How to clean the ears of dogs and cats?

The ears of your pet, whether it's a dog or a cat,should be inspected regularly and gently cleansed with contamination. The accumulation of dirt and earwax can lead to diseases, and infections of auditory ways in animals are difficult to treat. Regular cleaning of the ears will help prevent these diseases or identify them at an early stage.

How to clean the ears of a dog?

Clean the ears of the dog you need once every few weeks, some breeds - once a week. If the dog has hanging ears, they need to be inspectedmore often, as in dogs with hanging ears worse ventilated ear canal. In long-haired breeds, it is necessary to carefully trim the hair in the auricle, because the abundance of hair, again, does not allow air to circulate in the ear canal.

To clean the ears of dogs, usespecial lotion, and if the animal has problems with the ears - then the veterinarian prescribed (for example, with otitis, a sterile saline solution may be prescribed). You can not clean your ears with irritating fluids, for example, dioxidine, hydrogen peroxide, etc., this can harm the dog!

Lotion should be dripped into the external ear canal, slightly pulling the ear. It is important to accurately fix the head of a dog, not letting the animal shake its ears. A few minutes gently massage the base of the ear (if you do it right, the dogs usually like this procedure). Then release the dog and let it shake your ears.

This procedure should be repeated until the fluid that flows from the dog's ear becomes transparent. Then you need to gently wipe the auricle with a soft cloth, gauze or cotton pad. In no case can you clean the ear canal with tampons, cotton buds, etc.!

How to clean the ears of a cat?

Like dogs, cats need to clean their earsregularly, about once a week or two. For cleaning, you can use petroleum jelly or vegetable oil. Before the procedure it needs to be heated in a water bath or in a microwave. Do not let the oil get too hot.!

Before the procedure, it is better to fix the cat, gently "wrapping" it in a blanket or towelor asking someone to hold the cat's head and paws. This is necessary not only for your safety, but also for the safety of the animal: if the cat jerks his head, when you clean her ear, there is a risk of injury.

Moisten the cotton bud with warm oil and wipe the inside of the auricle with careful circular motions. Too deep "shove" a stick can not!! If you are afraid of damaging the ear canal, wind the gauze on your finger, moisten it with oil and brush your ear with your finger. You can also use a wad of cotton wool wrapped in gauze instead of a wand.

You can clean the ears of cats, burying special drops for cleaning the ear canal, which softens the earwax. The procedure for cleaning the ears of cats in this case is the same as in dogs.

Cleaning of the ears in animals can not be done "on the run", this procedure requires calmness and accuracy. During cleaning, you need to talk with the animal in an affectionate, calm tone. At the end of the procedure, praise the pet and reward it with some kind of delicacy.

If you are not sure that you can properly clean your ears, it is better to contact the veterinarian, it will show you how to do it, and then you will manage yourself. The cleaning of the ears of a sick animal is best entrusted to a specialist.

And remember: if the discharge from the ears is too abundant, if the ear canal is red and inflamed, if the animal shakes its head, presses and scratches ears, tries to rub its head against furniture, you need to contact the veterinarian as soon as possible!