How to Clean Your Dog’s Ears

Choosing an ear cleaner for your dog can be daunting, so I’ll divide dog ear cleaners into sections to make it easier for you. Before we get started, let’s talk about how often you should clean your dog’s ears.

Every week, you should check your dog’s ears for brownish or black debris in the ear canal and take a whiff for any foul odors. Trust me, you’ll smell if something is wrong. There’s usually a rancid or sour smell if yeast or an infection is brewing down there.

Cleaning Normal Ears (No Debris)

When taking a peek in your dog’s ears, you should see light pink skin and smell no odors. If no smell, irritation or debris is present, you should clean your dog’s ears once a month. If your dogs are bathed weekly, be very careful not to get water in your dog’s ears. You can do this by placing a cotton ball in front of his ear canals to block water from traveling through. Don’t forget to remove the cotton ball after your dog’s bath, as it can harbor bacteria and yeast.

Espree’s Ear Care cleaner is my favorite dog ear cleaner. Trust me, I don’t work for or receive any type of incentives for recommending products. I’ve just tried a ton of them over a 25-year period and I know which products work. This stuff is amazing. It cleans and deodorizes dog ears, leaving a fresh peppermint fragrance behind.

RELATED: Best Medicated Dog Shampoo

Cleaning Smelly and Dirty Ears

Super simple remedy: make a vet appointment. I know, I know. You’re searching online for a miracle dog cleaning solution that will save you money.

Trust me, going to the vet will provide a return on investment. Using homemade ear cleaning products can irritate and cause further infection. Plus, it could be yeast, ear mites or bacteria causing the smell and debris. Only your vet can find the cause. Additionally, using homemade or non-vet approved dog ear cleaners can cause your dog pain. Under all the debris is irritated pink skin, and using the wrong product will burn. Oi, and then medicating your dog’s ears will become hard.

Just go to your vet’s office if your dog has smelly or dirty ears. They can determine the cause and provide treatment to clear it up. If it becomes chronic, then you can seek other avenues, such as a diet change, allergy shots and other medicated products.