dog ears

do u actually clean ur dogs ears out w/ a q tip, all the way into the ear? my vet gave me ear cleaner and then i am supposed to qtip the ear as far as the q tip goes. do u guys do this?
my dog literally freaks... and i know humans arent even supposed to do this to their own ears. my pup has floppy ears so i was told air doesnt circulate so dirt builds up and infections start....
let me know what u do. TY

Re: dog ears

GOOD GOD NO!!!!!

I think you need a new vet...

I would do that to my own ears no less my dogs. You could really damage your dog's ears.

Please, seek a second opinion. I've NEVER had a vet tell me to do this, even when one of my dogs got an ear infection. We never used a Q-tip in their ears.

Re: dog ears

hmm - that's interesting b/c my vet told me to do the same thing and we do it to char all the time. he specifically showed my husband how to do it and she never even acts like it is doing anything to her - and she is the type to whine, cry, shake - ANYTHING if she is in any type of pain.

so, i think it is ok - we have a great vet whom i completely trust ... i've also heard of this from other vets and my sister uses someone else who lives closer to her and she said to do the same thing. we have a special cleaner they gave us and DH does it.

also, from what our vet explained - the way in which the dogs ears are shaped is like an L so there is very little to no chance of the Q-tip even coming close to the ear drum or inner part of the ear where it can cause damage.

maybe call a few other places if you want to make yourself feel better and ask if it is OK - don't get me wrong, when Vin first did it I was like OMG is that OK to do?? but he explained and then I spoke with our vet, etc... and since she didn't make a PEEP when we did it i know she is fine - perhaps your dog is just freaking out b/c it is nervous in general? my mom's cats FLIP at the sight of a brush - obviously brushing doesn't hurt them lol but they are just high strung about certain things.

hope that helps...

Re: dog ears

I have 2 dogs and I have never been told to do that. I highly trust my vet and he has never suggested this.

Does your dog have any ear mites that you would need to do that?

I know growing up our cat had ear mites so we had to clean the ears out. But my dogs ears are so spotless, there is nothing to clean. Then again, the groomer cleans their ears (I am unsure how though) so that is why they are very clean.

Re: dog ears

We clean Misty's ears about once a month with a cotton balll and Q-tips....I don't use the ear cleanser only cuz it made her ears break out, I just use regular rubbing alcohol. She has never had a problem with it...but she is used to it so that may be why.

Re: dog ears

Honestly - I won't do it.
I know way too many people that have 'Lost' the end of that Q-tip in their dogs ears.

When cleaning my dogs ears, I use baby wipes, and if I really need to get deep in her ear, I will put the Q-tip in the baby wipe and then clean.

Re: dog ears

Re: dog ears

The shape of a dogs ears are different from human ears. You can actually go in deeper. I use a soft cloth with warm water. I clean his ears once a week. The only time I will use qtips is when the gunk is near the outer.

Re: dog ears

I clean our dogs ears with ear cleaner and a cotton ball. I was told by my vet and our trainer to NEVER use a qtip. You can damage the dogs ears.

Re: dog ears

Re: dog ears

Yes, we do it at least 1 time a week, our dog has her ears clipped (this was not our choice) so we have to otherwise she gets really bad ear infections and tears at her ears. We cant really go too deep b/c I cant see that far, but for the most part the only part we can clean is the bendy parts of her ears-not her "ear canal" I guesss. We have to practically sit on her to get her to let us do it but now she is kind of used to it

Message edited 3/30/2008 2:08:17 PM.

Re: dog ears

I always cleaned my dogs ears with cleaner and a cottonball. The vet said NOT to use qtips

Re: dog ears

Our vet gave us very specific instructions for how to do it with a Q-tip. If you keep the Q-tip at a very specific angle, then it will not go in too deep. Still, we usually opt not to do it ourselves. We have used a Q-tip in the outer area to get anything that is in the creases. Otherwise, we use an old washcloth and either some ear cleaner or a small amount of baby oil. We have a bunch of old washcloths that I use one final time on the dog's ears then throw them away. I cover my finger with the cloth and then clean away. Our groomer gets the ears really good and it's worth it to take him there and have them do his ears, nails, bath and anal glands--all the things that can be tough to get done the right way at home.

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No way...if anything, I take a paper towel and wet it with warm water...and gently wipe the inside of her ears. For a good cleaning we go to the vet.

Re: dog ears

What you do is take a cotton ball and just wipe the inside area, do not use a Q-Tip and actually go into the ear canal!!!!!!

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Katie will not allow me to use cotton balls. I use q-tips but only where I can see.

Re: dog ears

Thanks for all the responses. they are all so different...... i just really had a hard time that the vet was going in so deep w/ a q tip and asked me to try it and she was literally pushing my hard in deeper.... and i so didnt like it, so if not everyone does it then i dont have to. u guys are the best w/ all your helpful advice! hopefully i can be as helpful to u one day~~

Re: dog ears