Come pulire correttamente le orecchie del cane

Dogs rely on their ears for many things and that doesn’t just mean to hear things with. Dogs also use their ears to communicate to other dogs and humans. So if they become sore, dirty, or infected it can negatively affect their day-to-day life in more ways than one.

Some breeds are more prone to this. But whether your dog has long hair, short hair, floppy ears, or pointy ears, they are all susceptible to ear problems. These can, fortunately, be prevented by keeping on top of your dog’s ear cleaning.

Cleaning your dog’s ears is a bit more complicated than it is for us. Usually we just use a Q-tip. But for dogs, you will need to get a bit more hands-on with multiple steps as well.

Luckily, you have come to the right place though to find out how to clean your dog’s ears. In this guide, we will start off with ways that you can check your dog’s ears so that you know what warning signs to look out for. 

Indice

• How To Check Your Dog’s Ears
  • Fuori dall'orecchio
  • All'interno dell'orecchio
  • Pelliccia
• Come pulire le orecchie del cane
• Sommario
• FAQ

How To Check Your Dog’s Ears

It’s important to know the difference between a healthy and an orecchio di cane malsano. It will help you stay one step ahead of what might happen. 

Fuori dall'orecchio

The first check you can do is relatively simple but can tell a lot about the health of the ear. All you have to do is gently stroke the dog’s ear from the base to the tip and if you find that the dog is flinching.

Allontanare la testa o improvvisamente guaire è un chiaro segno che qualcosa potrebbe non andare.

However, this step is only helpful for dogs that otherwise like having their ears stroked. A dog who doesn’t would naturally flinch or pull their head away. 

Se il tuo cane scuote molto la testa o gli prude spesso le orecchie, è anche un segno che sta provando irritazione o dolore. 

Dai un'occhiata all'esterno dell'orecchio e cercane uno qualsiasi segni di acari, parasites, sores, inflamed skin, or tangled hair. If you come across any, gently comb it out or trim the hair off if it’s too tangled. 

Se l'orecchio sembra sano all'esterno, potrebbe essere necessario dare un'occhiata più da vicino e controllare l'interno dell'orecchio.

All'interno dell'orecchio

È qui che dovresti cercare una quantità eccessiva di cerume, sabbia, sporco o pelle morta, nonché qualsiasi altra cosa nell'orecchio che sembra causare un'ostruzione. 

Non preoccuparti se vedi del cerume però. Questo è del tutto normale ed è lì per fornire una barriera protettiva.

Tuttavia, se la cera sembra molto unta, densa o sporca, può essere un sintomo di qualcos'altro che sta accadendo nell'orecchio. 

As you can expect, any signs of blood inside of the ear is not normal. You also shouldn’t be able to smell anything bad as this can be a sign of a parasite infestation or infection.

If this is the case, you should bring your dog to the vet as soon as you can. The dog is likely in a lot of pain and if you leave it too long, their hearing could be affected. 

Pelliccia

Alcuni cani possono avere peli lunghi all'interno delle orecchie che possono intrappolare cera e sporcizia. Dovrai pettinare delicatamente. Ma puoi anche tagliare i capelli per renderli un po' più corti.

You must be very careful though. One wrong move could nip the ear. So if your dog is the wriggly kind, it would be best to take them to the vet instead. 

Se hai una razza di cane con pelo lungo e folto, probabilmente dovrà mantenere regolarmente il pelo dentro e intorno alle orecchie.

Tieni presente che è molto più facile mantenere i capelli man mano che crescono invece di aspettare che tornino alla stessa lunghezza di prima.

Some groomers are able to pluck the long hair in a dog’s ears with a special technique. But you should not try this at home because there is a good chance that you will hurt your dog by accident. So leave it to the professionals for the best results. 

Dovresti essere in grado di scendere fino al condotto uditivo e, se necessario, potresti dover girare un po' l'orecchio in modo da poter vedere eventuali detriti tra le crepe e le fessure. 

Come pulire le orecchie del cane

To clean your dog’s ears, you will first have to gather some equipment together.

Ciò comprende:

• Tamponi di cotone idrofilo o batuffolo di cotone umido, non utilizzare bastoncini di cotone poiché possono incastrarsi troppo nell'orecchio
• Detergente per orecchie specifico per cani, non utilizzare prodotti realizzati per orecchie umane
• Asciugamano pulito
• Alcuni per aiutarti 
• Tante prelibatezze per cani

Now that you have all the equipment ready, it’s time to do the hard part which is cleaning the dog’s ears. 

1. The first thing you should do is make sure that your dog is comfortable and relaxed. If they are not, the cleaning process will be much harder, and your dog will likely be even more troublesome the next time you try to do it. 
2. Quindi, usa il batuffolo di cotone per pulire delicatamente intorno all'ingresso dell'orecchio per rimuovere la cera e lo sporco in eccesso.
   Get the dog-friendly ear cleaner and insert the tip into the ear canal, make sure that it doesn’t go in too far, and give the bottle a squeeze to release the product.
3. Massaggia leggermente la base dell'orecchio in modo che il detergente passi nel condotto uditivo
4. Usa il batuffolo di cotone umido per rimuovere il detergente in eccesso
5. Eseguire lo stesso processo per l'altro orecchio
6. If your dog has been prescribed ear drops, it’s best to use them after you have cleaned the ears as this will help the medicine to pass through the ear without getting stuck to any ear wax. 

Throughout this ear cleaning process, you should keep rewarding your dog’s tolerance with positive reinforcement and treats. This will make them much more willing to do it again in the future. 

Some breeds will need to have their ears cleaned more regularly than others. Especially those with long ears such as basset hounds and cocker spaniels. Their ears don’t get as much air and can trap debris pretty easily. 

If your dog likes to swim, you should also clean its ears more regularly. The extra moisture can cause ear infections. 

In general, it’s best to clean them on a regular basis. But don’t do it too much. Overcleaning can cause the ears to get irritated and lead to more issues.

To be safe, it’s best that you ask your vet as to how often you should clean your dog’s ears. They will know your dog and exactly what they need. 

A proposito, sapevi che le persone usano olio di cocco per le infezioni dell'orecchio del cane?

Sommario

To summarize, it’s fairly easy to clean your dog’s ears. The signs that you need to are clear to see once you know what to look out for.

Your dog will be thankful that you took the time to research and put into practice how to clean their ears. In the long run, it will save you a lot in veterinary costs. 

FAQ