Although a little earwax is good for all of us, it’s important to keep your puppy’s ears clean to avoid infection. If you have a puppy with floppy ears, or if your pup likes to play outside in windy or cold conditions, it’s especially important to make sure that you clean their ears regularly!
Check their ears regularly
If you start noticing a build up of earwax or outside debris in your puppy’s ears, it may be time to give them a cleaning. Check their ears once a week or so to ensure that there is no dirt or wax build-up. Often the best time to check your pup’s ears is when you’re bathing them. When doing so, though, avoid getting water in their ears as dampness can give bacteria a nice home and give your puppy a painful infection.
Use a dry cotton ball
When cleaning your puppy’s ears, first wipe the inner ear with a sterile cotton ball to clear away any residue or debris. Make sure that you wipe from in to out, and don’t go into the inner ear canal of your pup’s ears. If a dry cotton ball won’t do the trick, feel free to use a little clean water as well. Often, this cotton ball wipe down is enough for most puppies, but if you continue to notice lots of earwax or debris in your puppy’s ears they may need a little more help.
What to do if there’s excess wax
If you see excess wax build up but your pup’s ears are free from redness or irritation, use a small amount of professional ear cleaning solution to keep infection away. Your vet can give you a recommendation for a solution that will clean without irritation. Squeeze a small amount of the solution into your puppy’s ears, but don’t insert the bottle past the ear opening. Massage your puppy’s ears before allowing him to shake his head to clear away excess solution. After a few minutes, the solution will soften the earwax and you can use a cotton ball to clean out the wax.
For more information on how to care for your pup, contact Pauley’s Pups today!