Dirty Ears

[SSki]

About two weeks my dog was scratching his ears and shaking his head, I found his ears were dirty. He was spending time outside and I thought it was from sweating and being in the desert because it looked like dirty grime. He had been to the vet two weeks prior and his ears were clear and clean then and he got a clean bill of health. I cleaned his ears just by wiping them out and he seemed to quit scratching. Now we are away from home in a small town in eastern AZ and about two hours from a vet or pet store, he is shaking his head a lot again and scratching a little bit. His ears look clean except when I looked way down in the canal with a flashlight I think I can see wax or something. Nothing is red, looks more dirty or like wax, and his ears don't stink. He has these big bat ears that stick straight up and seem to be catching dirt :B

Does anyone know if there is a safe home remedy that I can use as drops to help clean out his ears?

Thank you in advance for any help.

[Dave_Jeanette]

Sorry for the late reply, but I just saw the post.

Our previous lab used to have issues with dirty ears. Our vet gave us a choice of either the solution they have for sale or we could make our own which he called the WAV mix.
It is equal parts of vinegar, alcohol, and water. The vinegar take care of any yeast problem and the alcohol was to assist in drying. The water was just the flushing fluid.
Much cheaper solution and usually have all the ingredient available no matter where you are.

Glad you got it solved.

Dave

[SSki]

Thought I would post an update. It's been nearly two weeks and after cleaning Duncan's ears with just a little peroxide and changing his food back to the chicken flavor he was getting, he has had no more issues. His ears have stayed clean and he isn't scratching anymore. I guess it was a food allergy after all. I wouldn't have thought about that since it was the same brand, just a different flavor.

Thanks to all of you for your help.

[SSki]

Code2High wrote:
Put a bit of the gunk on black paper or fabric before you do the mineral oil. If you see white specks moving it's mites. The oil will discourage but may not eliminate them.

Will do, thanks for the tip.

[Code2High]

Put a bit of the gunk on black paper or fabric before you do the mineral oil. If you see white specks moving it's mites. The oil will discourage but may not eliminate them.

[SSki]

Thanks to all of you. As soon as we get somewhere with pet supplies I'll look for the cleaners, and try to find mineral oil today. There is a little general store in the next town over so I am hoping they have something.

Sue T. that is interesting about the chicken allergy. You just made a light go off in my head. I am going to watch this closely because I have fed him Blue Buffalo Freedom Chicken and just started giving him Blue Buffalo Freedom Beef about two weeks ago. Silly me thought he would like the variety. I have always put about a teaspoon of shredded chicken with his kibble and then dehydrated chicken jerky for treats and he never has had this issue. I also gave him a little bit of bland shredded beef (only about a teaspoon) the other night on his kibble and he threw up his whole dinner within an hour. I didn't think about a food allergy and now I wonder if it is the beef. I actually have a new bag of the Blue Buffalo Chicken with me, so I'll get that out and start feeding him that again.

Thanks again!

[CatandJim]

Just another word of advice, makes sure that "dirt" isn't ear mites. It takes a special solution to kill mites, all the cleaning in the world won't get rid of them.

[CA_POPPY]

Not sure it's been clarified, but make sure this ear treatment is performed outdoors! When the dog or cat shakes his head, that oil flies everywhere. I once had to do an extensive clean-up of a bathroom because I forgot that little detail. :E

[dennisgt60]

Put drops of your choice in ear. Message base of ear. Twist kleenex into a wick shape. Insert kleenex into ear and message ear again. Remove kleenex. Repeat with additional kleenex until tissue comes out clean/clear. Stay after ear situation to avoid bacterial infection which can become serious.

[sue_t]

Kodi gets murky ears when his food allergies are acting up.

Chicken and tuna make him scratch his ears within an hour or two of eating those items. It was a great way for me to quickly determine which foods he could eat or not.

Before I figured this out, his ears also developed a thick black gooey gunk deep down. Now the itching is enough for me to clue in, well before the gunk develops.

[raindove]

I've used the Virbac Epi Otic already and it works well. I also use the Liquid Health K-9 Ear Solution

My dogs have long, hanging ears so keeping them dry is important. I'm guessing that's not really an issue with dogs who have the "bat ears". 😄

[AZPops]

I clean Calvin's ear with Virbac Dermatology Epi-Optic Advance ear cleaner.

Fill his ear canal with the stuff, massage the base of his ear. Then let him shake, after he shakes, I clean his ear with a couple of cotton balls.


Pops

[TugCE]

My Macy has Ear Problems. I got a solution from my Vet that I put in her ear and rub. Then I let her shake, which usually brings most of the gunk out.

What I do for cleaning is I went to a Beauty Supply Store and got some of the cotton they sell for going around the neck. It is maybe 1/2 before you twist it and you can break off what ever length that you need.

As I said Macy has had ear problems as long as we have had her, so i clean them quite often. All of the supplies for cleaning and medicating her ears are kept in a Canvas Tote Bag. Well, all I have to do is pick up the bag and she hides. She is fine once I get her to relax but it is funny to watch her reaction to the bag.

[SSki]

Francesca Knowles wrote:
A couple of drops of warm (body temp) mineral oil in the ear followed by a vigorous rub (outside of the ear) helps- the "massage" loosens things up...then wipe out with a clean cloth. I never use Q-tips as I'm afraid of poking one in too far.

I've also used peroxide on a cloth, but the dog must be tolerant to the "noise" peroxide produces when it contacts the dirt. Not all dogs are!

Thank you, I don't think he would tolerate the peroxide (of course I have that), so I'll see if I can find mineral oil around here.

[Francesca_Knowl]

A couple of drops of warm (body temp) mineral oil in the ear followed by a vigorous rub (outside of the ear) helps- the "massage" loosens things up...then wipe out with a clean cloth. I never use Q-tips as I'm afraid of poking one in too far.

I've also used peroxide on a cloth, but the dog must be tolerant to the "noise" peroxide produces when it contacts the dirt. Not all dogs are!