I have a small dog with I believe an ear infection. I cleaned his ear with water peroxide mixture. How often should I clean it.
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Hydrogen peroxide in the ear is unfortunately not a good idea. I have seen this cause major problems and resistant pseudomonas infections in the ear because it has the potential to eat away at healthy tissue in dogs. We only use hydrogen peroxide in dogs and cats to remove blood. So a better and more effective option here unfortunately is you need to see your vet. There are no over the counter ear medications available to dogs because their use has to be monitored and used appropriately. Because there can be two different types of infections in the ear: yeast or bacterial, not every medication will work for every pet. Now one thing you can use over the counter for now is a pet formulated ear cleanser which can be picked up at your local pet store. But beyond that you will need the ear medication, that will rid the infection, from your veterinarian.
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You should not clean his ear with a water/peroxide solution, it is not a suitable ear cleaner and can damage the ear drum and the ear canal.
Ear infections can only be treated with prescription ear drops, as the infection is usually caused by either bacterias or yeast which cannot be cleaned with normal ear cleaners or with the mixture you made.
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Peroxide can actually be damaging as it causes cell damage. Water will also work against you as it will make the ears more moist which is where yeast proliferate. As most infections are yeast in origin, the best thing to do is call your vet and get an anti fungal ear ointment. Cleaning is less important that treating the infection.
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