Cleaning Your Pet's Ears and Eyes Safely

Routine cleaning prevents problems. Over-cleaning creates them, and the wrong technique causes real damage.

Ears

Use a vet-approved ear cleaner. Fill, massage the base, let the animal shake, wipe only what you can see. Never a cotton bud in the canal. Weekly is plenty for floppy ears; less for upright ones.

Eyes

Wipe discharge with damp cotton, moving away from the nose, using a fresh piece per eye. Sterile saline only — never human eye drops without instruction.

Tear staining

Common in white and flat-faced breeds. Keep the area dry and clean; persistent staining sometimes indicates a blocked tear duct.

Signs that need a vet

Squinting, pawing at the eye, cloudiness, redness, a bad ear smell or head tilt. Eye problems can go from mild to sight-threatening in a day.