Can I Clean My Dog's Ears With Witch Hazel

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This Guide Is For Both Cats & Dogs

Lots of cats and dogs go itchy, dirty ears. It's sometimes safe to clean their ears at home, but not ever. Not every "itchy ear" episode is the same.

Diving correct in with a medication or cleaner — even 1 that your vet previously prescribed — tin can crusade problems.

What If You Employ An Ineffective Cleaner?

In the best-example scenario, if your pet has a yeast infection in their ear and you use a cleaner or medication that works best against bacteria versus yeast, you're not likely to fix the problem, you could actually make it worse (by creating an surround that's even more favorable to yeast growth), and you may be prolonging your pet'south discomfort.

What If There's A Ruptured Ear Drum?

On the other end of the spectrum, if your pet's eardrum is ruptured — which can easily happen with long-standing ear infections, or in the presence of a foreign body, similar a "foxtail," or a tumor/polyp — the medication or cleaner y'all put into your pet'due south ear(s) could actually crusade deafness and much more severe pain.

What If the Ear Cleaner Stings?

Nearly oftentimes though, what happens is that a cleaner containing rubbing alcohol and/or witch hazel is put into an already red and painful ear, causing burning and much more astringent discomfort for your pet. This is a state of affairs that we vets see on a daily footing in clinics and hospitals all beyond the country.

If you notice any of these following signs, please agree off on putting annihilation into your pet'south ears until your vet has had a chance to evaluate them:

Earflap is red and warm to the bear on
Ear canal is narrowed (called "stenotic") compared to what information technology normally looks similar
Strange odor coming from the ear(south)
Abnormal discharge coming from the ear(southward)
Head tilted to one side, walking like they're drunk (called "ataxia"), or walking in circles
Your pet "guarding" their ears — often shown past turning or moving their caput abroad as you try to pet them, sometimes exhibited by them growling, hissing, yelping, or trying to bite your paw when you lot put it most their painful ear

Just your vet can look down in your pet'south ear canals, properly diagnose the trouble (and whatever potential underlying problem that keeps chronic infections coming dorsum), and prescribe the best, well-nigh constructive, and safest treatment plan.

veterinarian cleaning a cats ear
And if that handling programme does wind upwardly including at-home cleanings, check out our step-by-footstep guide on how to clean your pet'southward ears. Subsequently all, even I'll acknowledge, we vets don't ever exercise the best chore of describing or demonstrating the process during your visit! I hope this guide helps to make up for it.