Routine home dog ear care is very important to health of your dog. Performed between your regular checkups with veterinarian, it will help keep your dog’s ears healthy and pain free. If you see signs of trouble you may be able to head them off before they require an extra visit to vet. Excessive wax, foul odor, redness, constant scratching, excessive matting of hair in external ear, rubbing ears against other objects, head shaking, and disorientation can all be signs of ear problems.

Inspect Your Dog’s Ears Regularly By Using Your Eyes & Your Nose!

By performing a home dog ear care inspection; you will be able to detect problems early. Use both your eyes and your nose. If you need help seeing inside your dog’s ears you may want to invest in a pet scope. A tool very similar to kind your doctor uses to check your ears. Check for redness, excessive wax build up or any other foreign matter.

Sniffing your dog’s ears is another way to detect problems early. Normally a dog’s ears shouldn’t smell foul in any way. If you see a dark waxy discharge this may be a sign of ear mites. On other hand, if you see a pus-like discharge along with a foul smell this may be a sign of a bacterial infection. Allergies are also known to cause some dogs to have smelly ears. If you’re new to this and are unsure have vet check your dog’s ears. Right after vet gives your dog a clean bill of health make sure you inspect your dog’s ears. This way you will learn how your pet’s ears should normally look and smell.

Is Your Breed of Dog More Susceptible To Dog Ear Care Problems?

Due to warm, damp, and dark environment, as well as poor air circulation, your dog’s ear canal can be prefect breeding ground for mites, yeast or bacterial infection. This is why, for certain breeds, home dog ear care is even more important. Some pets may require routine applications of dog ear care products to keep their ears free of mites, yeast or bacterial infections.

Some dog’s ears stand straight up which allows for more air to flow into ear canal. Dogs with floppy ears, like spaniels and bloodhounds, are very prone to ear infections because very little air flows into their ear canals. There are also breeds, like Lhasa, that have a heavy growth of hair inside their ears. This hair must be routinely removed as a prevention against chronic ear problems.

If Excess Ear Hair Is A Dog Ear Care Problem Learn How To Remove It

If you suspect that excess ear hair is a problem, you may need to pluck hair that grows inside your dog’s ears. This is a routine dog ear care task that can be performed at home and is much easier then it sounds. You will want to apply dog ear powder to inside of both ears. Make sure that hair is completely covered, especially at base. Once powder has dried start plucking a few hairs at a time with your fingers or a tweezers. Plucking just a few hairs at a time will be less irritating for dog.

If this is first time you’re shopping for dog crates you may find it a little complicated. You may have noticed already that use of word kennel can be somewhat confusing. So before making a final selection it's a good idea to learn about differences between some pet containment systems. Equipped with this information you'll be ready to choose best crate for your dog.

How Can I Tell The Difference Between Dog Crates, Dog Kennels & Pet Carriers If They're All Called Kennels?

A “kennel” is a very general term meaning a place where dogs are bred or kept. By its very definition it can be used to describe a broad range of pet containment products such as pet carriers, dog crates, pet exercise pens and outdoor pet kennels.

For example, a wire kennel and a hard plastic kennel sound very similar because both are called kennels. In some ways they are very different. Depending on how you plan to use it there are certain features that you'll need it to have. This is why it’s very important to focus on features that you need. Only after carefully reviewing features of a specific model can you be certain that it will adequately fulfill all your needs.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

A wire dog crate or kennel is designed to safely contain your pet. But, it’s not designed to be picked up and moved around with your pet inside it. Although available in soft-side models, soft crates are usually not referred to as kennels.

A hard plastic carrier or kennel is designed so that your dog can safely travel inside carrier. Pet carriers also come in soft-side models. Soft pet carriers are not usually referred to as kennels.

Some hard plastic pet carriers make ideal dog crates, but a dog crate is usually not a good substitute for a hard pet carrier.

What Are Some Of The Basic Features of Dog Crates & Pet Carriers

Wire Dog Crates / Kennels

Used for crate training, housing breaking and as an everyday crate Many models are available with divider panels for growing puppies Can be used to contain your pet in a vehicle Available in collapsible or folding models Not approved for airline travel Offers most visibility and ventilation - well suited for heavy-coated dogs

Soft Dog Crates & Tents Soft crates & tents are light weight, portable, easy to set up & take down Can be used as an everyday crate Not approved for airline travel Pet must be well crate trained Not for diggers, chewers, aggressive dogs or dogs that experience anxiety while crated

Hard Plastic Pet Carriers / Kennels Hard plastic pet carriers are used to carry and transport pets Some models can be used as an everyday crate Many are approved for airline travel Not recommended for growing puppies since they don’t come with divider panels Can be used to contain your pet in a vehicle Available in collapsible models

Soft Pet Carrier Bags (for pets under 25lbs)