ear cleaning
 

The vet told me to clean out Callies ears by making a solution of half viniger and half water then fill her ear with it until its full and then rub her ear and let her shake her head and then dry what of her ear u can reach with a cotton ball. Has any one ever heard this or done this? Im kind of scared to do it what do yall think? Would it be ok to do?

Sorry I'm not sure about it, but filling their ears with anything would make me nervous. I got some cleanser from the vet for 10.00. Good Luck~

I don't know about that..... I clean Bella's ears after every bath (and sometimes in between baths....usually once a week whether she has a bath or not) with Vet Solutions Ear Cleansing Solution. I took her in to see the vet when I noticed her ears smelled funny to me. He checked them for every possible issue (mites, different kinds of infections, etc...) including taking swabs, putting the swabs on slides with different chemicals, and then looking at the slides under a microscope----nothing! She checked out clean, but he thought that since I bathe her regularly, she might be getting a little "swimmer's ear" or something, so that is what he used to clean her ears. He recommended me cleaning her ears with it (just like the process you described) weekly or after every bath. Since I do it after a bath, though, that is my last step and then I use the hairdryer on a very low setting--I don't use cotton balls to dry them. I think I would prefer the solution like the one I use (~$8 for a bottle, and you can get it at pet supplies or order it online too), simply because not only does it clean, it also helps water "dry" out of the ear faster, like after a bath when water could have gotten in. I don't think putting water (even if it is with vinegar) in her ear would be such a good idea, but that may be wrong. I know vinegar is used a lot to help restore pH and allow "good" bacteria to flourish and overtake the "bad" bacteria in humans (think of some of the vinegar and water feminine products out there), so I imagine that would be why he would suggest that in a dog too. And I'm sure the water is to dilute the vinegar so you're not adding straight vinegar, but I sill worry about putting water in an ear......I thought the point was to get the water out, besides cleaning? I don't know if that helped or not....maybe someone else out there is using vinegar and water and knows more about it??

Also, some vets (and groomers) recommend plucking the hair out of the ear, but I read some things that said that plucking starts the process to getting ear infections by causing inflammation in the ear. I talked to the vet about it, and he said that he agreed with me....wait until she actually has an ear infection to start plucking if we need to, but not start it until then. The groomer looked at me like I was nuts when I declined, but I'd rather not accidentally start a problem before she even has it!! If she ever gets one, we'll deal with it and then start plucking, but until then I watch her closely and keep her ears dry and clean. fingers crossed! (Something to be aware of, though, according to my vet, once you start plucking you have to keep plucking or you will certainly start having ear infection problems.)

Some people do use vinegar and water.
I guess it is okay if your vet is saying to do it but I prefer ear cleaner.
Besides drying out the ear, some of it also have an anti-fungal ingredient.
It smells better too.:)

We use Chlorhexiderm.

Just an FYI, I'm sure you know this of course ;), but if you use Chlorhexiderm, be very careful not to get it in their eyes! I believe Chlorhexiderm and Chlorhexadine are very similar (if not basically the same product??) Chlorhexadine is used for a lot of things, but one of it's functions is as a soap, which they are using in place of Betadine in surgeries a lot now because so many people have iodine allergies (I work in the medical field). My cat got ringworm when she was tiny on her nose, and besides treating it with over the counter Lamisil, the vet had me use a wash cloth and scrub the area with Chlorhexadine to kill the spores...he just said to make sure it didn't get in her eyes!! I don't know what would have happened if it had, but I got the impression it would be bad...because the spot was on her nose, and cats just LOOOVE water, he said to put mineral oil drops in her eyes to make absolutely sure I wouldn't get any in there. Just a heads up just in case you didn't know....

I use Oticalm to clean Lady's ears. It was recommended to me years ago by a vet tech. Maltese are prone to ear infections because of their drop ears, but I have never had a problem with Lady.

Oticalm (12 oz)

I do pluck the ear hair, but you almost always have to with a Maltese. The key is to only pluck the hair right inside the ear canal. If you use a little ear powder and your fingertips, it pulls out really easily. Forcibly pulling out the hair on the ear flap with hemostats is what can cause inflammation and irritation.

I've never heard of Chlorhexiderm for ears. Lady is prone to staph skin infections because of her allergies so I use Chlorhexiderm shampoo.

I use a product from Healthy Pet Net for cleaning all my babies ears. It was created by a vet and I do it after every bath :) I have it on my website and you can check it out here: ProductDetail
I really like it and it works really good!

Chlorhexiderm Flush - 1800PetMeds.com
Here it is.:)

What I do when cleaning ears, is to hold the ear out like an airplane wing (nice and flat) if you pull the ears straight up, its actually closing the ear canal. You just put the solution in the ear, massage it down in the ear canal, it should feel like a tube, like it make the "swooshing" noise, and then let your dog shake it's head to get rid of all that extra debris. NEVER USE A Q-TIP! I repeat NEVER USE A Q-TIP! this will only push all that debris back into the ear canal...cotton balls, or a tissue will work. Then, there you have it! GOOD LUCK!!!!! :D

that stuff is great!!!!!! does great on dry skin, or other skin issues!!!!!!

