# ear cleaning question....



## javier310 (Sep 26, 2013)

Hi, I went to the vet today and asked my vet with what I can clean my puppy's ears. He told me to buy contact lens cleaner and put some in rambos ear, he then told me to let him shake his head and clean it with a soft tissue. I wanted to know if anyone has tried using contact lens cleaner to clean a dogs ears?

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=130682&stc=1&d=1383434595


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

why didn't your Vet clean his ears?


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

I don't believe in messing with the ears unless they are visibly dirty or there is a problem.
When I do clean his ears, I use Zymox.


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## Mrs.P (Nov 19, 2012)

Sunflowers said:


> I don't believe in messing with the ears unless they are visibly dirty or there is a problem.
> When I do clean his ears, I use Zymox.
> 
> Amazon.com: Zymox Ear Cleanser With Bio-Active Enzymes, 4 oz.: Pet Supplies


I second Zymox great stuff


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Yeah I only touch them when there's clearly dirt in there or some redness. I prefer to use a 50% vinegar solution. It's cheaper than everything else out there and has worked wonders for me. I usually just dip a cotton ball and clean out the ear.


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## volcano (Jan 14, 2013)

Yes use zymox, amazon sells it. My girl hated ears cleaned, she knew what a bottle looked like and you couldnt get it in her ear. Some groomer told me to pin her down? apparently shes not used to true workking line dogs.
What I do now that works is I have a little tube similar to chapstick but softer, I fill it with the cleaner and then step on her leash so shes basically head down, I give her an ear rub and slip in the liquid, then rub her ear base and then let her shake it out. She doesnt mind this method at all.


Edit- for just maintainance, you can use a mix of 90% isopropyl and vinegar. The alcohol is to help the water in the vinegar dry out. Zymox is for infected ears.


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## vicky2200 (Oct 29, 2010)

I've never heard of contact lens solution. My dogs have problem ears, so I clean more often than I would like. We have ear wash from the vet (both medicated and nonmedicated) that we use. They told us we could use a vinegar solution (mentioned above) but I prefer to buy the wash. My husky and poodle (so far) never need their ears cleaned unless something gets in it outside.


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## kenco (Jul 27, 2013)

One trick I learned on this forum is to soak 2 cotton balls in the solution you're most comfortable with (nothing too drying because ears need to maintain some moisture) and after you've pet your pup for a while that he/she is relaxed, rub one cotton ball into the ear and use your hand to massage the ear with the cotton ball in it. Do this to both ears making sure he's praised and comfortable, relaxed. You can warm up the cotton balls or the solution first so it's his skin temperature. After massaging the ears with the cotton balls sitting in there for about 30 seconds, let him get up and he should shake his head like he's wet, thus making the cotton balls fly out. I find it quite funny to watch and an efficient way to get it done 
Otherwise, the least intrusive thing you can do is use about 1/2 teaspoon of Coconut Oil to rub into his ears. The coconut oil is a moisturizer, antibiotic, anti-fungal, and and anti-oxidant that smells awesome  My pup loves coconut oil and would lick it out of his own ears if he could.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

volcano said:


> Zymox is for infected ears.


Zymox makes more than one product.

Zymox Ear Cleanser is for dirty, not infected, ears.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

Zymox is a really good ear cleanser. Alternatively, you can make a good one at home mixing approximately equal parts of isopropyl alcohol and vinegar. This is a good solution for ears that are dirty or waxy, or for routine ear maintenance if the dog has a predisposition for ear infections. The alcohol kills microorganisms and helps to dry the ear, and the vinegar leaves an acidic residue that inhibits yeast and bacteria. Some like to add water to the mix, but personally, I don't like putting any more water in the ear than necessary--the alcohol and vinegar you buy at the store is already diluted with water. Don't use this solution in ears that are infected or raw, as it will sting broken skin--go to your vet.

Another really good ear cleaner that does NOT sting is Vet Solutions. It's as good as Zymox, in fact I think it's better for ears that are very waxy. It smells good, too.

The Epi-Otic ear cleaner that they sell at Costco is pretty good, but it has a really awful mediciney smell.

I have heard you can use contact lens solution for cleaning the eyes, but hadn't heard of it for cleaning ears. I don't suppose it would hurt, especially if the ears are raw and tender, but I don't know how it would help that much with curing or preventing infection. As far as I know, contact lens solution is simply a mild enzyme cleanser, in a pH-balanced base that will not sting or irritate tissue.


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## javier310 (Sep 26, 2013)

doggiedad said:


> why didn't your Vet clean his ears?


I told him to clean them but he just told me to use the contact lens cleaner.


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## phgsd (Jun 6, 2004)

I only have one dog with ear issues due to allergies...for maintenance I'll usually just use Vetricyn spray. When she gets infections I use Zymox Otic. It took a while to find what works for her. 
I tried the homemade Blue Power cleaner for quite a while, but it didn't help much.
I've never had an ear issue with any of my other dogs so I don't mess with cleaning their ears.


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## Brandon_kelley (Jan 5, 2014)

I have a 9 week old puppy, I just took him to the vet yesterday and the vet told me to clean his ears twice a day with epi-otic. He showed my how to do it and he completely bent the dogs ears back to get the solution down. Now im not expert but everything that ive read about GSDs is that you should not bend the ears, especially before they become erect. Now its come time for me to do it today and im a little worries about harming Dettmer in the long run by doing this. Does anyone have any experience or advice for me?  


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## ChetsDad (Nov 9, 2013)

I've used little rounds pads soaked in witch hazel in the past and those have worked well for me. You usually can find them in the first aid section in the pharmacy.


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## volcano (Jan 14, 2013)

I used the vinegar/water and it cleared the infection right up in a day. I had been using zymox over a month. So different infections respond differently.


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## sam2014 (Aug 2, 2014)

sam is shaking his head does that mean ear infection or just need cleaning never had a gs before thanks


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