Owning a dog is fun, but it comes with responsibility and work. If you’re doing research on dog care or are an expert already, you’ve possibly heard, too, that you’ve now got to clean out your beloved dog’s ears. And you might wonder, how am I supposed to do that?

If you do not currently clean out your dog’s ears regularly, you’re going to have to start to—now. Even though you may feel a bit nervous about doing it, your dog’s ears will still need cleaned. Left without proper care, they may need more medical care and it may end up hurting the dog and causing it to form an ear infection.

No matter what problem the dog ends up with, it’s important to know that they’re all serious, and can require medical attention from a trusted vet. It’s only your vet who can and should tell you how serious of a problem your dog’s ears are.

When you go to pick up some tiny dog clothes next time, it’s important to make sure you’re also picking up some ear cleaner as well. These cleaners should be on the acidic side but should never be to the point that it is stinging to your dog--that's not good for the dog.

You should fill up the ear of your dog with the cleaner, and then massage the base of the ear for around twenty seconds. When that’s done, you can now wipe out loose debris and the extra fluid. Make sure that you do not use cotton swabs, as you could, although unintentionally, pack debris further into the ear, rather than helping out. If you have questions, you can always feel free to consult your vet or look up the answer to one of your questions in the local library’s textbooks. Even if you can find the answer in your library textbook, it might still be a good idea to consult the local vet, just in case.

If you’re in a situation where your dog is in the midst of an infection, it’s essential that you get them to the vet as soon as possible—or even faster, right away. The vet must determine what the exact cause of the problem is, in order to treat it in the proper way. If for whatever reason the ear starts smelling funny, you should immediately take them to the vet.

If it is a bacterial infection, then antibiotics will be given to your dog. If it is a yeast infection inside the ear, then you will be given antifungals for the dog. Or, you may find out that it’s nothing more than allergies that your dog is suffering from, in which case your dog is in need of a good ear cleaning and might be given corticosteroids.

If you find that your dog is suffering from ear mites, this can and will need to be treated promptly with ear medication. You’ll be able to tell if it’s ear mites simply by looking inside your dog’s ear. The mites will cause dark and dry debris, which would look something like coffee grounds.

If it’s ear mites or a bacterial infection, it’s still important to make sure your dog is completely looked over by a decent vet. You should continue to clean the ears of your pet at home, even if they are trying to hide on their orthopedic dog beds, and if you find you aren’t sure how to do this, you can ask your local vet for a lesson.

There could always be that one case, that chance, where the problems come back. If this happens, it you’ll want to repeat all of the previous steps and get it taken care of again. If it persists, take your dog to your vet and consult them for advice.