How to Clean Your Dog’s Ears

As a pet owner, it is expected that you prioritize your dog’s health and hygiene. But what if your dog doesn’t make this easy? Your dog may seem to do everything it can to get dirty or outright refuse bath time. However, irregular cleaning may make your dog more prone to oily skin, ear infections, and other problems.

Routine ear cleaning is an integral part of keeping your dog clean and healthy. While there are several forms of dog ear cleaning spray, it’s important to use a dog ear spray that’s natural and chemical-free.

Also, take the time to learn how to clean your dog’s ears in a way that will help make this task a lot easier for you. Remember that your dog’s ears are very sensitive, and if you clean them incorrectly, you could cause severe damage to their ears.

Why You Should Clean Your Dog’s Ears

Cleaning your dog’s ears can help keep them healthy and prevent conditions such as otitis externa or ear infections. These conditions cause your pup pain as their outer, inner, or middle ear becomes red and inflamed.

You may see visible discharge from the ear, or your dog may excessively shake its head, whine, or scratch at its ear. Left untreated, these conditions can worsen and potentially result in loss of hearing and neurological symptoms.

Regular ear cleaning can also help prevent:

• Yeast infections
• Ear wax buildup
• Dirty or smelly ears
  
  

How Often Should You Clean Your Dog’s Ears?

Let’s face it – most dogs don’t want their ears cleaned. They’re going to fight you on this, but it’s your responsibility as their owner to do what’s best for their health and wellness.

Your dog’s ears have a natural ear-cleaning mechanism, but this is sometimes not enough. For most dogs, using a dog ear spray once a month is sufficient. However, it’s important to check your dog’s ears more often for indications that more frequent or immediate cleanings may be necessary.

If your dog’s ears looked irritated, visibly dirty, give off a mild odor, or if your dog is scratching at its ears or shaking its head — it’s time for another cleaning. Some dogs are prone to ear infections and otitis externa and need to have their ears cleaned more often.

This includes dogs with floppy ears, such as labs, beagles, basset hounds, and cocker spaniels. Dog breeds that feature floppy ears have a more significant need for ear care because their ears are hairier, heavier, and longer than other dog breeds.

These fundamental differences impede airflow into the ear and create a humid, moist environment for yeast and bacteria to grow.

If you live in heavily wooded areas or if your dog is a frequent swimmer, it may also have a greater risk of yeast or bacteria ear infections. Water can also become trapped in the ear, furthering the risk and increasing the need for routine care.

Supplies You’ll Need to Clean Your Dog’s Ears

Before you can properly clean your dog’s ears, you’ll need the right tools for the job.

• Dog ear spray: The right dog ear cleaning spray can reduce irritation to your pet’s ears, provide soothing relief, and make it easier for you to clean your dog’s ears. SENSES Natural Ear Mist is an all-natural, steroid-free ear cleaning spray for dogs and other pets.
  
  SENSES Natural Ear Mist uses a virgin coconut oil base that reduces wax buildup and irritants while providing moisture to dry ear canals and skin. Plus, the convenient shape of the bottle and nozzle makes ear cleaning a breeze.
  
  
• Treats: It’s important to reward your pet for being good while you clean their ears. Treats make the process more fun for your pet and may also coax your dog out from hiding if they really hate getting their ears cleaned.
  
  
• Cotton balls or pads: Cotton balls and cotton pads are perfect for wiping up any excess moisture, especially if your dog often shakes their head during or after having their ears cleaned.
  
  

3 Simple Steps for Using Ear Cleaning Spray for Dogs

Now that you have your dog ear spray and you’ve caught Fido, it’s time to get started. Here are the three simple steps for cleaning your pet’s ears with dog ear cleaning spray.

1. Get Started

When laying out your supplies, it’s essential to keep everything you need within reach, especially if your dog is likely to escape the moment you look away. Having everything ready to go before calling your dog over will make the process faster and smoother for you both.

Once you do call your dog over, have your dog sit and reward them with a treat. If your dog really doesn’t like having its ears cleaned, try giving treats throughout the process to help soothe its anxiety.

2. Hold Your Pup’s Ear and Use the Dog Ear Cleaning Spray

Hold your dog’s ear gently upright and place the SENSES Natural Ear Mist nozzle just inside of your dog’s ear canal. Depress the actuator fully once or twice and massage your dog’s ear gently for 30 to 60 seconds. Once done, reward your pet with another treat.

3. Shake It Out and Repeat

After you use the dog ear cleaning spray, your dog may shake its head. That’s okay, but if they shake their heads too vigorously, hold a towel up near their head to prevent the oil from flying everywhere.

Clean up any excess moisture on the outside of their ears gently with a cotton ball or cotton pad. Once done, repeat this process with your dog’s other ear, and reward with another treat.

Using SENSES Natural Ear Mist as Your Go-To Dog Ear Spray

SENSES Natural Ear Mist makes it easy to give your pet the ear care it needs. This simple solution can help prevent ear infections, irritation, and other conditions that could damage your pet's ears or cause them discomfort.

Get SENSES Natural Ear Mist for your pet today or contact us online if you have more questions about ear cleaning for dogs and other pets.