Big Paws Only Dog Forums
BPO Grooming Forum => Discussions & Information on Grooming => : lookingfornewf July 28, 2008, 07:07:52 AM
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Clifford has been scratching at his ears lately and they smell just a bit. They are not red and don't seem to hurt him when I look at them. Is there something I should use to clean them? ::)
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I just mix water & white vinegar in 3:1 proportion. And I always use cotton balls to dry the ears after to make sure there is no moister left :)
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I use a solution bought at the vets. Huge bottle for under 10 bucks. Pour it in the ear - rub the ear around then let it drain out. I also use cotton balls to dry it out after. Man, I hate doing it. Just the thought of it makes me cringe!
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I think you are thinking of otomax or something similar.
but the vinegar solution works great as a household remedy.
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I use Vinegar for everything as well...
BUT...for their ears, I use Listerine-just the regular formula...and it cleans EVERYTHING out, and it disinfects everything as well. Just soak a cotton ball or pour a few drops in, massage it for a bit, let them shake out the excess, then I dry everything out with some cotton. :) Keeps everyone's ears clean, and the bugs out of there.
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Thanks everybody, I just cleaned his ears out with the vinegar solution. He didn't mind at all. Of course I did give him a toy with peanutbutter in it to distract him. Since it didn't bother him I'm assuming his ears were just itchy when he was scratching. If they were actually infected it would probably be uncomfortable with me rubbing them all over.
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dumb question... but where do you buy plain mineral oil? I have looked and find it mixed with other stuff...
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you should be able to find mineral oil at a drugstore. We had to get it for Posey when we thought she was blocked. Vet recommended it as a last resort before surgery. It worked w/i a couple of hours......... ..lol.
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Do you wipe out th mineral oil after you clean their ears or leave whatever excess there and they shake it out?
Probably a dumb question!!
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We use Oticalm from the vet. It's worked well for us.
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Do you wipe out th mineral oil after you clean their ears or leave whatever excess there and they shake it out?
Nothing is a dumb question. ;)
I would wipe the excess out. You never want to leave anything in there unless its meds.
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I would never use vinegar and water or mineral oil. The vinegar mix will leave dampness in the ear (bacteria loves a moist environment and that causes smell) and mineral oil will leave a residue that dust and hair will stick to. The best thing, in my view and experience (and setters have huge ears) is methylated spirits. Just get some cottonwool balls, damp them with the metho and clean out as much of the ear wax as possible. Any left over fluid evaporates and the ear is left clean and dry and fresh as a daisy!
P.S. This is also way cheaper than commercial ear-cleaner.
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Gosh, maybe it depends on the breed of dog, and I'm certainly no expert. But for Newfs out vet never wants any wetness at all to get in their ears. They have very deep canals that have a bend in them like an 'L' plus the large ear flaps. Any moisture gets trapped and can not easily drain. Moisture plus body heat makes a great breeding ground for all kinds of infections. Putting vinegar or even mineral oil might be hard to get out if just poured in.
Long story not too short. She has us use Epi-Otic by Virbac. It says "Fresh Apple Fragrance" but they lie. Stuff stinks. Squirt it on a cotton ball and wipe out the ear. It has a drying agent so never leave any dampness. If done regularly it keeps the wax from building up as well. Needless to say the bubs are not pleased with this procedure.
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The ear is one of those areas I wouldn't trust a home remedy for, cause I worry about bacteria and also yeast. We use oti-calm brand ear cleaner. We got it from the vet but I've seen it at stores to. It works well, smells fine, and is alchohol free. I soak a cotton ball in it and squeeze it out into her ear, and gently massage a little, then rub any waxy residue off let her shake it out.
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I use baby wipes to clean dirty ears(dirty, not infected). I buy mine from the health food store since the drug store brand has weird ingredients in them.