A very important step in looking after the well being of your beloved pets is to clean you pets ears properly. However the sad truth many pet lovers don't place this at the top of their pet care to-do list or are not even aware that this should be done.

Ear diseases with potential loss of hearing are the most common problems that affect animals. They are often caused by irritation and infection which can be prevented when you clean your pets ears properly and with regularity.

Your pets are prone to ear infection because of the anatomical structure of their ear canals, long and L-shaped. The corner of the L is where your everyday bacteria love to gather and propagate with the help of the naturally warm and moist surroundings of the ear canal.

Another reason why animals have ear infection or otitis externa is because they have hypothyroidism and skin allergies such as paw licking. In fact dogs and cats are allergic to the same things that cause allergies in humans the difference is they suffer from otitis media instead of developing skin rashes or respiratory symptoms like us.

There are times too when the ear infection is not caused by those previously mentioned but by ear mites, foreign objects such as cotton balls, cysts on the canal, and over production of ear wax. With the number of reasons mentioned why so many pets suffer ear diseases hence there is really a need to practice how to clean your pets ears the right way.

Directions For Cleaning Ears Properly

Proper cleaning of ears is important to prevent further damage through lacerations of the ear canal or worse rupturing of the ear drums. The techniques for cleaning dog's or cat's ears are the same but the method of restraining them is different.

1. With dogs, depending on his size place him on top of the table up to the level of your chest then gently place your left or right arm under his chin and hug him. Pet him then gently as you examine his ears for trapped moisture and debris or earwax. As to cats, wrap him in a towel exposing only his head then wrap him gently to you and gently examine each ear. You can use this technique for smaller dogs too.
2. After examining the outside of an ear, wipe away any discharge that you see. Don't poke the inside of the ear with anything otherwise you'll rupture the ear drums.
3. Apply a generous amount of ear cleaning solution into the ear canal then gently massage the base of the ear to break up the discharge and wax inside the ear. Letting your pet shake his head will further loosen the debris or wax.
4. When the debris or wax comes out, wipe it with a clean cotton ball.
5. Repeat step 2 to 4 as long as you can still see debris coming out of the ear.
6. Now do the other ear.
7. Of course you must praise your pet afterward and/or give him his favorite treat. This is how you can make your pet love and look forward to ear cleaning times.

I Still Think There's Something Wrong

If after you clean your pets ears however, you suspect there are still problems with his ears an/or hearing see this short list of signs and symptoms and immediately bring your pets to the veterinarian for a thorough examination and proper treatment.

Observe your pets carefully, do they frequently scratch their ears or head? Do they frequently tilt their head in favor one side?

Do you notice a pet that shies away whenever you touch his head? This is a sure sign that he is feeling some pain around the ear area.

Do you see any discharge or smell anything foul around the ear area from your pets? Does the ear canal have redness or swelling?

To maintain the health of your pets ears, vets recommend that you examine and clean your pets ears properly once a week.

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If you find yourself frequently bringing your pets to the vet, you will have noticed too that your vet bills are piling up. Maybe its time that you consider getting Discount Pet Insurance to help you with the costs of medical pet care. Further, you can go to Older Pet Insurance for more information on covering mature pets.