Why you may need to medicate your dog's ears?
If your dog has been diagnosed with an infection, inflammation or parasites by your vet you will need to apply ear medications. This may be in the form of drops, liquid or an ointment. It is important to know how to do this correctly so that the medication stays inside the ear and is not shaken out. You may be required to clean the ear before placing the medications. See Animalinfo fact sheet on Cleaning Your Dog's Ears.
How do you do it?
Ask your dog to either sit or lie down and reward it with a treat or praise once it has done this. Lift the ear gently away from the opening and place the nozzle of the tube or bottle just inside the opening of the canal. Squeeze out the prescribed amount of ointment or drops and immediately place the ear flap back down in its natural position. Massage the external ear to help the medication move down and throughout the ear canal. Do not let your dog shake its head until you have finished massaging the medication into the ear. Reward your dog and repeat the process on the other ear if required.
How often is this necessary?
Ear medications are usually applied once or twice daily but this will depend on the diagnosis and the prescription supplied by your vet. Duration is usually 5 to 10 days and it is important you continue to apply the medication for that time, even if the ear appears to be healthy before the end of that period.
