My dog has something in her ear, what can I do at home safely?

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 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.

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.

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!

No, do not put hydrogen peroxide in Jazmine's ear, that will make it so much worse. It sounds like she has a bad ear infection, which you cannot treat at home. Please take her into a vet now to get this treated.

If she will allow, use an ear cleaner, such as Epi-Otic, to clean the ear(s). Place an e-collar (cone) on her to prevent pawing or rubbing until she sees the doctor. Other medications, even OTC ones, cannot be legally recommended without a physical exam. They may also be the incorrect medication to treat whatever the underlying cause may be.

Oh dear! Poor Sushi. Unfortunately, there isn't any way for you to safely remove it from her ear at home. A vet visit would be best, but I understand that this may not be an option for you financially. If you can't take her to the vet, then all you can do is wait to see if the piece of jewelry comes out on its own - it may, when she shakes her head. The problem is that it could also become embedded in her ear canal and cause an infection, or even perforate her eardrum depending on its size and shape - but there is really no way to avoid these risks without taking her to the vet to have it removed. So if you can't do this, then I would monitor her closely for the next several days (or even weeks) for any sign of a developing problem such as scratching constantly at the ear, excessive head shaking, bleeding or discharge from the ear, or a foul odor. If any of these problems arise, then I'm afraid you really have no choice but to see a vet - you could call around to some local clinics to see if they accept payments, or see if there is a low-cost SPCA clinic in your area that could help. You can also apply online for Care Credit, which is a third party payment plan accepted by most vet hospitals: www.carecredit.com