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How to Clean Your Dog’s Ears

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How to Clean Your Dog’s Ears with Stuff You Have

If you have a dog, you know they sometimes need a little “help” with their grooming. My golden retriever, Sophie, is quite active (as in she loves going into the lake and rolling in mud).

How to Clean Dog's Ears

After her adventures, I noticed there would be an unpleasant odor around her ear area… like the smell of mold in a bathroom. Not a good scent. So I asked the vet what I could do to take care of the situation. He explained that we could buy a jug of ear cleaning solution from the pet store, or take care of it with stuff we already had… which was much more appealing!

Vinegar and Water

Supplies: warm (not hot) water, vinegar and cotton balls.

Cottonballs and Water

You want a ratio of 2/3 water to 1 part vinegar. I used 1/2 cup of warm water and added 1/3 cup of vinegar. Gently mix and dip the cotton balls in.

Sophie sniffing cotton ball

The vet didn’t tell me this part– but I find letting Sophie sniff the cotton ball before I put it in her ear helps her not be so frightened. Plus, it’s only polite!

How to Clean Dog's Ears

Next, gently put the wet cotton ball in the inside ear and swirl around a little. GENTLY being the important word.

How to Clean Dog's Ears

That’s it. I love being able to cuddle with my Sophie and not have her smell awful. Well, at least her ears don’t stink!

Stolen Content Update

By the way, I’m sorry that I am having to “watermark” all my photos towards the middle of the images. I don’t like the way it looks. Unfortunately, there’s a site that has been stealing my content and pretending like it’s theirs. They cut my watermark off when it’s not in the middle and cut and paste all my text. In short, they steal and they are terrible! I’ve tried asking them nicely multiple times to stop but so far, they won’t.

Thanks for your understanding.

Sharing at Uncommon Designs, Craft-o-Maniac, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Kathe with an E, The Girl Creative, Domestically Speaking, Live Laugh Rowe, Thirty Handmade Days, Carolyn’s Homework, Tatertots and Jello, Shaken Together Life, Flamingo Toes, Food Folks and Fun, Little Miss Celebration and The Cards We Drew.

Cleaning Tips// Housekeeping// Organizing// Organizing// Popular Posts22 Comments

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Comments

  1. Crystal says

    October 8, 2014 at 8:17 pm

    I have two dogs and we have bought the ear cleaner before. I’m definitely going to do this from now on…so much less expensive. Thanks so much!!

    Reply
    • Malia says

      October 10, 2014 at 7:20 am

      Hi Crystal, I didn’t know you had 2 dogs! How fun! What are their names?

      Reply
  2. Crystal says

    October 8, 2014 at 8:23 pm

    By the way….if I haven’t told you before, I love the new look of your blog.

    Reply
    • Malia says

      October 10, 2014 at 7:21 am

      Thanks Crystal. I hope it’s more user friendly. If you have any feedback (good or bad) I’d love to hear it!

      Reply
  3. Caryn says

    October 10, 2014 at 5:59 pm

    This is a great tip! I use vinegar for lots of doggy things so I’m glad to hear it is safe for ears. This is also a good tip for senior dogs. Really like the emphasis on gentle.

    Reply
    • Malia says

      October 11, 2014 at 6:32 am

      Thanks Caryn! Vinegar is amazing isn’t it? Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and leave a comment. xo

      Reply
  4. Julie says

    October 22, 2014 at 5:13 am

    So cute, Malia! Great tip! Bet it works for cat ears too?

    Reply
    • Malia says

      October 29, 2014 at 6:14 am

      Thanks Julie, yes I think kitties too… why not! xo

      Reply
  5. Vanessa says

    October 22, 2014 at 9:38 am

    Great tip Malia!

    Reply
    • Malia says

      October 29, 2014 at 6:14 am

      Thanks Vanessa!

