How Often To Clean Dog Ears?

Ear hygiene is an equally important element of your dog’s grooming routine as claw trimming, teeth brushing, and bathing.

Poor ear hygiene can lead to ear infection development and worsen existing conditions. However, excessive cleaning can have the same consequences.

The best way to determine how frequent ear cleaning your dog needs is by consulting a vet. But if it isn’t possible, monitor your dog’s ear state regularly and use your judgment.

The Dog’s Breed

The first factor affecting how frequently to clean a dog’s ears is its breed.

Dogs with drop ears, such as Cocker Spaniels, golden retrievers, Beagles, Afghan hounds, and Dachshunds, need ear cleaning more often because they are at higher risk of ear infections.

Bacteria thrive in moist, warm environments. Floppy ears prevent water from evaporating, blocking the ear canal and hindering air circulation. The problem becomes even worse in hot weather.

The more hair around the ears, the worse because dirt, debris, and fleas can get caught in the fur and increase the risk of ear conditions. Hair trimming typically improves the situation and helps reduce ear cleaning frequency.

For this reason, long-haired dogs with floppy ears like Afghan hounds and golden retrievers are the most susceptible to infections.

In contrast, dogs with pointy ears like Basenji, Alaskan Malamute, and Doberman Pinschers don’t get ear infections as often.

In fact, some dogs may never need ear cleaning. Dogs with healthy ears have a natural cleaning mechanism that pushes wax, debris, and dead skin cells up, like an elevator, preventing blockages.

However, even if your dog isn’t predisposed to ear infections, you should pay attention to its ear state and clean them if you notice any abnormalities.

The Dog’s Lifestyle

Another factor affecting dog ear cleaning frequency is its lifestyle. Active dogs need to have their ears cleaned more often than dogs that spend most of their time indoors on in the backyard.

For example, a Cocker Spaniel that only walks in the local park and never swims, rolls in mud, or runs in the woods may not need as frequent ear cleaning as Basenji passionate about swimming and exploring wild terrains.

Hunting dogs typically need more frequent ear cleaning because fields and woods are full of parasites and debris that can get trapped in the dog’s ears and cause an infection.

Age

The dog’s age also plays a role. Old dogs are generally at higher risk of medical conditions, including ear infections.

The ear’s self-cleaning mechanism doesn’t function as well as at a younger age, so wax and debris start building up in the ear canal.

Over time, the built-up wax and dirt can cause an infection, which can become chronic without treatment because an older dog’s immune system isn’t as strong and cannot fight it effectively.

Not only that, but older dogs are at higher risk of medical conditions that don’t affect the ears directly but can trigger infections, such as atopic dermatitis, hypothyroidism, and autoimmune disorders.

Even if your dog has never had issues with its ears in puppyhood, you should monitor its ear health as it matures.

Health Condition

Older dogs generally have a poorer health state than young adult dogs and thus are more likely to develop ear infections. Still, even young dogs and puppies can have underlying medical conditions that increase the risk of ear infections.

Dogs with allergies are predisposed to ear infections. Over 80% of dogs with food allergies and 50% of dogs with contact allergies experience topical symptoms, including ear diseases.

Dogs with endocrine disorders such as hypothyroidism are also more likely to have ear infections than dogs with properly functioning hormone metabolism. Thyroid disorders slow down metabolism, making a dog’s immune system weaker.

Autoimmune disorders such as hemolytic anemia, immune-mediated skin disease, autoimmune inner ear disease (AIED), and thrombocytopenia can cause a range of symptoms, including ear rash and discharge.

Prior ear canal injuries can affect its function and prevent it from cleaning naturally, leading to wax and debris buildup and infections.

For example, if a dog has a foreign body in its ear, it might still suffer from chronic infections even after the body is removed.

Once a Month

The simple answer for how often dogs need ear cleaning is once a month. That’s considered the optimal frequency for dogs of all breeds and ages that won’t harm the skin or hearing but will keep the ears sufficiently clean.

But while ear cleaning once a month won’t harm your pet’s health, the procedure isn’t pleasant and can be very distressing for some dogs. If your dog isn’t prone to ear infections, you don’t need to make ear cleaning your routine.

On the other hand, if your dog has an active lifestyle and is predisposed to infections because of its ear anatomy, cleaning once a month might not suffice to prevent problems.

The best solution is to consult your veterinarian regarding the appropriate cleaning frequency and method for your dog.

After Swimming

If your dog loves swimming, you might have to need its ears more frequently, particularly if it belongs to dog breeds prone to ear infections because of their ear anatomy or long coat.

Newfoundlands, golden retrievers, Irish water spaniels, and Irish setters are among the best swimmers in the canine world and are more likely to have chronic ear infections. Plus, all these breeds have drop ears.

Water inevitably gets into the ears when a dog swims. Moisture trapped in the ear canal creates a beneficial environment for thriving bacteria and increases the risk of ear infections.

The problem is especially relevant for dogs swimming in stagnant water like ponds and small lakes that don’t have proper filtration and are more likely to be infested with parasites, bacteria, and yeasts.

Veterinarian-approved dog ear cleaning solutions are quick-drying and help remove water and debris stuck in the ears. Clean your dog’s ears after every swimming session, but don’t overclean them.

After Bathing

Even if your dog never swims, it likely gets baths once in a while to maintain the health and beauty of its coat. Unfortunately, even if you’re careful, some water can get into the ear canal while you rinse shampoo.

Although the water in your home pipes is significantly cleaner than in ponds or lakes, it too can cause ear problems in your dog. Some bacteria already live in your dog’s ear canal, and moisture increases the risk of infection.

For this reason, you should always finish your dog’s bathing session with ear cleaning. You should also clean your dog’s ears after trimming hair in the ear canal because some hairs might get inside and cause a blockage.

A dog’s ears are designed to filter out small debris, but they cannot deal with large amounts of hair equally effectively.

How Often Is Too Often

Regular dog ear cleaning is necessary to prevent infections, but you should be careful not to overclean.

How often is too often to clean a dog’s ears depends on many factors, but vets generally don’t recommend cleaning a dog’s ears more frequently than once a week. For some dogs, weekly cleaning may already be too much.

Overcleaning a dog’s ears can irritate the sensitive ear skin and cause an infection. Dog ear cleaning solutions are safe in moderation, but they contain antibacterial substances that can be harsh on the skin in large amounts.

You shouldn’t clean your dog’s ears if you notice excessive redness, swelling, or foul odor because these are the signs of irritation or early infection.

Excessive hair plucking in the ear canal can also cause an infection because it irritates the skin. Furthermore, hair serves as a barrier between the ears and debris, dirt, and parasites.

What Happens If You Don’t Clean Dog Ears?

What happens if you don’t clean dog ears depends on whether the dog is prone to infections. Some dogs with healthy ears will do just fine without it. However, many dogs need regular ear cleaning to prevent the development of medical conditions.

The most likely consequence of poor ear hygiene in dogs is an infection.

The symptoms of dog ear infections include shaking the head, scratching the ear, rubbing against surfaces, swelling, redness, dark discharge, scabs, poor hearing, and foul odor.

You might also notice non-specific signs such as depression, lethargy, excessive vocalization due to pain, and loss of appetite. Although this may seem counterintuitive, refrain from cleaning your dog’s ears if you notice any of these symptoms.

Instead, bring your dog to the vet for an examination. The vet will prescribe you the best suitable dog ear cleaning solution and give instructions to prevent worsening the situation.

Never attempt to clean your dog’s ears at home with water or a DIY solution, particularly if your dog has an infection. Poor hygiene is unlikely to be the cause of other dog ear diseases but can hinder their treatment.

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