One aspect about dog ownership often overlooked is the need for pet ear cleaning in Gaithersburg MD and elsewhere. Dogs are not very good at cleaning their ears. Unclean ears tend to get infected. Ear mites are highly contagious to cats and dogs so you need to check your pet’s ears for mites daily. Here are some tips from The Groomery on how to keep your dog’s ears healthy.
Touch Dog’s Ears Without Cleaning
Dogs often do not like their ears to be touched. Puppies should have their ears as other body parts handled daily so they can get used to having their ears manipulated. For adult dogs, just touch the ears or pet them when your pet is tired. Give a treat for when your dog allows you to touch his or her ears. Use that treat just for ear handling or cleaning sessions to make the treat valuable to the dog.
Airing Out the Ears
Dogs get infections when the ears are constantly moist. Flipping the dog’s ear inside out once every few days helps the ear to dry out. Reward the dog for allowing you to touch the ears.
Proper Ear Smell
Ear infections or ear mites often first appear as a really bad rotten fruit smell. If your dog constantly scratches or shakes his or her head, smell the ears. The dog’s ears will hurt too much for a regular ear cleaning. Get your dog to a vet to get the infection diagnosed properly and treated. Never take your dog to a grooming service when the ears are bad because they could spread contagions to other dogs.
Use a Cotton Ball or Gauze
pet ear cleaning in Gaithersburg MD should be done separately from the bath. Shampoo in your dog’s ears will hurt. Place ear rinse for dogs on a cotton ball or gauze. Wipe out the outer ear canal. Just clean what you can see or you risk hurting your dog. Expect your dog to shake his or her head, spraying some rinse on you.
In Conclusion
Do not neglect your dog’s ears when caring for him or her. Dogs with long, floppy ears are most prone to infection. Contact us if you need a groomer to properly clean ears or remove the hair from inside of them.