      Reply
  6. cammie says

    October 27, 2014 at 9:04 am

    thanks so much for posting this-my big red golden retriever/Great Pyreenes mix had the worst time with his ears and it takesa swat call out to do anything near them. He sat like a perfect gentleman for this! maybe the smelling first is tbhe key

    Reply
    • Malia says

      October 29, 2014 at 6:13 am

      Yay! Yeah I think letting your pet check out the cotton ball etc is a good step. My dog also would probably bolt if I just stuck something in her ear!

      Reply
  7. Suzanne says

    January 10, 2015 at 5:54 pm

    You should place that watermark diagonally from corner to corner!!! Thank you so much for this post (so it’s 2 parts water for 1 part vinegar??) as I have a choc. lab with smelly ears. Your Sophie is gorgeous. Kudos to you for letter her smell it first. It is very respectful of ones pet. And when you respect a pet, they respect you in return.

    Reply
  8. marti says

    January 31, 2015 at 7:48 pm

    You might also want to add rubbing alcohol to the solution to help dry out the ear from the water. My vet told me about that after I showed her the post. Just a heads up.

    Reply
  9. Amy says

    April 8, 2015 at 6:03 am

    I have a dog with hair not fur (Cairn Multipoo or Yorkie mix) and she likes this solution. Sometimes I use water and tea tree oil. The rubbing alcohol stings her so I don’t use that anymore. Thanks for the ideas!

    Reply
  10. Joan von Metzinger says

    July 6, 2015 at 2:21 pm

    Hi, I have a gorgeous golden retriever. ., yes as gorgeous as your. .. hence the reason I’ve pinned your pin… i loved reading about keeping his ears clean as he often gets ear infection and we get drop to put in and it’s never cheap and they never suggested cleaning solution. . This is a fantastic idea an something I can do it will certainly save a bit.. what has shocked me most about your article is that another site it stealing your work. And passing if off as there own… as for your watermark… i had to go back and really look for it! I wish you all the success with your blog and I hope your watermark keeps them away. Joan

    Reply
    • Malia says

      July 6, 2015 at 6:22 pm

      Hi Joan, Thanks for letting me know. Would you mind sending me a link to the site that’s stealing my work if possible? Thanks, Malia

      Reply
  11. Gay Barrett says

    July 9, 2015 at 7:48 pm

    First things first, what a beautiful fur baby!

    My border collie/lab mix struggles with ear infections as well. We do the same thing but use apple cider vinegar. Also, a friend recommendation putting about 1 T of apple cider vinegar in her water. That has proven to be helpful with hot spots as well as her bothersome ears. :-)

    Reply
  12. Joyce says

    April 1, 2016 at 8:24 am

    Thank you So Much for your ear cleaning solution! My sheepdog has the worst ears! I keep the hair trimmed neatly in & around her ears, and one day I look there beautiful next couple days there BLACK! Why after hundreds and hundreds of $ and trips to the vet does this happen? My dog is 7 yrs and her Mom died of ear infections the breaded told me a year ago! Is there any prevention??? Also I’m sorry about people stealing your photos!! I totally understand that! Just keep putting you WaterMark in and pray for the best! I took a funny picture sent it to my cousin out of state with just my logo on the bottom! A year later I got it back from a friend with my name off, it had traveled all over the world almost with different credits! Crazy!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Project Inspire{d} #88 | Yesterday On Tuesday says:
    October 13, 2014 at 5:00 pm

    […]  How to Clean Your Dog’s Ears /// Comfort Bread […]

    Reply
  2. My Top Ten Posts of 2014 | Yesterday On Tuesday says:
    December 28, 2014 at 7:12 pm

    […] I love my dog Sophie like crazy and I know that’s the way most dog owners feel about their pets! Sophie’s vet shared this “solution” for cleaning her ears at it works great! It turns out it’s easy and cheap! Check out the post: How to Gently Clean Your Dog’s Ears. […]

    Reply
  3. How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies | Yesterday On Tuesday says:
    October 9, 2015 at 9:46 am

    […] How to Gently Clean Your Dog’s Ears […]

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Hi, I’m Malia. I love finding ways to make every day special through DIY projects, decor ideas, and recipes. I’m also a journalist with a passion for positive stories.

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