There is often no harder grooming task than cleaning a puppy’s ears and eyes. However, it is important that you take the time and effort to do this, as your puppy can easily develop infections if proper care is not observed. Below, an easy grooming guide for both.
Ears
A dog’s ears must be cleaned once a week with the use of an epi-otic cleanser. You can buy ear cleaning solutions from a pet supply store or from your veterinarian.
Liberally apply the solution into each ear and then massage the bottom of the ears for about 30 seconds. After that, allow your puppy to shake it out from his ears. Gently wipe off the remaining solution and residual wax from the ear canal with a cotton ball. Take care not to poke anything into the puppy’s ear and never use Q-tips to clean his ears. Just swab his ears gently with a cotton ball or soft rag.
If you observe that he is shaking his head vigorously in protest while his ears are being cleaned or if there is a foul odor emanating from his ears, take your puppy to the veterinarian.
Eyes
Your puppy’s eyes must also be checked daily for any mucus buildup on the inside corners. If you notice a buildup of mucus or foreign matter in or around his eyes, moisten a cotton ball with some warm water and dab it in the corners of the eyes. Do not dab the moist cotton ball directly onto the eye because the cotton fibers might get caught in the eye and scratch the eyeball.
If your puppy has a persistent buildup of yellow mucus or a hard foreign substance in his eyes, this could be indicative of an infection and he should be taken to a veterinarian for a checkup.
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