How to care for the eyes and ears? Regular check-ups and cleaning will keep your fluffy friend fit at all times

Apart from regular care for the fur and dog’s teeth we should include also the inspection and cleaning of the eyes and ear inspection in the list of everyday tasks. Even though the cats are rather known for cleanliness, it’s important also for a healthy and comfortable development of our dog friends. Some dogs have weaker hygienic habits, after all like some people, in dogs, the greater part of responsibility lies in their owners. In contrast, other dogs have the tendency to care, that manifests themselves by licking the ears of the members of the family, both human and dog ones, for example. This way, they’re showing: “We’re partners, I’ll help you clean your fur and ears. And then you’ll help me, ok?”

Regardless of how the dogs cooperate and communicate within the pack, home inspection should still be the responsibility of the owner. Ideally, it should be carried out everyday, for a possible inflammation to be detected in time. Otherwise, it could not only become protracted, but it could also develop into a much more serious health issue. So, how should healthy eyes and ears look like and how should you treat them right, but gently at the same time?

Healthy eyes

We can recognise healthy eyes of a dog by them being moist and there’s no discharge coming from the corners. Don’t be alarmed, if your dog has mucus in its eyes in the morning. It's completely normal. It’s necessary to carefully remove it, so that it doesn’t stick to the hair around the eyes and for it not to pile in the corners of the eyes. Be careful, the tear ducts are very sensitive. The best way is to take a moist cleansing wipe and to gently wipe the corner. You can even buy a special dog wipe. Once the eyes are dry or we’re in a dustier environment with the dog, we won’t spoil anything, if we rinse the eyes with boric acids. The suitability of various eye solutions, Ophthalmo-Septonex, for example, should better be consulted with the vet beforehand. If the dog would tear excessively or if a yellowish discharge would appear instead of mucus, eye reddening or crusts around the eye, expert treatment is necessary. Some breeds suffer from eye problems, particularly some small breeds such as Westies or Chihuahuas , for example, because of long hairs that get into their eyes. Other dogs, on the other hand, are avid lovers of digging and burrowing, and this way, they bring dirt into their eyes. Healthy eyes can be affected even by food, which supplies the bod  with enough omega 4 and 6 non-saturated fatty acids that affect both the sight health and eliminate discharges from the eyes.

Healthy ears

In contrast, healthy ears should be dry and smooth and pink at sight. If they’re painful to the touch or if you can feel a bad smell coming out of them, something is wrong. Dirt can also come into the ears, so it’s necessary to regularly clean the outer ear with the designated liquid products like Otifree, which dissolve ear wax and other impurities. A careless pressing of the ear wax into the inner ear during cleaning with a cotton wool, could cause an ear inflammation. If you don’t have ear cares at your finger-tips yet, it’s necessary to do it carefully and I recommend doing it in two. The handpiece in the ear solution bottles is usually made from soft rubber, so you don’t have to be afraid of an injury. After application, it’s necessary to massage the flexible part of the ear canal (the cartilaginous tube) at least for 30 seconds. It should make slightly squelching sounds. Afterwards, the dog usually automatically shakes its head and the impurities get out, then gently wipe the outside of the ear. But only in such a way, so that you wouldn’t push the dirt back into the ear. Never use cotton buds. If the ear appears to you clean at sight and odourless, don’t irritate it unnecessarily, ear wax has its function in the ear. I clean the ears of our dogs approximately once a month or occasionally, when water could’ve gotten into their ears, like after swimming outdoors, home showering or even after a fruitful rain, when we’re all soaking wet. Then you need to dry and primarily dry up, so that bacteria don’t reproduce there and inflammation wouldn’t appear. Dogs with fine fur around the ears, that should have the little hairs in the ears pulled out, or those that have overhanging ears, are more prone to suffer from inflammations. As soon as you would notice that the dog has a reddish earlobe, it scratches its ear more often than usually, shakes its head or it tilts it in a weird way to one side, you’d better hurry to the veterinary office.

And what is your experience with taking care of the eyes and ears? How do your dogs cope with it? Do they let themselves be calmly treated or do they fight tooth and nail :-)?