Please note, this recipe for DIY dog ear flush cleaner is not intended to replace professional vet treatment. This recipe is only for those how already know what “the dog” has going on. If your dog or cat has chronic ear infections that have already been seen by a vet, this recipe may save you some time, money, and vet visits.

If your dog or dogs are like ours, they like to get into things. Our dogs often find ponds, mud puddles, water buckets, and unknown things that leave bad smells. With the bad smells, we end up having to give them a bath before we can all go to bed. Yes, our dogs sleep in the bed with us for the most part.

So with wet dogs come wet ears and ear infections and yeast infections. It does not help that bath time usually ends up with all of us wet and the bathroom needing a makeover. If you are a dog lover and have ever tried to wash your own dog, you know of what I speak.

Having had animals all of our lives, we have had many ear infections to deal with. You know how it starts with a quick head shake. “The dog” looks around to be sure no one saw it and you are not sure it was a real thing. But then the next day or two, you catch “the dog” is sneaking off to shake and then come back as if nothing happened. Then it becomes an all-out head shake marathon and there is no denying it.

You look into the ear and sure enough, the nasty, gooey, dark stuff in your dog’s ear.

At this point, you must take a closer look to be sure, it is ear mites, a yeast infection, or just an infected ear? If this is your first time, a vet visit may be in order to be sure what “the dog” has going on in there. If it is ear mites, the nasty things must be destroyed with instant chemical weapons. Then the treatment process can begin. The cleaning out, wiping away of stuff, etc.

But what if it is a yeasty ear or a simple ear infection from a wet ear, you are still looking at a treatment ordeal. But luckily, if you are paying attention and catch it early on, it is fairly easy to get a handle on before things get out of hand.

If you have the usual, pink or red ear left from scratching and the gooey, sticky stuff that leaves trails, you know it is an ear infection. Regardless of the cause, there is a simple, old, home remedy that may keep you from a vet visit.

This is a very simple recipe: half, white vinegar and half rubbing alcohol.

We usually take a bottle of each, about the same size, and pour half of each liquid into each bottle. If you do not have the same size bottles, just make sure you use equal amounts of both liquids.

Mix:

1 cup rubbing alcohol

1 cup white vinegar

pour into a bottle, give a quick shake and you are ready to treat “the dog”.

The vinegar kills bacteria, yeast, and those kinds of little beasties. The alcohol helps dry up the area and keep the area dry so the little bugs have nowhere to grow.

Make sure to correctly label your bottles. You do not want anyone to mistake what is in the bottle and use it for something else. Nor do you want to think you have the right bottle and use something else in “the dogs” ear.

We have been using this remedy for years on cats, dogs, horses, goats, and the occasional human kid. Simple wet ear and yeast ear infections look pretty much the same in all species. Of course, this is not meant to be a cure-all or a treat-all. If your pet has a bad infection or if you can not be sure what it is best to be safe and visit your vet. Also, not to be used on open wounds, as it will burn and your pet may not ever forgive you. You will at the very least get that “how could you?” look. As a pet owner and lover, you know the one I am talking about.

With dogs, you must be careful to not get the solution in their eyes but once you release “the dog” sometimes it will happen. If you normally wash your own dog at home, you may have sterile eye lube to protect “the dog’s” eyes. You may want to put eye lube into “the dog’s” eye before you begin. You can get sterile eye lube from your vet, the groomer or some general stores will carry it in the pet department. It is always best to do preventative meds than have an accident and still have to go see the vet. Eye injuries in dogs are nothing to shrug about, it can be very painful and even permanently damage “the dog’s” eye. This solution is generally considered safe but, as you know, getting anything in your eye is bad.

The best way to go about treating “the dog”, is to have help, at least one person if not two or three. It all depends on how energetic “the dog” is.

Have one person hold “the dog”. Again, the amount of hold depends on the energy level of “the dog” and how spirited a fight it will put up. Most dog owners already know the answer to this and will have a list of friends or family to call in for backup.

