Guide: How to Clean Dog Ears with Hydrogen Peroxide
Just like humans, every living creature needs medical attention. Today’s focus of discussion is how to clean dog ears with hydrogen peroxide.
The most common problems that people encounter in pets is Ear disease. At least once in their lifetime, a dog will suffer from this painful condition.
Causes of Infection
- Wax, grime, dirt etc. and God knows what else is constantly building up inside our lovely pet dog’s ear.
- Ear mites, bacteria, and yeast are the common cause of ear infection in puppies.
- There are also several other contributing factors to the enhancement of ear infection like allergies, foreign bodies, moisture, hormonal abnormalities, and trauma.
Symptoms of Ear Infection
- The symptoms of ear infection start from shaking head, scratching, rubbing, odor, swelling or redness in the ear, brown, yellow or bloody discharge from the ears or even unusual eye movement.
- Some dogs become so uncomfortable that they even damage their ear flaps by continuously scratching and rubbing their ears, that is why it is important to know how to get rid of the dog ear infection.
Ear infection can occur anywhere in the outer, middle or inner ear. Well, in that case, we should avoid treating the ear infection in the dog by ourselves; rather we leave it for a Medical practitioner.
When to Consult your Veterinarian
- Fluid drainage
- Severe wax buildup
- Deep scratches
- Cuts
- Abrasions
- The interior of the ear turns red
- Unpleasant smell
- Swelling and bumps
- The skin becomes crusty
- The hair from the ear starts to fall
To avoid any kind of ear infection in your pet, a regular ear check should become part of the grooming routine. However, if you notice that your dog tends to develop earwax, or it has excessive hair in its ears, you need to clean them more often. If left untreated for a prolonged period of time or even worse, get an infection! Now, we are going to talk about how to clean dog ears with hydrogen peroxide perfectly.
Do’s
- Clean inside of the ear flaps regular basis.
- Bathe your pet frequently and ensure a good hygiene.
- Dry your dog’s ear thoroughly after swimming or bathing.
- Restrict your dog’s activity when it is having an ear infection.
Don’ts
- Avoid washing your dog’s ear frequently and vigorously.
- Do not use alcohol for cleaning, it causes dryness and can inflame the tissues.
- Practice not to keep your dog indoor for a longer time; indoor dogs are much likely to have ear infections.
Things to Keep in Mind
- If the ear of your dog looks dirty, then you need to clean it’s ear as early as possible with a cotton ball. Though there are various solutions available on the market, it is a good idea to opt for one that you can prepare at home.
- The another most important thing you need to understand that the skin located inside the dog’s ear it is so delicate. By no means should you scrub intensively or use solutions that may cause rashes.
- Moreover, when you clean your dog’s ears you need to stick to the external parts. To be more exact, it is forbidden to stick anything in the ear canal as this can lead to serious problems.
- In case the ear canal is filled with hair, you may need to groom it a bit. To be more precise, you can tweeze it out on a regular basis, so it does not get tangled.
There are numerous home remedies that will help your pet overcome this problem. These are –
- Herbal Remedies
- Commercially Available Ear Cleansing Solutions
- Treating the Ears with Hydrogen Peroxide
- And other Home Remedies
How to Clean Dog Ears with Hydrogen Peroxide- The Method
To clean dog ears, common household items such as vinegar and hydrogen peroxide can be used. Today we are going to focus on how to clean dog ears with hydrogen peroxide.
Make sure that the hydrogen peroxide you are using is at room temperature. Dogs really do not like cold liquid in their ears!
Requirements of Cleaning Dog Ears with Hydrogen Peroxide
- Hydrogen peroxide
- A tablespoon
- Cotton balls
- Water
- A small bowl
- And a dry cloth.
Procedure:
- Pour 2 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide (3 percent) into a bowl.
- Add an equal amount (i.e.2 tablespoons) of water.
Note: Each time you need extra cleaning solution, add 1-part water for every 1-part hydrogen peroxide.
- Stir and mix it well.
- Dab a cotton ball into the mixture.
- Gently rub the damp cotton ball onto the outer rim of your dog’s inner ear by using circular motions is the most efficient way.
- Slowly move towards the inside of your dog’s ear with the circular motions.
Note: Add a new cotton ball whenever necessary. You want to be removing the wax and grime, not spreading it and restrict yourself just on the outside of your dog’s ear canal. You must AVOID going into your dog’s ear canal!
- Once you’re done with circular motions, dampen a new cotton ball and place it in the middle of your dog’s ear.
- Flush your dog’s ear around the cotton ball and gently massage.
- Repeat the same for the other ear.
- Take the dry cloth and dry off your dog’s ears.
That’s great! Successfully you’ve cleaned your dog’s ears!
You can find more pet advice on how to clean your dogs ears at Mypetzilla.
