How to Maintain Your Dog's Ears:
Preventing Infection

The following on ear care comes from The Senior Dog Care website:

Keeping the ears clean and dry is good practice with a dog of any age. If you are brushing and combing your dog every day as we recommend, you'll have a daily opportunity to examine and wipe the outer canal of his ears. You can do this with a tissue moistened with any liquid ear cleaner that your vet recommends.

Dogs who are still swimming in their senior years need to have their ear canals dried after they go for a dip. Your vet may recommend a two-step drying agent plus cleaner for this purpose.

Be diligent about clean, dry ears with your cocker, and you won't run the risk of an ear infection that might spread. If you notice a bad odor or discharge from the ears, or if your dog starts shaking her head a lot, see your vet immediately. A major infection could be brewing. Your older dog's immune system isn't working quite as efficiently as it did when she was younger, making it harder for her to rebound from an infection. (Excessive head-shaking may also injure the brain.)

From the Drs. Foster and Smith pet care catalog:

Ear cleaning is an easy, quick and painless routine that can prevent as much as 80 percent of potential ear infections. The goal is to remove dirt, debris and excess wax from the ear, leaving it clean and dry. Cleaning once or twice a week is adequate unless your dog spends a lot of time in an unmaintained outdoor environment such as farm or hunting fields.

If you use a cleansing solution: Place a few drops of the cleaner in the ear and then gently massage the base of the ear between your thumb and forefinger. This spreads the liquid throughout the ear canal and helps break up and dislodge dirt and other debris. After 30 seconds or so, wipe it out with a soft, clean cloth, cotton ball or gauze pad.

If you use ear cleansing pads: Simply wipe the surfaces of the ear canal with the treated pad.

Important final step: Regardless ng method you choose, always put a drying powder in the ear canal after cleaning to eliminate any excess moisture.

Should you notice inflammation, tenderness or excessive ear scratching, please consult your veterinarian.

Several dog owners I know swear by the blue power solution, the instructions for which can be found on this website. We have also used it here "at the condo" with success.

This page last updated 10/10/02 Get your own FREE Website at