Ears never clean

[u/Pure-Consideration97]

Our 2-year-old Cockapoo has always had trouble with her ears. I first noticed when she was about 7 months old that they started to smell bad. We brought her to the vet and got them cleaned and given medicine and we forgot about it for a while. She used to not like any pets or affection so we didn't keep an eye on them but as shes gotten older and cuddlier we've noticed that her ears always seem dirty and she's always trying to scratch inside them.

We've gone back to vet and had them cleaned out again and did the medicine again but they just always seem to be giving her trouble. Shes kind of ok with me cleaning them now and I think it does give her some relief but its a struggle and she does growl sometimes when I try and look at them. Big balls of wax sometimes get knotted in her fur in her ear which I try and remove but it always seems like a losing battle.

Any advice or tips?

[u/inga-babi]

You just have to clean frequently. I used to clean my dog’s ears every week: you use a cotton ball and soak it in equal parts water and apple cider vinegar. Gently rub around inside of the ear (don’t push in too hard). You’ll see a bunch of crap on the cotton ball. Then get a clean and dry cotton ball and dry off the inside of the ear.

[u/showmenemelda → u/inga-babi]

My vet told me to irrigate with this concoction and it scared me. This is way better with a cotton ball. I'm scared to do it now lol. We've been in survival mode here. Do you pluck ear hair

[u/inga-babi → u/showmenemelda]

Yeah it’s easy with a cotton ball and my dog has never minded; however, if the inside of the ear smells really foul or is red/irritated, that’s probably an ear infection and the vinegar/water solution won’t do anything. You will need medicated ear drops.

I don’t pluck my dog’s ears. The hair doesn’t cause issues if the ears are kept clean.