Why You Should Never Use Cotton Buds To Clean Your Dog’s Ears

Why You Should Never Use Cotton Buds To Clean Your Dog’s Ears

When your pup’s ears are crudded up to high heaven, reaching for the cotton buds can be tempting. But resist the urge if you don’t want to cause lasting damage to their hearing.

It’s true, there aren’t many simple pleasures in life like taking a cotton bud to your ear and having a good rummage. We know we shouldn’t. But it just feels so damn good, right?

That’s fine, but in this blog, we’ll tell you why taking the q-tips to your dog’s ears is a huge no-no. 

First, though, why don’t we cover some rules around ear cleaning? Including guidance around how regularly to do it.

How Often Should You Clean Your Dogs' Ears? 

Generally speaking, a good rule is to clean your pooches' ears around once a month. However, if your best friend has floppy ears, then it could be more like every couple of weeks. 

Additionally, the wax and general gunk build-ups in your pup's ears can be accelerated by poor hygiene and food intolerances. 

For example, if you’re dog loves nothing more than jumping in the river, sea, or local brook when you’re out on your walks. Then it’s always sensible to give their ears a wipe after every watery adventure to prevent mud, germs, and other parasites from getting in there. 

Likewise, wheat-heavy foods can cause build-ups of yeast to occur in their ears. If this happens switch their food for a wheat-free alternative.

Dirty Dog Ear

Why Should You Avoid Cotton Buds or Q-Tips?

It can seem like the perfect utensil for getting into those hard-to-reach areas. But they could end up hurting your dog. 

Your pet’s ear canals are super sensitive and shoving a foreign object down them can cause damage to the delicate cells. Or worse, moving a cotton bud around to remove wax can result in ruptured or perforated eardrums

In fact, you shouldn’t really be putting anything smaller than your finger into your or your dog’s ears. 

How to Clean Your Dogs' Ears With Wipes

When cleaning your pup’s receivers it’s always best to be gentle and use forgiving products. This is why we recommend our Ear Cleaning Wipes

Wipes are perfect for conducting a quick cleanse or getting rid of the gunk while on the move. To complete the clean with wipes you need to: 

  1. Slot a wipe over your finger 
  2. Gently massage your dog's ears 
  3. Be careful not to go too deep 
  4. Give ‘em a treat - they deserve it! 

Alternatively, you will need a cleaning solution to administer a more in-depth assessment.

Cleaning With Cleaning Solution

An ear cleaning solution is perfect for tackling build-ups further in the ear. The liquid is able to move down the canal and break down grime deep in the ear. 

  1. Hold your dog’s ear open 
  2. Insert the tip of the nozzle into the ear canal (not too far)
  3. Squeeze a couple of drops into the ear 
  4. Massage the base of the ear to encourage liquid down the canal 
  5. Allow your pet to shake

Get Your DogsLife Ear Wipes

Dog ear cleaning wipes are a safer and easier-to-use alternative to pushing cotton buds into your pet’s ears. 

But it’s not just around the lugholes that wipes can battle the grime on your pup. With a packet for every occasion, you can simply wipe away all health risks.

Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.