Question: How to clean a dog's ears?

The moment you decide to have a dog in your home, a responsibility of taking care of their health (grooming) is supplemented to your life. Failing it might allow unhygienic atmosphere to prevail at your home. Again, the condition of your dog might deteriorate at a rapid rate simultaneously if he is not taken care of properly.

Causes behind ear problems
One area of dogs that requires attention from their owners are their ears. The ears have a peculiar shape. It is because of their ear canal shape that they are prone to numerous ear problems. They home numerous deadly bacteria, yeasts, viruses and similar other organisms, which move freely in the air and are deadly in nature. To prevent your pet from attracting a serious ear problem, you need to cleanse them on a weekly basis from day one. Ear cleaning and allowing appropriate circulation of air is imperative for dogs with floppy or long ears.

Why cleansing requires circumspection?
Although ear cleaning is imperative for dogs, one must know that it should be done in a careful manner. It is a known fact that their ears are very soft and if the cleansing is improperly carried out, infection can follow. You can take the aid of a grooming professional for the procedure. However, they are very expensive.

Steps for cleaning your dog's ear
To avoid such unaffordable scenarios and still groom your dog, you can follow these simple steps for cleansing the ears of your pet:

At first, you should pull the earflap (pinna) of your pet upward in a gentle manner. This will allow the ear canal to get straighten.
Follow the first step by squirting some ear cleansing solution inside the ear of your pet. You should remember that the solution you are using should be prescribed by your vet.
After squirting the solution, you should massage their ear base by having them in between your forefinger & thumb for almost 25 seconds. The massage procedure allows the solution to go deeper inside their ear and you will have more desired outcome.
Your pet might get restless after the solution gets in and can start shaking. Allow him to shake his body. This might allow the extra solution to come out from their ear.
After giving him some time to relax, get soft cloths or cleansing pads for removing excess debris and wax that has got out from their ears due to the shaking and the solution. Avoid inserting any object down their ear canal.
Finally, use ear-drying creams or powders and keep the earflaps folded for around 5 minutes for drying their canals.

Do these steps really work?
You will be surprised with the quantity of debris and wax that can be removed in this manner. Weekly cleansing of their ears prevents numerous potential auditory problems prior to their onset. Again, they also save your precious time & money too.

Dogs largely depend on their hearing and consider them amongst their strong senses. It makes sense for taking care of their ears.