For today’s demonstration we have the brave volunteer Newt “the dog”.

He did not, of course, volunteer willingly.

Gently hold the tip of the ear and clean out all the stuff you can with a baby wipe or puppy wipe. We use baby wipes for many things around the farm. There are many things a baby wipe will strip right off, snot, ear goo, unknown goo, and sometimes old paint.

For easier application and better control, it is best to have a syringe on hand.

Depending on the size of “the dog” or the size of the ear, choose a syringe that will fill the ear but not drown “the dog”. As Newt is a small dog, we used a one-cc syringe.

Gently but quickly, slip the end of the syringe into “the dog’s” ear and push in the alcohol/vinegar mix. Do not push so fast as to make a pressure hose type stream, that will hurt and upset “the dog”. A gentle push will do.

Once you have the liquid mix in the ear, DO NOT let “the dog” get away or shake its’ head.

With your index finger and thumb, gently massage the base of “the dog’s” ear. Right under the little bumpy part, where the ear split comes together, is the best place to have your fingers.

After a minute or so of gentle message on-ear one, move to ear two. Again, try not to let “the dog” escape or shake its’ head.

Repeat putting the vinegar/alcohol mix into the ear with the syringe with ear two.

Repeat the gentle message on-ear two.

At this point, you have 2 choices. You can have the holder keep “the dog” restrained and gently wipe out the excess ear solution. Or you can drop”the dog” and run.

As soon as “The dog” is released from its restraining, “the dog” will shake its’ head like a mad man. “The dog” will then run around the yard or the house, shaking, rubbing, and whining as if you have poured lava into the ears.

Not to worry, after a period of “crazy dog” behavior, “the dog” will settle down. The “crazy dog” stage is just one of the stages of treatment.

Then comes the guilt stage. “The dog” will look at you as if you have abused, tortured, and tried to kill it. It would be best for your long-term relationship to have “the dogs” favorite treat on hand, ready to make amends.

If you can manage to get through this process without getting the alcohol/vinegar solution in your mouth, nose, or eyes, you are truly good. Try to avoid all of those as it will burn you as well as “the dog” if you do get the solution in any of those places.

There you have made and used your own ear flush cleaner for your dog. If your pets have consistent problems with ear infections, you may want to start a preventative plan. You can use this cleaner every week or once a month depending on your pet’s needs.

We normally start with a once-a-week treatment and move to once a month when we have the issue under control. For dogs that the issue keeps coming back over time, you can go with once a month permanently. We have had dogs that had chronic ear infections that had to be kept on a once-a-month cleaning for the rest of their lives.

Do note, that using this solution too often can dry out the ear and cause other issues. So be sure to watch for the ear and skin around the ear getting too dry, red or itchy. Yes, sounds like the same thing but this will look different.

This same vinegar/ alcohol solution can be used on yeast infections on the skin also. If it is in fact a yeast infection or wet skin issue, this solution can be used as a wipe. Just take a clean rag, pour some solution on it, and wipe down the dog’s belly, legs, feet, or whatever area is in need. Of course, be careful not to get it in the eyes, etc. Do not use it on open wounds. Then it works in the same way as the ear cleaner. The vinegar kills the bugs and the alcohol keeps the area dry. But again, if used too often it will dry out the skin and cause other issues. If you are not sure what the skin condition is, it may be best to visit the vet to be sure.

If you find yourself with a dog that has chronic ear infections, try it out. This may be able to help cut down on vet visits. It is always important to be sure what your pet has with an initial vet visit. Sometimes using the wrong treatment can make the original issue much worse or turn it into a different problem. When in doubt, seem professional medical advice first. But for the run of the mill, chronic ear infection, this should do the job.

We hope this talk has been informative and helpful.

Thank you for visiting and please come again for another edition on Out Standing in the Field.