Caring for Your Pet's Ears

 

  

Learning how to clean your pet’s ears is rarely at the top of an owner’s to-do list, but this may be one of the most important ways to prevent some common health problems. 

Your pets’ ears could be irritated by many different contributors such as ear infections, debris, yeast, mites, ticks, or other disorders.

Your pet’s ears are the perfect environment to grow bacteria and yeast, which can lead to serious infections. Dogs have many more ear problems than cats. Dogs with heavy floppy ears have the most problems with ear infections. Some breeds have lots of hair in and around the ear canal which causes them to develop ear infections. Dogs that spend lots of time in the water also are prone to developing ear infections. 

Taking the time to check their ears and clean them regularly, will reduce the chances of ear infections and irritation? 

Cleaning Your Dog’s Ears

If your dogs ears look healthy, but dirty you can clean them with the vibrac's Epi-Otic Ear Cleanser or Epi-Otic Advanced Ear Cleanser.

1. Most dogs do not like having their ears cleaned, while others will happily lie on their side. You can make your dog’s ears easier to handle by petting them while you handle them.

2. Once they are lying on their side. gently push the ear flap back and expose the inner surface of the ear.  

3. Holding the bottle with your dominant hand, place the recommended amount of epi-otic cleaner in your dog’s ear. A few drops of ear wash should be applied to the inside of the ear flap and then the tip of the ear wash bottle should be inserted a few millimeters into the ear canal, to place some of the wash solution down the ear canal. Be careful not to tightly force the tip of the bottle into the ear canal as forceful squeezing of the bottle with the bottle wedged into the ear canal could rupture the ear drum.

4. Massage the base of the ear to distribute the solution throughout the ear canal. This is the part most dogs enjoy.

                                           

5. Allow the dog to shake its head and release any debris that may be within the ear canal. 

6. Use cotton Balls to wipe and remove discharge from the inner side of the ear flap.You may also use q-tips to clean the inner side of the ear    

flap, BUT NEVER STICK Q-tips in the ear canal. You can easily damage your dog’s eardrum.

8. Make it a positive experience. Don’t forget to reward your dog for their excellent behavior.

Cleaning Your Cat’s Ears

Vibrac Epi-Otic Ear Cleanser is so gentle; it makes an excellent choice for cleaning your cat’s ears.

1. It’s best to clean your cat’s ears while they are happy, at rest and at ease. Avoid cleaning your cat's ears after giving them a bath or during a stressful treatment. If your cat feels overwhelmed at any point take a break for a few minutes and allow him to calm.
3. While praising your cat, massage the ear for about 20-30 seconds. This will allow the solution to loosen the debris.

2. Always be careful of what you put in your cat’s ears.  Their ears are very sensitive to chemicals and temperature.  Epi-Otic Advanced Ear Cleanser has a neutral pH balance that makes it gentle for your cat’s ears.  Add 5-10 drops of a gentle ear wash solution into the ear.

4. Wipe the inside of the ear with a moist towelette or cotton ball. Wipe away as much debris as possible and change the cotton ball or towelette as necessary to ensure best removal of wax & debris. NEVER use Q-tips to remove debris from a cat’s ear. Using a Q-tip on such a gentle area of a cat can be very dangerous. Using a Q-tip can push debris further into the ear canal or even worse, damage the ear drum. 

5. When ear is clean, pat ear dry with soft cotton balls. A cat will want to shake their head at this point, allow them to do so but also comfort them.

The key to avoiding ear infections in cats or dogs and maintaining healthy ears is to keep them clean. Good routine ear care is very safe and consists of a weekly inspection and, if necessary, a cleaning. This is a great way to catch any problems that your pet may be experiencing with their ears.