What’s the correct way to clean my dog’s ears?
This is especially important to owners with large-eared dogs like weimaraners, cocker spaniels, and Bassett hounds. While a little ear wax is fine and helps protect the inner workings of his ears, excess ear wax can indicate or lead to infection and should be treated. This balance can be tricky because of the composition of dog’s ears. Rather than having one canal directly into the ear, pups actually have two that form a right angle. While the first may be fresh and clean, the second can retain moisture and form wax.

Ask your vet’s support staff for an ear wax remover and wipe the outer portion of your dog’s ear with a cotton ball. Do not insert the cotton ball into his ear canal. Keep checking his ears – if the wax returns with a vengeance before the week is out, schedule a check-up with your veterinarian.

If your pup is wirehaired (Yorkshire terriers, poodles, shih tzus, etc.), he probably has ear hair to rival your Uncle Frank’s. While it’s a built-in defense against infection, loose hair falling into the canal can actually cause infection itself and should be removed. This is way easier than plucking Uncle Frank. Grasp your dog’s ear hair loosely between forefinger and thumb, then pull lightly. A few strands should come out easily and painlessly.

He has some weird thing in his ear. What is it?
That depends – what does it look like? If it’s a dark or black waxy substance, it may be ear mites, and you can find more information about them on page 35. If it’s a smallish particle, it may be a grass seed or other foreign object. You can try to remove it carefully with tweezers to avoid infection, but if it has worked its way into the ear canal you may need to seek professional help from a veterinarian or groomer.

If his ear is puffy, swollen, and hot, he may have a hematoma. These blood blisters are common in labs and golden retrievers and can result from a lot of head shaking. Your vet will probably drain the area and may add a few stitches to the flap to keep it from filling up again.

My dog has a bunch of dark wax in her ears. Should I be worried?
Dark brown or black wax can be an indicator of ear mites. You can confirm this by running a cotton ball over the outer part of your dog’s ears, then holding the cotton ball against a dark piece of paper under a bright light. If you see any movement, your pup has ear mites.

While many pet stores carry ear wash, the best idea is to speak with your vet. He or she can prescribe stronger washes and medications to get rid of the mites and their eggs as well as any secondary yeast infection they may have created.

Okay, that’s great, but I can see all of those things for myself. What about the bugs that might be inside my dog?
Internal parasites can be maddening, dangerous, and a major problem for dog owners. You can’t see them, and often the symptoms aren’t major or obvious.

The most common of these parasites are worms, and the most common worms are roundworms. Your dog may pick up roundworms from infected soil, and symptoms can include “spaghetti stool” (feces that look like spaghetti), vomiting, or diarrhea. Your vet can detect the presence of roundworms by examining your dog’s stool under a microscope and will treat her with one of the common worm treatments. Roundworms can be avoided by using a regular worm preventative.

Hookworms are intestinal parasites that can cause anemia by sucking blood through the internal organs. As a result, diarrhea, weakness, and weight loss can occur. Hookworms are extremely easy for your pup to contract – they can move through their pads or belly into the body from the soil or grass or can be ingested. If you notice dark or bloody diarrhea, your dog may have contracted hookworms. Other dogs have no symptoms at all. In both cases, deworming treatment is required for an extended period of time. Hookworms, like roundworms and heart worms, can be avoided by using a regular worm preventative.

Heartworms are one of the most well-known internal parasites and can be easily prevented with a regular heartworm treatment. You know that they’re transmitted through mosquitoes and grow inside the heart until they completely block heart functions and lead to heart failure. Coughing, weight loss, and fainting can be indicators that heartworms are present in your pooch, so get to the vet if you notice one of those symptoms. Because the worms can cause respiratory problems, stop all exercise. Your vet will recommend a treatment based on the severity of the problems, which may include medication injections, aspirin, treatment for heart failure, and regular testing.