What dog ear cleaner do vets recommend for waxy, sensitive ears?

I really like Virbac's line of dermatologic products, and their Epi-Otic is a great all-purpose ear cleanser for dogs. It is available over the counter, and you can order it from DrsFosterandSmith.com or Amazon.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sure Chloe is a beautiful dog. Love the breed. In my honest opinion, there are so many great ear cleansers out there I would always recommend buying one instead of making it. Years of research have gone into a lot of these products and they are truly the best to use on sensitive ears. If you are just cleaning for a maintenance clean or you are treating due to problems, it's always best to discuss the various products that your vet recommends. Homemade cleansers can often times not be pH balanced resulting in drying of the ear canal or pain/sting upon application. Good luck with Chloe.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! I would avoid alcohol in the ears as it can be irritating and drying. I would use a good ear cleaner instead twice monthly. Below is an example of a good ear cleaner. Have a good day! https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3307+61+23848&pcatid=23848

There are a number of ear cleaners on the market, both OTC and prescription-based. For heavy wax buildup I like Cerúmenes, which should be available from your vet. I’m not familiar with cases of dogs that have so much wax they need surgery to remove it, so I wonder if your dog actually has recurring ear infections. If this is the case it’s not unusual for them to need deep cleanings under anesthesia. In these cases usually allergies are he underlying cause and these must be controlled in order to get the amount of debris in the ears under control.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your question. I would not recommend formulating your own ear cleaner and instead purchase a commercial ear cleaner. I would recommend using Zymox otic cleanser or Epi Otic ear cleanser. Both of these can be found online quite easily. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you kindly!

Poor Buttons! Any pet can have an allergy to any product! I recommend to call your veterinarian and ask about an ear cleaner. Tell them what happened. You veterinarian may carry special ear cleaners that not only breaks up wax and oil (and thus remove it from her canal) but some even have topical steroids or antihistamines. If the irritation is severe, the veterinarian carry oral medications that can help significantly. I hope she starts feeling better quickly and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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.