Ear cleaning & head shaking

[Nikki & Charlie]

Hey everyone,

So this morning I cleaned Charlie's ears with an ear solution on an unscented baby wipe which I do once every 2-3 weeks; he's used to it by now and it usually is a smooth process. Today however he has not stopped shaking his head! Did I do something wrong? I was very gentle and he did not yelp or anything during the process. I never put the solution directly in his ear, I always put it on the baby wipe or kleenex first and then use my finger to get in there. I don't go too deep either. 

What could be the cause of his constant head shaking, and what do I do about it?

[Barbara Brian]

I am glad you ask this question. My doodle doesn't usually have problems with dirty ears but the past few weeks I have noticed they are getting dirty and she too shakes her head a lot. I clean them like you do. We have a retriever as well and his ears are usually dirty so I clean them more often. Will be interested to hear what others suggest.

[Laura and Angus]

If the head shaking continues for more than a day, I would take your pup to the vet. That's usually a sign of an infection. Increased scratching and shaking their head back and forth. I would also caution you not to put your finger in the dog's ear. I was always taught to put the solution in the ear, squish it around a little bit by rubbing the ear (like you're scratching), and then put a cotton ball in and squish that around a bit - making sure you get all the water out and the wax build-up. Your finger can go in further than you intend - not saying this happened this time, I'm just warning because that's the warning I always received from vets. I would definitely talk to the vet about the current situation if the ear shaking continues. Every time that's happened with our doodle or my standard poodle (in the past) that was the problem.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I second what Laura said. They will shake their head right after you clean the ears, but it they continue it, I would most definitely get them checked by the vet. 

Barbara, what you think is dirt could actually be the blackish goop from an ear infection. I would definitely get it checked.

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Hi Nikki~ Personally I would not be using baby wipes of any kind in my puppy's ears.  I have read several articles that there are hidden ingredients in some baby wipes such as formaldehyde.  I think an easier way to clean their ears is to soak a couple of cotton balls and then gently put the cotton balls in the ears and gently rub the outside of the ears which distributes the solution from the cotton balls.  You can then use a soft cotton cloth to dry the ear lobs and inside of ear that you can see.  If your little puppy is still shaking his head tomorrow, I would make a quick vet visit just to make sure and then get the recommended ear clearing method from your vet.  My vet does put the cleaner directly in the ears and then lets them shake their ears and wipes and excess from the hair around the inside of the ear.