Because of the shape of our pet's ear canals, they are particularly prone to ear problems. Bacteria, viruses, yeast and many parasites thrive in a warm, moist (and dirty) environment. Cleansing your pet's ears should be a weekly ritual from a very young age. Cleaning ears and allowing adequate air circulation is especially important for dogs with long or floppy ears.
Here are some tips to help you with this easy procedure:
Gently pull the pinna (earflap) upward to straighten the ear canal. Squirt an ear cleaning solution into your pet's ear and massage the base of the ear between your thumb and forefinger for 20 to 25 seconds. This ensures that the cleansing solution gets a bit deeper into the ear. We recommend a cleaning solution that contains a cleansing agent as well as a drying agent.
Release the ear, stand back, and let your dog shake his or her head. Debris will be loosened and shaken out. This is why you should be outdoors or on a surface that is easy to clean.
Gently wipe the outside of the ear and the canal that you can easily reach with a piece of cotton ball or a tissue. You do not need to jam your finger way into the ear. You are counting on the volume of liquid, your ear canal massage, and the head shaking to bring the debris up and out of the horizontal part of the canal that you can't reach. Do not use Q-tips unless directed! You may either scratch the inside of the ear or cram the debris farther into the canal.
At this point you would apply any ear medication needed to the ear canal and massage.
Use the cleanser once a day for 7 - 10 days while treating an ear infection. To help prevent future infections, clean the ears once or twice weekly.