Part of a poodle’s hygiene includes cleaning his or her ears. Poodles have a lot of hair which keep shedding daily. Some little hairs get into their ears which need to be cleaned to prevent build-up. Cleaning also removes pollen, hair, dust, wax and other dirt particles.
It is important to have a grooming routine with your dog from an early age. This way, he will grow up being used to it and will have familiarity with most grooming tools.
However, if this was not done from the early days as a pup, then he will need to be trained. The best way to train him is to introduce him to it slowly, using positive reinforcement. Remember that the poodle should not dislike the experience. Otherwise, he may not cooperate.
Why Poodles Need Special Ear Car?
Don’t you like how your poodle has large floppy ears? Don’t you think their ears make them look beautiful and uniquely different? In addition to their floppy outer ears that cover their ear canals, they have hair growing on those ears.
Unfortunately, the design of their ears makes them prone to ear infections. Some even get ear infections chronically.
The ears block their ear canal, preventing the free circulation of air and moisture to their ear canal. This prevents the ears from staying dry and moisture free. The flopped ears cause a closed and humid environment.
The Environment
The environment can be a perfect breeding ground for bacteria, parasites, yeast, and wax if not checked. Thus necessitating the need to clean the poodle’s inner and outer ear.
Ear wax is natural and lubricates and protects the ear canal, and also blocks dust, pollen, bugs, and other dirt from getting deep inside the air. But too much built-up is not healthy. If the poodle’s ears are not groomed well, they may get an infection.
How Often Should Poodles Ears Be Cleaned?
The outer fur should be brushed daily to avoid mats from forming, and it needs to be washed at least weekly, or when he is being bathed. His inner ear should be cleaned weekly.
Required Grooming Tools
A pair of scissors, rounded or blunt tweezers, an ear cleaning solution, and cotton swabs. Buy professionally made swabs that have no risk of breaking off or untangling. Avoid using anything that can end up in your dog’s ears and cause further problems.
How to Clean the Poodle’s Outer Ear
Your poodle’s outer ear has fur which needs daily maintenance to avoid mats from forming. The fur needs to be brushed on a daily basis. Clean the fur more or less the way you clean the rest of the poodle’s fur. Use a conditioning spray and a pin brush.
Avoid brushing mats. Remove mats slowly and gently by first untangling them using your hands, a metal comb, and shampoo. Cut out any mats that can’t be disentangled with a pair of scissors.
Cleaning the Inner Ear
Don’t use water to wash his ears and also avoid water getting into his ear during his bathing. This is because the water won’t dry, creating a warm/humid environment.
But if your poodle loves swimming, then dry his ears immediately after that. You can use drying agents to help absorb any excess water in the inner ear.
The Entrance of the Ear
Start cleaning at the entrance of the ear by simply removing any dead hairs using your bare hands. You can ask your vet to recommend a natural chemical-free poodle ear cleaning solution. The best solutions are moisture free and have disinfecting and microbial properties.
Simply deep a swab of cotton into the cleaning solution and start cleaning the dog’s inner ears. Avoid going deep inside the ear canal. You don’t want to damage his ears or to push dirt further down the ear.
Dispose the dirty cotton swabs and repeat the process until the swabs are relatively clean. Now take a dry cotton swab dry the ears. Cut out any overgrown hairs inside his ear using a small pair of scissors.
Routine Ear Inspection
You need to inspect the poodle’s outer and inner ears for any infection. Inspect the outer ear by inspecting the fur after brushing the poodle’s ears.
Inspect the inner ear too. Regular cleaning of their ears will also help you to know the norm and know when their ears have an infection. The color of the ear should be a normal pink and not red.
Signs of Ear Infection
Any infection will cause discomfort. He may back unusually, try to rub his ears and whine too because the ears may be itchy. Other signs of an ear infection include redness, bad smell, and oozing discharge. Whenever you notice these symptoms, take him to the vet immediately.
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Conclusion
On top of scheduling a grooming appointment, you can get the vet to check your poodle’s ears like every six months as a routine checkup. Cleaning your poodle’s ears will save you dollars in terms of expensive vet’s bills, drugs. You also don’t want to see your dog suffering for something preventable.
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