Hmmmm.....I think I pull Bella's ear out and not up when I'm cleaning it, but I'm not sure. No one ever told me that pulling it up closes the ear canal!!!! Sheesh! Still, I think that's what I do, simply because I grab the tip and pull it to where I can see down in her ear--she's usually pulling away too. I'll go home and try it to make sure I've been doing it right!! (I do the massage thing and listen to is squish....the vet "showed" me, but it would have been helpful if he's said "now this is what you want to avoid...") Thanks for the tip!

good luck...let me know how it goes!!!!! :animal36

When I got Melody back she had a very severe ear infection in both ears, the girl that had her said that she was using the vinegar/water thing:rolleyes:. When I took Melody to the vet for a total ck-up I was in shock when he told me that because she never shake her ears or scratch it or show any syntoms of ear infections, the vet told me that some dogs have ear infections for so long that they just get just to it:( he wash her ears and start it in some antibiotic, ear treatment after few week it clear up and she has not had it since them, thank God, I get the veterinarian best formula and is my favor one :thumbup::thumbup:I just got the ear wash with tea tree oil is ok too, I wash the ears before bath time wich is one a week and my girl are free from ear infections:thumbup::thumbup:
ps. my vet said that the vinegar thing is a old fashion way to do it:rolleyes: but he didn't say anything negative about that and I didn't ask either:rolleyes:

just an FYI....(im not trying to act like a smarty pants, guess working with a vet for 7 yrs is FINALLY starting to pay off :thumbup: ) But, a majority of ear infections in dogs are usually bacteria or yeast. If you think they have an ear infection, I would tell you to go to the vets and get them looked at, because certain medications help with the yeast or bacteria. You always want to make sure when you get your yorkie groomed, that they pluck out all that extra ear hair in the canal- it will help prevent ear infections too! :D

My shih poo is having ear issue's. I have some ente derm ointment, but i notice after the second day, his eyes start watering again. He only itches occasionally, very little really. But his eyes water very badly. I need to pluck the hair. The vet gave me cleanser and ointment, but not a rinse. Do I need to rinse after I cleanse?

Are you putting the cleanser in first? then wiping out excess debris? then applying the ointment!?

:confused: my girl don't have a ear infections lol, and I pluck the ears of my girls my self and never have a problem, only Melody when I got her back and she is free of ear infections since them:thumbup:

Good Deal! :thumbup: Fiona's ears have been perfect too!

Oh I love that name Fiona, it remindme of the girl in Burnnotice (tv show) what a cutie pie she is:p

awe thank you very much, i love her more and more each day, its crazy!
ive always be biased to larger dogs!

If you're saying to pluck the hair out of the ear canal on the baby with the ear infection(s), I absolutely agree!! :thumbup::thumbup: However, there are differing opinions (aren't there always :rolleyes:) on plucking hair out of the ear canal of a pup who hasn't had any signs of ear infections. Some vets think that plucking first can actually cause ear infections to start, and once you start plucking you can't stop or you'll get ear infections for sure.... Who knows which side is right??? (All the experts argues about every issue it seems!) I just wanted to pass along the info in case you weren't aware there is another view in that instance.....I'm not plucking Bella's yet. I guess we'll see, but I really hope that doesn't end up causing her more problems. *sigh

Another FYI....I just read this in a different thread, and thought you might want to know...

Here's the link to the thread....http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...ml#post2252387

Ellie May replied and said that "it is more toxic to cats than dogs but it still does pose a risk, especially if ingested. I would not use it at all." Apparently, it is in some dog shampoos too, so make sure to read the ingredients!! I can't believe it is known to be toxic but they put it in dog products anyway!!! :mad:

Thanks for the info, I just started using in on the girl is a ear wash and one of the ingredients have the tea tree oil, I will ask my vet about it, I got this one because the pet store was out of the veterinarian best formula that I have been using since my Phoebe was a pup (2 years ago):aimeeyork

oh yes yes, i agree, if there isnt an issue with the ears, DONT MESS WITH THEM! :D

Yes, I cleanse and wipe and then put the ointment in.

We use a was that we obtained from our vet that doesn't require a rinse. The only thing to be careful of while rinsing is make sure the ear is DRY. Water = breeding ground for bacteria.

We use these little squares of guaze that look very similar to cheesecloth that has been layered multiple times in a square.

For ear plucking, we use a pair of hemostats and twist rather than pull.

I use Vet Solutions Ear Cleansing Solution, which cleans, re-acidifies, AND dries!!! One step for all your needs! Just so you know, I DON'T use cotton balls on Bella (she's never had any ear issues at all)...I only use the solution after every bath, but I do use cotton balls on Maya because her ears tend to get a little waxy.

I just checked the bottle and that's what we use! GREAT STUFF isn't it!!!

We generally check the ears once a week and clean them every other week....depends on how much fun they had in my flower beds. Lol.

I don't know why we never used the cotton balls...I think it's because when we went to the vet, they used the square gauze things, so I just picked those up as well. I like them because I can use my finger with those to get all the little "creases".

Four of them don't mind getting the ear cleaned, but one ALWAYS runs to the couch and sticks her head in the pillow....it's quite hysterical. She thinks that since she can't see us, we can't see her whole body sticking out! :)

I use the 2x2 gauze squares (mail order is so much cheaper) especially with a dirty ear they grab the dirt better... cotton seems to stick to it more than remove it.

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I think the theory behind plucking is if the ear has never been plucked, dirt and bacteria can get trapped by the hair in the ear canal.

If all the hair is plucked in one sitting, many open pores are left for the germs to invade and cause an infection.

I always pluck an unplucked ear a little at a time... I may take 2-4 weeks to get it totally plucked, and, hopefully not enough pores are left open each time for an infection to set in.

The body can usually handle a small amount of contamination on it's own. Once the ear is totally plucked, it's just minor maintenance to keep up with it.

Warming the cleaning solution in a cup of hot water (check temp before using) can make it more comfortable for resistant dogs.