Ears

[yellowlabsrule]

Winnie is constantly in the water and getting water in her ears. There is enough water in her ears that when you scratch behind her ears you can sometimes hear it. Is there something we can put in her ears to dry it out? What should I do? We are going to the vet (if need be) in about a week. Also, how often should I clean her ears?

[yellowlabsrule]

My puppy needs help! Please help if you can!

[alicat613]

Well I know you can put cotton balls in the ears to help keep water out. I've seen this advised for when giving a bath, but I don't know how cooperative Winnie would be about that on a regular basis!

I use witch hazel. It's a natural astringent you can buy at the drugstore to clean Parker's ears. I only do it once a week and with a cotton ball, no q-tips. I just gently clean the areas I can reach easily. Then every few weeks I get a little extra withc hazel further down in the ear, and massage the ear base. This cleans out the inner ear, and helps dry it out. Then he shakes his head and gets witch hazel all over! LOL

I think once a week is normal for ear cleaning...not sure though.
If you smell Winnie's ears and they are stinky, then they definately need a cleaning. Stinky ears are bad!

There are all sorts of ear cleaners you can buy at the pet shop, but many have different chemicals in them so check them out before you buy. Many I've seen have pyrethins in them to kill ear mites, which is great if no one is sensitive to the chemical (we can't use pyrethins). There are also some nice all natural ear cleaners on the market. I've also heard of using peroxide (but dogs hate that because it bubbles) or vinegar.

[Daisysmom]

I have heard that rubbing alcohol works too. It is on the same order as the witch hazel. When you put a few drops in the ears the alcohol helps to evaporate the water quicker than it would on its own.