Dog Ear Cleaning
A dog's ears are not made like a human ear. The human ear has only
one canal that is relatively short and straight as compared to a
dog's ear which has two compartments. There is a deep canal that
goes down and then takes a sharp forty-five degree turn up. The
extra turn and the length of the canal makes a dog's ears moist,
warm, dark and poorly ventilated….the perfect place for many nasty
little organisms to grow and thrive. The extra turn also makes it a
lot more difficult to see into the ear and to treat any problems.
It is easy to see why dog ear cleaning is so important especially in
dogs with long floppy ears like Cocker Spaniels, Basset Hounds,
Schnauzers and Poodles. The breeds with ears that are standing up at
all times will fare better since they receive the most light and air
flow and their ears may not need to be cleaned as often.
The signs that a dog has an ear problem are; Odor in the ear, signs
of redness, soreness or any discharge, head shaking or scratching of
the ears.
The causes of dog ear problems are:
1. Injury
2. Allergies
3. Ear mites
4. Bacteria and yeast
5. Ticks
6. Tumors
7. Heredity is occasionally a cause, as well.
Regular dog ear cleaning is the best and most effective way to
prevent ear problems from starting in the first place.
1. Schedule a once a week ear cleaning. There are so many great ear
cleaning products available commercially that are effective,
convenient and fairly inexpensive.
2. Remove excess ear hair, and create an air channel by trimming the
hair if there isn't one already. Hair inside on the ear can be
plucked out. The outer hair should be trimmed in such a way that you
will be able to see how air will get in when you look at the dog.
3. Keep what goes in one ear out of the other. Using the same cotton
ball or swab tip of ear cleaning solution in a dog's other ear is
just likely to spread the bad stuff. Always use a new cotton ball or
wipe clean any applicator tips with alcohol.
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