[lisa]

My lab spends alot of time at the beach. she loves to put her head under the water. Should i use an ear cleaner every time she gets out of the water or just once a week. So far so good...thank the good Lord no ear infections or trouble. My old lab always had ear trouble. Thanks again

 

[3TailsWaggin]

I wouldn't do anything to her ears unless she starts being bothered. Less is best, with the ears.

 

[Baloo317]

I would just make sure you're drying her ears out as well as you can, everytime she swims, as water getting stuck in there can cause problems. Other than that, I wouldn't clean her ears unless they're dirty.

 

[lisa]

Thanks... so far so good. Should I just dry them by wiping with a cotton ball?

 

[Baloo317]

Sure, I use whatevers handy. Cotton ball, hand towel, kleenex etc.

 

[amazongold]

I find that a soft, miracle-fiber cloth works well to dry the ears.

 

[Lily]

My girl swims almost every day and I find that cleaning with cotton balls and cleaning solution 2-3 times per week works best. If I wait any longer than that, the wax buildup and overall gunk buildup gets significant.

I look for signs of potential irritation from too much cleaning (and haven't seen any), but the potential for ear mites and other infections from unclean ears isn't worth it, IMHO.