How-To …. Clean Your Pet’s Ears

Ear cleaning is very simple and can be done at home. You will need:

  1. A pet ear cleaning solution from your Veterinarian or pet store. Use only products designed for ear cleaning as they have astringent (drying) agents to prevent moisture build-up which can lead to infection.
  2. Cotton balls for cleaning
  3. A place you don’t mind making a bit of a mess – bathrooms, garages, and porches are great
  4. An extra pair of hands isn’t always necessary, but rarely hurts!
To clean your pet’s ears:
  • FILL the ear canal with the cleaning solution.
  • MASSAGE the base of the ear (you should hear a “smooshy” sound) for 10-20 seconds to break up and emulsify gunk
  • Let <> shake their head, which will bring up much of the gunk….and this is why you want to do it somewhere you don’t mind a mess, or that’s at least easy to clean!
  • Use cotton balls to wipe out gunk from the inside of the ear
  • If the ears are very dirty, you may want to repeat once.
Other Tips:
  • Never use Q-tips or put anything smaller than your finger into the ear!
  • Always clean the bottle applicator with a little alcohol when finished.
  • Unless instructed by your vet, you should not routinely clean ears more than weekly. Indeed, ear cleaning may never be needed in pets who don’t have issues, though in moderation it won’t hurt anything.
  • It’s ideal to do a quick clean after bathing or swimming, as the astringent cleaner will get rid of the moisture and water than can predispose to ear infections.
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