Ears

[Chelsea]

Does any one else have a problem with there beagles ears?

they seem to have a black wax in them, we try n clean them out but everytime i go to do it she shakes her head and wont let me do it. so the wax is just getting worse any tips on how i can clean them without having to pin her down??

[Isabella]

If she was trained from a puppy to get her ears cleaned then there shouldn't be a problem, but if perhaps she wasn't then I suggest the ole' treat method... anytime she sits still even for a minute while cleaning her ears, give her a lil' treat and praise her, eventually she should catch on that if she sits and behaves she'll be praised for it. Even to this day when my dog sees me taking out the ear cleaning products from the cabinet, she reluctantly comes when I call her. I would also make sure the ear solution isn't too cold, maybe run some warm water over the bottle before applying in the ear so it's not so much of a shock.

[Beagler]

If the problem has been building for a while, she might need video-otoscope cleaning done by a vet. Basically it just removes all that black gunk that shouldn't be there while she is sedated and leaves you with cleanable ears. It's almost impossible to clean out the black wax just by using cleaning solutions.
Afterwards you need to clean the ears everyday, but over time they start to self-clean. We now only have to clean Buttons' ears once a week (occasionally more if he's having an allergic flare-up).
At the start he hated it and I used to have to put him in his harness or have someone to help me, but he really loves it now - he knows it's going to make his ears feel good. We heat up the solution in a jug of hot water (I always test it on my wrist like I used to do with baby bottles when the kids were little, lol) and I massage each ear canal for about 30 seconds, then gently dry with cotton. He grunts with pleasure the whole time.

[Dawna]

Hi little one! Glad to see you back! My Beagle recently had a fungal infection in his ears, and it sounds like what you are describing. Dogs with long floppy ears are very prone to them.

[Chelsea]

I just done it with the warm water like you said she didnt enjoy it n tryed to get away sometimes but was alot better thx for the advice

[Kapoohski]

Originally Posted by Chelsea

I just done it with the warm water like you said she didnt enjoy it n tryed to get away sometimes but was alot better thx for the advice

Don't use just warm water and a cloth. Try to get an ear cleaning solution from your vet or even local pet store. It will dissolve the wax inside and make it easier to clean them. She might not mind it so much if you are gently rubbing. Get her used to cleaning at least once a week.

[Isabella]

Originally Posted by Kapoohski

Don't use just warm water and a cloth. Try to get an ear cleaning solution from your vet or even local pet store. It will dissolve the wax inside and make it easier to clean them. She might not mind it so much if you are gently rubbing. Get her used to cleaning at least once a week.

Nobody mentioned using warm water and a cloth... what was said was to run warm water over the ear cleaning solution bottle before applying to the ear so it doesn't shock the dog.

[Chelsea]

ok ok calm down well i done it again today with warm water n a cloth n it is already helping

[epoh]

The problem with just using water is that it can drip down into their ear canals and then cause an infection. Ear cleaning solutions come with sterile solution that is unlikely to cause an infection, and are typically either oil-based or contain alcohol to help evaporate quickly.

[Dawna]

The dog may have a yeast infection. Very common. If so the vet may need to prescribe ABT ear drops. Then you can do the routine cleaning to keep it from returning. A little peroxide is good.