How to clean dog ears with chronic wax buildup and avoid surgery?

This could be a sign of ear inflammation/infection and depending on the type of wax (ideally a picture of it would be needed to be more specific about it) different cause are possible. Brown wax is usually related to Malassezia spp (yeast infection) proliferation. A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotic ear drops may be needed.

If the q-tip comes out black, then there is an excess of ear wax and likely an infection. The infection can be caused by bacteria, yeast, or even mites. Ear infections in dogs are very itchy, and often require prescription medications to help clear them quickly and manage the itch. The first step in treating an ear infection is breaking down the large chunks of wax and getting them out of the way so that medications can get to the surface of the ear. I like ear cleaners like Dechra Malacetic Ultra Otic that are antibacterial and antifungal. If you clean Remington's ears twice a day for a couple of days and he is still itching, he will need to go to the vet for prescription medications.

It would be helpful to have a vet sedate Maxell for a thorough examination and cleaning of the ears. The results would then guide the most appropriate long term mangament. Cleaning 1-2 times weekly will likely be required to try to prevent wax build up, I would also recommend a diet specially formulated for skin conditions (the ears are lined by skin and often affected by ongoing skin inflammation). Other triggers can be hormonal disease, food allergies and swelling/narrowing inside the ear

I really like the Douxo Micellar Solution. It is great at breaking up waxy debris in the ears, it is gentle, and safe if the eardrum is not intact. Here is the link to purchase it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00G3DN3ZW/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515718924&sr=8-1&keywords=douxo+micellar+solution&dpPl=1&dpID=318m8cDzvCL&ref=plSrch Thank you for using PetCoach!

That is a mild amount of discharge that can easily cleaned with a some wet cotton (do not use cotton buds) ONLY on the outside of the ear canal (basically the bit you have taken the pics of). You can use a cleaning solution for the ears (Sancerum or Cleanaural) but only once a week or every two weeks. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Hello, The surgical procedure to cure chronic ear infections in dogs is called a TECABO, which is a bit different than the tube placements they use in people. If you're interested in pursuing this, a consult with a soft tissue veterinary surgeon would be the next step. Here is a link to learn more: https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952082 I hope this helps! Thanks for using PetCoach.

This is a very common problem with dogs. Especially if the dog has had several ear infections in the past. I would talk to your vet to see if they could clean his ears for you weekly. This may help to decrease the frequency of ear infections. Also ear infections stem from allergies so ou may also discuss apoquel, an allergy medication, with your vet to see if Skippy would be a good candidate. I have see some good results to help decrease the number of infections while using this medication. I hope this helps!