6 of the Best Ear Cleaners For Dogs
Wash away all that grime and end their incessant scratching from the comfort of your own home
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Yes, you can clean your pup’s ears at home, as much as the thought might make you squirm. It’s just a matter of sifting through the many products to find the one.
To find the right ear cleaner for your dog, you’ll have to consider a lot of different factors: specifically if they’re prone to yeast infections, microbial overgrowth or wax accumulation. Thinking through what issues you’re trying to treat can help narrow down your search, but you’ll probably want to think about the ingredients in each product, too. Either way, there’s an ear cleaner that will get the (sometimes unpleasant) job done: you can have your pick from vet-formulated products, cleaners with organic ingredients or those that include probioticsopens in a new tab.
While some pups are blessed with the gift of infrequent infections and natural debris-free ears, many aren’t as lucky. Though maintaining your dog’s ear hygiene is a crucial part of evading possible health risks and lots of sleepless nights (for both of you), over-cleaning or incorrectly cleaning their ears can actually cause more issues. That’s why it’s important to be sure you’re taking a non-invasive approach to cleaningopens in a new tab, which means no cotton buds. Absolutely do not stick anything in your dog’s ear: you’ll risk piercing their ear drum. Flushing the ears with liquid, rubbing them gently to ensure the liquid is evenly distributed, and allowing your dog to shake them out is the best way to go.
But if the ear cleaner you’re using isn’t showing results, you may need to take your pet to the vet to get antibiotics. They may have an infection that can’t be corrected by drops. Your vet may also want to prescribe medicated ear creams or drops that you can’t get over the counter.
What causes these infections in the first place? “There are multiple causes of ear infections (otitis externa), including allergies (most common), ear mites, a foreign body (this can include polyps or neoplasia), excess hair in the ear canal, anatomic changes in the ear canal, excess moisture in the ear canal, injury, immune-mediated diseases, endocrine disease and excessive cleaning,” says Dr Lori Teller, a clinical associate professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. “Any of these causes allow for bacteria and/or yeast to overgrow in the ear, leading to the infection.”
All Ears: 10 Fun Facts About Your Dog’s Earsopens in a new tab
There’s a lot more to your pup’s furry appendages than you’d think
Knowing this, it’s important to learn how to safely clean your pup’s ears so you’re working to prevent infection instead of making the problem worse.
Best ear cleaners
Below, our top ear cleaner picks for dogs and dog parents seeking relief.
Btw, our editors (and their pets) picked out these products. They’re always in stock at the time we publish, but there’s a chance they’ll sell out. If you do buy through our links, we may earn a commission. (We’ve got a lot of toys to buy over here, you know?)
Cruelty free and 100% natural, Ear Pro is a great choice for your at-home dog salon. It gently removes wax build-up without stripping away your pup’s natural oils. This product is free from Parabens, Silicones, SLS, DEA, Enzymes, and other unnatural ingredients.
With its easy application and reasonable pricing, it helps deal with both odour (from the wax) and any itchiness that can leave your dog fed up.
A clean ear is not guaranteed to be a comfortable ear. When cleaners disrupt the natural oils that keep your dog’s inner ear soothed and moisturised, the result ends up being pretty itchy and uncomfortable even if it’s clean. And so the pH-balanced and non-drying formula found in Paws Originals Ear Cleaner completely bypasses any drying effects as it loosens build-up.
The Otodine formula helps manage bacteria and yeast and is favoured by vets in preventing ear infections and limiting the need for antibiotics. The high-quality active ingredients (including chlorhexidine digluconate and propylene glycol) can help with pain relief and moisturisation, too.
RestAural has the active ingredient cerumenolytic (ear wax softener) to help remove ear wax and gently cleans, dries and balances the ear canal while preventing bacterial build-up. It’s also gentle enough for everyday use, making it useful for treating more infected ears.
This product is an alcohol-free cleansing and drying solution. It can be used as an addition to medicated ear treatment, to help prevent infections, or just for routine cleaning. Contains unique Defensin technology to help the skin defend itself against pathogens. It is anti-odorous, meaning it neutralises unpleasant smells that may have developed in the ear. It also has anti-bacterial and anti-adhesive properties, to help make bacterial easier to kill and less likely to stick to the wall of the ear.
This gentle, non-toxic cleanser not only flushes the wax and debris from your dog’s ears, it can also help prevent future ear infections. The powerful enzymatic action of patented LP3 Enzyme system naturally cleans and disinfects while destroying even the most resistant microbes. Safe for use on any age of pet.
Avery Felman
Avery is a writer and producer. She has written for numerous publications, including Refinery29, BuzzFeed, and V Magazine. When she’s not at her computer, you can find her reading, practicing her Greek on Duolingo, and delving into the Sex and the City discourse. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their cat, Chicken, who rules with an iron fist.