Ear Care: Five reasons to regularly clean your dog's ears

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1. Prevent Infections

One of the main benefits of regularly cleaning your dog’s ears is to prevent dog ear infections. These can be extremely painful for your pet, so your best bet is to avoid them. The dirt and excess wax build up create the perfect feeding ground for infection-causing bacteria and yeast. Additionally, it’s harder for infection treatments to penetrate the inner ear if there is too much wax. With regular cleaning  you should be able to prevent bacterial ear infections and promote faster recovery if your pet does get one. Ear plucking can allow air to get into the ear canal also promoting healthy ears.

2. Remove Weeds and Organic Matter

If your dog loves playing outside, rolling in the grass, running in the woods, or playing in the sand, then it’s important to check his ears for dirt. Small twigs, weeds, and other plants can get lodged in the ear while your pet is having fun. Check for these weekly and pull them out. If not cleaned out on regular basis, plants and weeds can work their way down the ear canal, posing serious health-threats.

3. Get Rid of Ear Mites

Ear mites are highly contagious and annoying parasites that like to make themselves at home in dogs’ and other animals’ ears. These creatures feed on ear wax and oils and in severe cases, can lead to ear infections. While they are nearly invisible to the naked eye, regular cleaning can help detect their symptoms.

4. Maintain Healthy Bacteria Balance

Be careful not to clean your dog’s ears too frequently. Healthy bacteria also live in the ears and help to fight off yeast and other organisms that might compromise the well-being of your dog’s ears. If you pet is healthy, don’t clean her ears more than once a week to give good bacteria enough time to re-establish and multiply before the next clean.

5. Keep Your Dog’s Ears Clean

If for no other reason, clean your dog’s ears for hygiene. The wax produced in the ear acts as a net that catches all the dirt, twigs, and even dust. If not regularly cleaned, the dirt forms a hard coat of ear wax and could easily result in a plethora of dog ear problems including ear mites and bacterial infections. By cleaning regularly, you ensure that the buildup of dirt is not significant and hence much easier to remove and clean.

If done properly and without causing distress to the dog, ear cleaning can be a great way to mitigate the chances of canine ear infection. Plus, if there is an infection or other problems, then you will be able to catch them before your pet suffers too much pain.