Homemade Dog Ear Cleaner

Disclaimer: I’m not a vet.  This recipe is what we use on our dogs and it works for them.  You should consult your vet first before trying this to make sure that your dog’s ears are healthy and unscratched and that the eardrum is intact.

Yes! That is Reggie doing his Gene Simmons impression...

Reggie is our crazy Cocker Spaniel.  His nails and fur grow at a ridiculous rate, his tongue is too big for his mouth, and his ears are always the source of some type of trouble.  Those ears bring in seeds in the spring, leaves in the fall, are always getting dirty when he eats and drinks, and they’re just too tempting for Gunner during playtime.  If you have a dog with long, furry ears you know what I’m talking about!

Over time we noticed that Reggie started scratching the side of his head on the carpet.  We then noticed his stinky ears.    Reggie, like many Cocker Spaniels,  had reoccurring earwax buildup. I had some dog/cat ear cleaner, but it was expired and only to be used for routine cleaning.  Worried, I went online to check things out pertaining to Cockers and found Zim Family Cockers web site.   The Zim’s breed Cocker Spaniels and were given an ear cleaning recipe by the former Secretary of the Cocker Spaniel club of San Diego county.  This ear cleaner helps with earwax buildup and ear infections, which can be costly to treat.

Here’s how to make an inexpensive ear cleaner with items you probably have on hand.  This can be used on both dogs and cats.

Ingredients

1. 6 ounces Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol
2. 1/2 tablespoon Powdered boric acid
3. 2 ounces White vinegar
4. 1 teaspoon Povidone-iodine (Betadine) – do NOT get Betadine “Scrub” as it contains a detergent
5. Applicator with a long tip – something you can find at a beauty supply store
6. An old towel for cleaning up

Ask your pharmacist for help if you can’t find this stuff.  Our grocery store pharmacy had all but the boric acid, which we found at a bigger pharmacy.

Directions

First, please be careful, especially with the boric acid.  If the boric acid or iodine get on your skin, wash it off immediately.  Second, follow the directions!  Bad chemical reactions will happen if you don’t do it right!

• Pour the alcohol in the applicator bottle.
• Add in the boric acid.
• SHAKE WELL, until the boric acid has dissolved.
• Pour in the vinegar.
• SHAKE WELL.
• Pour in the iodine.
• SHAKE WELL.
• It should now be a pretty amber color, like beer… or iced tea.

Application Directions

• This is a 2-person job.  If there’s just you, you should either have super grip or use a grooming table and noose.  Wear appropriate clothes and do this outside…
• 1 person is the dog holder and the other person is the ear squirter.
• Fold the ear flap back.
• Clean the ear with a cloth, cotton ball, or Q-tip if there are crusty or gooey bits, like ear wax.  And please don’t go digging for gold deep in the poor dogs ear canal – you could hurt him!
• Squirt the solution in the ear so it completely fills it up the ear canal – you need super grip here as Mr. Doggy is not going to like you at this moment.
• Fold the ear flap back over.
• Smoosh the base of the ear so that the solution gets squished around in there.
• Push your dog to run away from you.  As soon as you let go of his ear, you’re going to get showered (so hopefully you’re wearing old clothes)
• Call doggy back and clean him up with an old towel.  You don’t want this going into his eyes or mouth.
• Repeat with the second ear!

We did this every other day for two weeks and noticed a huge improvement in Reggie’s ears.  The stink and the scratching were pretty much gone!

If you’d like additional information, please visit Zim Family Cockers Ear Cleaning page.  They explain the process in depth and have a list of FAQs regarding the recipe.  They also have a lot of cute puppies on their site!

Do you use any homemade pet remedies?

Does your dog do anything crazy, like stick their tongue out all the time?