Q-Tips For Dogs???

OK, how do I safely clean Sarge's ears out?

 

I use Earoxide that i get at the vet supply. you dont have to whipe it out and it does a good job i believe pet edge and jefferies both carry it also.

 

If you use Q-tips, you don't have to worry about sticking them in too far. The vet showed me a model of a dog's ear. The ear canal is not shaped like a human's - it bends in an L-shape, so if you stick the Q-tip straight down the ear canal, you will never be able to go around the corner and to the eardrum.

Of course, you do want to make sure you are not shoving stuff further down the ear canal or anything.

Here's an interesting page on cleaning dog ears and some natural preparations you can use. I don't know anything about them, so I am not endorsing them or anything. The page has a picture of the structure of the ear canal, showing the horizontal and vertical canals.

http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/health/eareyes.htm

All the pages I found said not to use Q-tips, but my vet said it was okay. I guess it's a judgement call.


Jamiya

 

No Q-tips. Use either a tissue or a cotton ball. Buy some ear cleaner solution, put it on the cotton ball and shove it in and then rub the ear around, then pull it out. Then use a tissue to dry the ear out.

 

See, I knew there would be some sort of "Q-Tip thing" out there. Like with little kids. But, I had heard both yes, you can use them (like Jamiya said about the shape of the eardrum) and no, do not use them. I also wanted to be sure I used something gentle and non-irritating as far as a cleanser.

 

I do use them with no problems. My son went thru alot of ear problems when he was younger so I was always looking in his ears with a flashlight believe it or not. I clean in their ears where I can see.