Accepted Answer

Hi,
Sometimes there can be something deeper in the ear, near the ear drum, then you can reach with a q-tip or just visually looking in the ear. When I examine the ear with an otoscope, I frequently see clumps of fur or wax balls next to the ear drum, either of which can be somewhat irritating.

I recommed actually flushing your dog's ears with something like Oticlens or other OTC ear flush. Fill up the whole ear canal with the cleanser, then lower the ear flap and massage at the base of the ear until you hear a "squoosy" sound. Let your dog shake his head (I recommend doing this right before a walk), then wipe out the excess with a cotton ball--NO Q-tips! Swabs tend to pack wax and stuff back down into the ear. Flush the ears daily for a few days and see if that helps.

You could also try giving them some benadryl, just in case they have allergies. You can give 1 mg/pound--for a 10 pound dog I would give a children's dose: 12.5 mg, every 8-12 hours.

Good luck!
Dr. Scarlett

If not, I would take the dogs to your regular vet for a good otoscopic exam.

Expert:	vetlori
Pos. Feedback:	100.0 %
Accepts:
Answered:	5/13/2009

Dog Veterinarian

I am a practicing small animal veterinarian with 13 years experience.