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Thread: Ear cleaning

  1. #1
    Senior Dog MightyThor's Avatar
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    Ear cleaning

    Does anyone have any tips on cleaning lab ears? Thor’s have always been squeaky clean so I have no experience, but Barley has a lot of wax buildup. We’ve had the vet keep a regular eye on them throughout his puppy vaccinations and they are never red and infected, they are just super waxy. She recommended regular cleaning but dumb me didn’t ask for tips on how to actually do it.
    Mighty Thor, "So Much Dog", born 1/6/2014
    And baby Barley, born 3/9/2018

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  2. #2
    Senior Dog Berna's Avatar
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    I use a product called Epiotic and during the summer months when it's hot and humid and he also swims a lot, I clean Cookie's ears once a week. I just pour the liquid in his ears, massage them, let him shake his head and then clean the ears with a cotton wool.
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  3. #3
    Senior Dog SamsonsMom's Avatar
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    Samson swims weekly and has had two ear infections. One when he was 1 and the other last November. Once I mentioned to the vet he was swimming weekly he recommended ACV and Alcohol. I put on cotton swab and place in his ear. Works wonders.

  4. #4
    Senior Dog smartrock's Avatar
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    I put the cleaning solution on a cotton ball or one of those little cotton makeup remover pads and squeeze the solution into the ears from the pad. Mine have accepted getting the stuff in their ears that way better than squeezing it from the bottle. Then I massage, let them shake, wipe with the still wet pad, then with a dry pad. I usually use Epiotic but for just routine cleaning I’ve also used witch hazel or some other home brew someone on here recommended.


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    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    If Thor is not having issues with his ears I would not clean them. Regular poking around in there, of itself, can cause irritation and lead to infection. I mean inside the canal. Is that where you are talking about?
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  6. #6
    Senior Dog bmathers's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Berna View Post
    I use a product called Epiotic and during the summer months when it's hot and humid and he also swims a lot, I clean Cookie's ears once a week. I just pour the liquid in his ears, massage them, let him shake his head and then clean the ears with a cotton wool.
    Epiotic is what I use too. Great product.


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  7. #7
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    I just use regular witch hazel for ears that need cleaning but have no problems. Soak a cotton ball, squish liquid into ear and rub gently.

  8. #8
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    Here's some good info I found a while back. Homemade Dog Ear Cleaner: Learn How to Make Your Own

    This is the ear wash solution my vet gave me many years ago. Thankfully I don't have an issue with Brooks' or Sophie's ear, but this stuff worked pretty well. Ear solution
    I did use the witch hazel instead of alcohol.

  9. #9
    Senior Dog POPTOP's Avatar
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    I use the cotton ball technique too. It works very well for us. All of our dogs have not liked having ears cleaned except Katie. She's such a good girl. Soak cotton ball and hold in my hand just a minute to warm it up a little.
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  10. #10
    Senior Dog MightyThor's Avatar
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    Thanks all, this is very helpful!
    Mighty Thor, "So Much Dog", born 1/6/2014
    And baby Barley, born 3/9/2018

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