how can you keep a Pug's ears clean?

Answer 1

Puggy's cute little fold-over ears make a great hiding place for dirt, grime, and who knows what else. A shoe could even be underneath those ears! Well, maybe a small one, anyway. The one thing you don't want to have inside your Pug's ears is an ear infection. Infections hurt and itch, and your Pug may be scratching and rubbing to alleviate the discomfort. If it's really bad, he scratches them so hard that they bleed! You certainly don't want your Pug to suffer when you can easily take care of the problem with regular cleaning.

Besides good old-fashioned dirt and a buildup of regular ear wax, allergies and other conditions (such as hypothyroidism, overactive adrenal glands, diabetes, or ear mites) can also be the culprits responsible for your Pug's ear infections.

It takes only a minute to flip over the top of one of Puggy's ear flaps to check inside to see whether anything funny is going on in there. You want to see healthy ears, which are slightly pink and not red. Red means trouble and an infection.

With Pug ears, you can sometimes smell a problem before you see it. Your nose picks it up right away. A brown or black waxy buildup down inside the ear canal accumulates and sends off a very earthy, but somewhat nasty, odor. It's your cue to enter your Pug's ear, stage left (or right), and clean up the act.

Check your Pug's ears every day. Doing so helps you catch any problems before they get any worse. You want to make sure that the insides of his ears feel warm to the touch but aren't bright red. A few cleanings can clear up most ear infections within a few days, but you may want to take Puggy to the veterinarian if a problem persists.

If your Pug's ears aren't clearing up, he may have ear mites. These tiny pests live in the ear canal and wreak havoc with their constant irritation. Your veterinarian can prescribe a stronger cleaner for these unlucky creatures. No, ear infections and ear mites aren't contagious to other dogs or people.


Looking into Puggy's ears isn't a one-shot deal. It's a regular doggy job you have to keep repeating if your dog has problem ears. If you let a few days go by without checking his ears, don't be surprised if he's rubbing his ears on the carpet or scratching wildly at them.

Doing regular ear cleanings

Ask your veterinarian to give you a safe ear-cleaning solution to do the job right. Although a few types of ear cleaners are available in a pet food store or through a dog supply catalog, these products usually contain alcohol, which can dry out and irritate your Pug's sweet little ears and make them itch even more.

Here are the steps to follow for cleaning your dog's ears:

1. Using one hand, lift up one of your Pug's ears and, using your other hand, squirt some ear cleaner into the same ear.

2. Place your thumb and forefinger on each side of the base of the ear and press your fingers together a few times, compressing the ear slightly each time.

You should hear a squishing sound. The cleaner is breaking up the waxy debris stuck to the inside of Puggy's ear.

3. Insert a long rectangular piece of rolled cotton — about 6 inches works well — into the ear as far as it can go.

Don't worry about hurting the eardrum. It's located far down his neck, and you can never reach it!

4. With your finger in the middle of the cotton, rotate the cotton around a few times in his ear and draw it out of the ear.

If Puggy's ears are really dirty, the cotton may be a yucky shade of dark brown.

5. Repeat, inserting the cleaner and a new piece or side of the cotton one or two more times, until the cotton comes out clean.

6. Repeat the process with the other ear.

Give Puggy a small food treat to reward him for putting up with this ear invasion!

Don't use cotton swabs, baby wipes, cotton balls, or tissues to clean your dog's ears. These items aren't big enough to absorb all the liquid from the cleaner or get all the debris. In addition, don't go digging inside Puggy's ears with anything other than cotton strips. Anything sharp can hurt his sensitive ears.


If your Pug's ears aren't dirty, then don't clean them! Cleaning without a reason can cause yeast infections.

Answer 2

DO NOT EVER PUT WATER IN A DOG'S EARS!!! Water in the ears is the #1 cause of infections.

Buy a dog ear cleaning solution from your vet or pet store. You have 2 options: wet a cotton ball and gently wipe out the ear until the cotton ball comes back clean and free of debris, or pour a few drops into the dog's ear canal, massage the base of the ear, and wipe out with a dry cotton ball. Never use Q-tips, you don't want to go poking around any further than your eyes can see into his ears. And definitely no water!!! That is the worst possible thing you can put in his ears.

They also make ear powder, after you clean his ears, let them dry for a few minutes, and sprinkle some dog ear powder into them. It helps keep them dry and clean. Ears should be cleaned about once every week, more often if he's having problems.

Answer 3

I have an english-mastif, which is in the pug family. We used to have to clean his ears once a week, and that wasn't enough. Then we switched to a dog food with no corn, hard to find, had to get from feed store. now only clean once or twice a year

Answer 4

use q-tips and alcohol but if they are really gross and continue to get gross then you may want to take him to the vet to see if he has ear mites. and if that's the case then the vet will give you drops to put in his ear to help kill the mites and clean out the ears.

Answer 5

wet a small towel or cotton pad with warm water and wipe them out. thats what my vet told me. I even use q-tips on my dog, you just have to be careful!! If they are real dirty, like black and smell it might be infected. YOu can get drops from the vet.

Answer 6

What's a pug?

Answer 7

paper towel? gently

Answer 8

dawn gets great outta the way
q-tips?

Answer 9

Q-TIPS & PATIENTS it the only way and it's RUFF ON YOU BUT IT HAS TO BE DONE