Introduction
Regular grooming and health care is a must for any dog, however, some dog breeds require much attention in this field than others. For example, such breeds as Dachshund or Beagle are prone to various ear problems, since their ears are poorly aerated.
Cocker Spaniels and Labradoodles have a lot of hair inside and around the ear canals, thus their ears may become vulnerable to infections.
In this article we are going to introduce you to different dog ear cleaning solutions: ready-made professional solutions, natural cleansing agents and home-made recipes.
Cleansing Solutions
The most popular dog ear cleaning solutions are available in liquid form (as this form is the easiest to apply). Commercial cleansing liquids have antiseptic and antifungal effects, also, they are non-irritating and may be used before any other ear medication.
Such ready-made solutions will probably contain the following ingredients: propylene glycol, water, Spherulites, lactic acid, salicylic acid, docusate sodium, dimethicone, etc.
Natural Approach Cleaning
There are a lot of dog ear cleaning solutions with more or less natural ingredients. For example, cleaning solutions that contain tea tree oil are effective in case of bacterial and fungal infections.
Boric acid is a widely-used solution with antibacterial, antiseptic, anti-fungal properties. Chamomile and marigold extracts are known to be the best anti-inflammatory natural agents.
Home-Made Cleaning Solutions
Home-made dog ear cleaning solutions may be even better than the commercial liquids. The ingredients of the home-made cleansing solutions can clean the dirt from the ear canals, destroy bacteria and fungi, prevent wax from building up, and eliminate the inflammation in your pet’s ears.
There are the following ingredients, that may be used for making home-made cleansing solutions:
- white vinegar;
- almond oil;
- olive oil;
- aloe Vera gel;
- boric acid (powder);
- rubbing alcohol.
Here you can find some recipes of ear cleaners that you may easily prepare at home and they won’t be costly:
- White vinegar and water. This solution has great cleaning properties and may be used even in dogs with dry skin. Mix 1/3 cup of vinegar with 2/3 cup of lukewarm water and clean your dog’s ears as usual.
- Almond oil/olive oil or both. Nice solution to remove wax from the ear canals. Just instill a few drops of these oils into the ear canals and let your dog shake its head to spread the oils. Remove wax with cotton ball.
- Aloe Vera gel for irritated ears. Mix Aloe Vera gel with warm water (different producers advise different proportions) and gently clean the ears with cotton balls.
We hope, that our recipes will help you to keep your dog’s ears in a healthy state.