ear Cleaning Solution at Home

When ear ailments arise it is oftentimes necessary to treat with a dog ear cleaner to ensure your pet's wellness.

Ear ailments are one of the most common occurrences in dogs. Ear ailments in dogs can result from many things, such as infections, trauma and parasites. Cerumen, known as earwax, is the dog's mechanism to fight bugs, infections and water and to help clean and lubricate the ear canal.

Signals a Dog May Have an Ear Problem

Signals the dog may have an ear problem include excessive wax build up and discharge. Head shaking along with ear scratching are the next stage of the ear ailment as the bacteria has begun to feast on the excess of wax in the dog's ear. There are many causes for ear infections, such as a dog ear mite or drainage problem and the relief and healing of dog ear drops are often used.

Preventing the Recurrence of Ear Problems

Once the dog ear infection is taken care of you can take necessary precautions to prevent re-occurrence.

• Keep your dogs ears dry after playing in the water.
• Rub away dirt from ear lobe with a moist cotton ball
• With a Q-Tip clean between the protruding cartilages of the ear

It is important to dry the ear after cleaning and to apply an ear drying powder, which is similar to talcum powder, but is used to prevent microorganisms from breeding in the affected area.

Making a Dog Ear Cleaning Solution

Dog ear cleaner solutions can be quite costly and home remedy solutions are often used among owners. To make your own ear cleaning solution for your animal you will need:

• Plastic Water Bottle
• Purified Water
• White Vinegar
• Rubbing Alcohol

The solution is easily put together by:

• Filling the plastic water bottle 1/3 the way up with purified water
• Adding 1/3 white vinegar
• Adding 1/2 rubbing alcohol
• Add lid and shake.

The dog ear cleaner solution should be used with an ear applicator and not just poured into the dog's ears. A dog solution applicator can be found at any pet store or through your veterinarian. Selected health stores which provide a wide selection of pet products may also carry the product. When washing the ears with the solution, squirt the solution into the dog's ear and massage it in. Allow the dog to shake the excess solution out and then dry with a soft clean cloth or with tissue paper or cotton balls. Treatment should continue two times a day for two weeks, then graduating to one time per day for two weeks and then once per month as a preventative for future problems.

Warnings

• If your dog is showing signs such as shaking her head, scratching her ears or indicating pain when her ears are either scratched or petted, your dog is suffering from ear infection and needs immediate attention
• If the dog's infection is left untreated it can lead to deafness.
• These steps and remedies are for cleaning and preventive maintenance and should not be considered a cure.
• Do not over solute your dog's ears by applying the solution too often. It is necessary to follow the schedule to ensure that your dog does not become oversaturated and that the immune system properly fights the ailment.