What if a cotton swab tip is left inside my dog's ear canal?

NEVER use something that small in a dog's ear. You should use a cotton ball and only wipe what you can see. Try blowing gently in and on that ear to get her to shake it out. If she doesn't shake it out then I recommend getting her in to your vet tomorrow so they can look in her ear to find it and remove it.

I am so sorry to hear about Scarlett! If you cannot see the cotton swab then it sounds like you will need to visit the veterinarian to retrieve the swab. We sometimes need to use an otoscope and hemostats to carefully retrieve objects such as this, and occasionally if the dog is not cooperative or the object is lodged deep within the canal we may need to give the dog a sedative to be able to remove the swab without causing futher damage to the ear canal and ear drum. If Scarlett is in pain or unable to relax tonight with the swab then a visit to the emergency vet may be needed to prevent her from causing damage to herself. Best of luck to you and to Scarlett!

I would bring Rufuss to the veterinarian to remove it. You can damage his ear drum if you push it down into the ear by accident. It is a risk now either way but your veterinarian will be able to sedate Rufuss so he doesn't move and have tools that can help guide them. Understand that they also can puncture the ear drum. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

He needs to see a vet so that they can look down inside the ear with an otoscope. Dogs have very long ear canals. The part you can see with your eyes is only about 10% of the actual ear canal. He likely has a problem way down inside: there may be a chronic infection in the lower part of the ear that is causing an issue (this is my best guess). He could have a problem with the ear drum. He could have a polyp in the ear. There are so many possibilities. If you want to get this cleared up you need to get him to a vet for an exam.

No need to worry at this point. If it did get inside Axel will probably shake it out. If it wasn’t dead it will crawl out, and if it’s dead the tiny hairs inside you dog’s ear will help it get pushed out with the ear wax. If he starts shaking his head excessively or pawing at the ear then I would take him in for your veterinarian to look inside and see if there is anything there. I expect cleaning the ear with a dog ear cleaner will assist in the removal if needed. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Axel.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Cookie yelped and vomited following her ear cleaning. The inside of dogs' ears is very sensitive, and we NEVER recommend cleaning their ears with Q-tips, for risk of causing damage to the ear drum (tympanic membrane). As long as she is acting normally at home (no head tilt, not ear scratching or head shaking, eating/drinking/urinating and defecating normally), she will likely be OK! From now on, please only ever clean her ears gently with a dry cotton ball, and only clean the visible, external portion of the ear canal. I hope this is helpful!

By your description, your dog may have an [ear infection](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/ear-infections/). This would require an exam with your veterinarian for diagnosis. A swab of the ear(s) can be examined in the clinic to diagnose a bacterial or fungal (yeast) infection. Once the diagnosis is made, the appropriate medication can be dispensed to help clear it up. To help maintain clean ears after this episode, [clean the ears](https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-steps-to-clean-your-dog-s-ears-properly/) regularly with a veterinary approved ear cleaner such as [Epi-Otic](https://us.virbac.com/epi-otic-advanced-ear-cleanser). You can find it or [other approved cleaners](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/category/dog/dog-health-and-wellness/dog-ear-and-eye-care) online or in the local Petco. Your veterinarian may even dispense it along with medication. Use cotton balls or gauze pads to clean what you can see. Never insert anything down into the ear canal. This may cause injury which could complicate any existing condition.