如何照顾狗的耳朵 | How To Take Care Of Your Dog’s Ears

Compared with dogs with upright ears, dogs with floppy ears tend to get dirty easier because there is less ventilation, especially in the hot and humid weather of Malaysia. Since a majority of the popular pet dog breeds in Malaysia have floppy ears which are also hairy in the ear canal, the amount of ear wax and bacterial growth increases quicker and that will require more maintenance.

How often do I need to clean my dog’s ears?

Regardless of your dog’s ears are floppy, upright, hairy, or less hairy in the ear canal, ideally, we should clean our dog’s ears once a week after their bath.

Why should I clean my dog’s ears with ear cleanser after a bath?

After your dog takes a bath or swim, the extra moisture trapped in their ears may cause ear infections. An ear cleanser should be used when cleaning the ears, wiping the ears dry with just cotton will not be enough.

How can you tell if a specific dog breed will have hairy ear canals?

Generally, dog breeds with short muzzle hair do not grow much hair in their ear canals. For dog breeds with long muzzle hair though (Schnauzers, Shih Tzus, and Poodles) they tend to have hairy ear canals.

This is similar to our previous articles titled “How To Trim Your Dog’s Belly Hair” & “How To Trim Or Shave Your Dog’s Paw Hair Safely”

How often do I need to remove my dog’s ear hair?

Ear hair plucking is normally done every 2 to 3 weeks.

How to clean my dog’s ears and pluck the ear hairs?

Basically you just need 3 items to perform this: ear powder, ear cleanser, and cotton. Sprinkle the ear powder into the ear canal. This can help to improve the “grip” and reduce “slip” when removing ear hairs from the ear canal. You can pluck the dog’s ear hair by using forceps or with your bare fingers. Drop few drops of the ear cleanser into the ear canal, and then gently massage the base of the ear. Your dog may shake his head after that’s done. Use cotton to wipe the extra ear cleanser from the canal. Do not use cotton buds to dig around in your dog’s ear.

What are dog ear mites?

Dog ear mites are mites that live in animal ears. This will produce excessive dark brown ear wax which is very smelly. If your dog is infested with ear mites, you may notice that the build-up of ear wax is quicker than normal, even from the next day after cleaning. Under this circumstance, you need to use ear mite treatment to get rid of them and the treatment instructions may vary according to different product brands.

Why should I do if my dog is shaking and scratching his ears after ear hair removal?

If your dog’s ear hair has not been removed for more than 3 weeks, a sudden thorough cleaning might trigger irritation. This will cause him to shake and scratch his ears frequently. You can put a cone (or also known as an Elizabethan collar) on your dog for the first 1 to 3 days to prevent him from excessively scratching which may lead to infection due to bacteria that’s transferred from dirty nails to any open wounds in the ear.

In conclusion, for dog breeds with hairy ear canals, it’s better to make sure that their ear hairs are removed regularly, minimum once every 2 to 3 weeks.

Hope these little tips help, especially for new pawparents!

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