Basic Ear Care For Your Dog
Posted: Thursday, July 26, 2007
by dwaser
http://www.homebusinesssecrets.net/
Whether your dog's ears are long and droopy, or short and catlike, they require attention to make sure that they stay clean and free of problems. Ears produce wax, trap dirt, grow hair, retain moisture, and can easily develop infections when they are neglected. I absolutely love rubbing my dog's ears! Dog ears are adorable and most dogs melt with ecstasy when they get their ears rubbed. However, ear massages alone will not be enough to keep your dog or puppy's ears healthy.
There are different cleaning regimens for different breeds. Some dogs need their ears cleaned every day, while others only need a touch up every few weeks or so.
A good rule of thumb is knowing that dogs that have larger ear flaps will need some personal ear grooming attended to more often due to lack of circulation. You may also be faced with a dog that has too much hair growing from the inside of his ears. If so then you may want to trim away the excess air.
For all-around general dog ear-care advice, follow the tips below:
First, examine your dog's ears. As we spoke of earlier, moisture inside the ear can be very attractive to parasites and fungus. Check the outside for tangles and parasites, which often gravitate toward the ears. Check the insides for dirt and excessive wax buildup. Mixed with ear wax and dirt, this creates a breeding ground of health problems for your dog. One way to combat this is to avoid water from going into your dog's ears. When bathing your pet, get him used to having thick balls of cotton placed inside the ears so that no water enters inside.
Your dog's ears should be clean. A little ear wax is normal, but large amounts of ear wax that looks reddish brown or streaky or smells funny should be consulted with the vet.
Pay extra attention to cleaning your dog's outer ear flap. You'll want to use some sort of ear solution that will help in preventing infections. You simply use a very soft cloth or a cotton ball, soak it in the solution, and gently rub the flaps clean. However, be careful not to clean too deep inside because the ear is extremely tender and going too far inside can cause pain. And be sure not to use a Q-tip or any other sharp cleaning object because you can easily damage your dog's ear canal if poked too hard. This kind of damage to the ears cannot be repaired.
Next, check for hair inside the ear. Ear tiny hair can trap dirt, bacteria, and moisture inside the ear canal, causing infection. If you like, you may trim the hair inside the ears for a neater appearance. To trim ear hair, pull the ear back over the dog's head, laying it flat against the skull. This will shut off the delicate parts of the ear canal.
For dog ears that contain long ear hair, pluck out each hairs with your fingers. If you find this difficult, dip your fingers in a little ear powder to make it easier to grasp the hairs. Don't pluck out more than two hairs at one time because this could be painful for your dog. You may use ear hair forceps, which are small tweezers made for plucking ear hair but again, only pluck one or two hairs at a time.
If the hair is short and hard to pluck, or if you prefer to cut rather than pluck, you can clip each hair with a small, blunt-tipped scissors.
Dust the ears with medicated ear powder if they are prone to infection. Most powders sold in pet stores will do just fine and will not cause any adverse reactions.
If the ears are very dirty, gently pull the ear out away from the skull to open up the ear canal and place a few drops of ear wash or mineral oil inside. Massage the base of the ear to work the cleanser down the canal. Hold the ear down for a minute to let the fluid enter the ear canal, then release your dog and let him shake his head a few times to loosen the ear wax. Check ears again and clear out loosened wax with a cotton ball or cotton swab dipped in ear wash or mineral oil.
For dogs with droopy ears, remember to keep all hair under the ear opening and on the inside flap of the ear trimmed short. This will increase air flow to the ear and reduce the chance of infections.
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