What do you use to keep your cats (and Dogs) ears clean?

baloneysmom · Jun 3, 2009

I have never cleaned my catâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s ears before and noticed Bugsy had a little black spot in there the other day. I just took a Q-Tip and wiped it clean. I wanted to give all of their ears a good cleaning but have never done it before. Can anyone recommend anything for just a basic ear clean of healthy babies?

wishiwas · Jun 6, 2009

I use Zymox ear cleanser personally.. though I don't know if you'd be able to find that conveniently. I have to order mine. I don't know if the cleanser is actually better than others out there, but it is gentle, and I swear by their ear treatment for infected ears, so it just followed to use their cleanser. It has enzymes to discourage overgrowth of bacteria.

Basically I would just look for something that is gentle and alcohol-free. You don't want perfumes or coloring or other such unnecessary chemicals in it. And alcohol can be overly drying and lead to problems, especially in a healthy ear that does not need anything dried up. I usually use cotton pads for cleaning ears, the round flat ones you can get for make-up removal and such. They are a lot easier to use than cotton balls. Sometimes a q-tip for a tighter area, or if there's only a spot to worry about. But I feel more comfortable with the pads, as you're not likely to hurt anyone with a pad unless you're trying awful hard to dig in there.

mews2much · Jun 6, 2009

I use Epi-Optic.
I got it for Coco because she has ear problems.
I also use it for Cleo my sphynx.
It works well.
Sphynx get a lot of oil in the ears.
I use q-tips also and baby wipes.

http://cgi.ebay.com/VIRBAC-Epi-Optic...QQcmdZViewItem

missymotus · Jun 6, 2009

I use unscented baby wipes, flip the ear inside out and wipe.

tdonline · Jun 6, 2009

For those doing it as maintenance, how often do you clean your cats' ears?

sharky · Jun 6, 2009

baby wipes for regular dirt as needed .... Zymox for infections

zoeysmom · Jun 6, 2009

I use my cats. Belle and Delilah clean each other's ears!

Occasionally, baby wipes if I see that they need an extra cleaning.

tessa_s212 · Jun 6, 2009

I have cocker spaniels, a breed of dog known for chronic ear problems.

I make my own ear cleaner that is safe to use on both dogs and cats (with no wounds in the ear and so long as the ear drum is intact). It is a mixture of alcohol, vinegar, boric acid, and betadine. It is relatively inexpensive to mix but works just as well, if not better, than the solutions you can buy from the vet. Saves us a lot of money in the long run than buying those very small, but very expensive bottles of ear cleaner from the vet.

There are some of my animals that I can't use this solution on, so instead I make another homemade mixture of water/vinegar/witch hazel. You simply squirt it in their ear, massage their ear/ear canal, let them shake their head, then wipe out debris with a cotton ball.

I don't clean the cat's ears unless I see some dirt in them. (I give physical exam every time I clip their nails about once every week, or once every two weeks.) The cockers ears I clean religiously, dirty or not, every week, if not more often. But for healthy, clean ears, I likely wouldn't feel the need to clean them more than once or twice a month.

sharky · Jun 6, 2009

Originally Posted by tessa_s212

I have cocker spaniels, a breed of dog known for chronic ear problems.

I make my own ear cleaner that is safe to use on both dogs and cats (with no wounds in the ear and so long as the ear drum is intact). It is a mixture of alcohol, vinegar, boric acid, and betadine. It is relatively inexpensive to mix but works just as well, if not better, than the solutions you can buy from the vet. Saves us a lot of money in the long run than buying those very small, but very expensive bottles of ear cleaner from the vet.

There are some of my animals that I can't use this solution on, so instead I make another homemade mixture of water/vinegar/witch hazel. You simply squirt it in their ear, massage their ear/ear canal, let them shake their head, then wipe out debris with a cotton ball.

I don't clean the cat's ears unless I see some dirt in them. (I give physical exam every time I clip their nails about once every week, or once every two weeks.) The cockers ears I clean religiously, dirty or not, every week, if not more often. But for healthy, clean ears, I likely wouldn't feel the need to clean them more than once or twice a month.

1. No online advice can replace direct veterinary intervention. If you suspect that your cat may be ill, please contact your vet immediately. You are welcome to look for advice in the health forum while waiting for that appointment, but never delay proper veterinary care waiting for Internet advice. Remember that cats, and especially kittens, are very adept in keeping pain to themselves and delaying treatment may cause irreversible damage.

tessa_s212 · Jun 7, 2009

Originally Posted by sharky

1. No online advice can replace direct veterinary intervention. If you suspect that your cat may be ill, please contact your vet immediately. You are welcome to look for advice in the health forum while waiting for that appointment, but never delay proper veterinary care waiting for Internet advice. Remember that cats, and especially kittens, are very adept in keeping pain to themselves and delaying treatment may cause irreversible damage.

I'm curious as to why ONLY my post was directly quoted with this after it. I never advocated not taking an animal to the vet - this is about PREVENTION. I simply use a homemade, inexpensive ear cleaner rather than purchasing expensive, very small bottles of basically the exact same ingredients from the vet.

fifi1puss · Jun 8, 2009

I don't use anything wet. I am too afraid of making an ear probelm by not getting it dry enough. I just use a piece of tissue or a qtip (for outer ear only!). I do it once a week. When I first got Rocko his ears were quite dirty and it took several days of cleaning for all the dirt to evacuate. It was dirt (my vet had checked when I first got him)

lawguy · Jun 8, 2009

When Ollie's ear mites died, I used Ear Oxide to clean the crud out. Now, the ongoing maintenance is done by Ally, and Ollie cleans her ears in return.

The Ear Oxide product seemed ok, but it asked that you keep the product in the ear for some period of time, which I found impossible. Once I had it in his ear, the rodeo was in town.

What do you use to keep your cats (and Dogs) ears clean?

baloneysmom

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wishiwas

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mews2much

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missymotus

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tdonline

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sharky

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zoeysmom

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tessa_s212

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sharky

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tessa_s212

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lawguy

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