Homemade ear cleaners

I used to use expensive ear cleaners, but when I acquired an adult dog who had had chronic ear infections, and came to me with prescription ear medication, my vet told me that it was best to use a simple mixture of white vinegar and water to clean my Cockers ears weekly. I use a small plastic bottle that holds a few ounces and fill it half with the white vinegar and then with water, shake vigorously, and then drop it very carefully into the ear canal--I never "squirt" it into their ears, as my dogs hate that. I then clean out the ears using cotton balls--never going too deeply. I usually do this several times in each ear at each ear cleaning session.

The prescription meds did not clear up my new dog's ear problem, but after about six months of the vinegar/water weekly cleaning, that infection finally went away, and he has never had another ear infection since. I use this simple, and very cheap, mixture to clean all of my Cocker's ears every week, and I NEVER have ear problems.

My vet told me that this simple white vinegar/water solution keeps the ear canal in an "acid" condition, which is not conducive to bacterial or yeast growth. As I currently have nine adult Cockers, this is also helpful financially, as the ear cleaners at PetCo etc. are quite expensive.

[Escrito por Lu do Suwannee Cockers em 5 de fevereiro de 2006 para a lista Petdogs-L do Yahoo Groups]

I've been using vinegar/water mix for cleaning ears for years. I have found it helps if you make sure the solution (either homemade or store bought) is at room temp or a little warmer. If the solution is cold, it makes it more difficult for the dog to tolerate and is one the reasons why the dogs will fight ear cleaning.

[Escrito por Cher McCoy em 6 de fevereiro de 2006 para a lista Petdogs-L do Yahoo Groups]

The vinegar works fine with ear infections. Even to prevent an ear infection and on healthy ears. If you dog has Ear Mites (that's if the ear has a Really DARK and Dry wax), you should use Mineral Oil to clean their ears.

[Escrito por Cgbotero em 7 de fevereiro de 2006 para a lista Petdogs-L do Yahoo Groups]