It may be winter now, but before you know it, swimming season will be upon us. Preparing your dog for swimming is very important. You may need to teach your dog to swim, purchase a life jacket, get proper shots and licensing, and make other considerations. One consideration you may not have thought about is, “how do I protect my dogs ears when swimming?” Not sure how a dog’s ears factor into swimming? Let’s explore that idea.
Why Do I Need to Protect My Dogs Ears When Swimming?
Many dog lovers don’t protect their dog’s ears when swimming. This might lead you do ask “why do I need to protect my dogs ears when swimming?” The simple answer is ear infections in dogs.
Just like human ears, a dog’s ears have a natural layer of yeast and bacteria coating them that typically help to defend the dog’s ears from harm. However, unlike human ears, dog’s ear canals are “L” shaped (source). This shape makes it more difficult for foreign substances to reach the dog’s inner ear.
When water gets into the lower part of the dog’s ear canal, it can be much harder for that water to get out of the ear again. The water in the lower part of the dog’s ear canal creates a moist environment that is perfect for the yeast and bacteria to grow out of control. This can happen as a result of bathing your dog or snow melting in your dog’s ears as well as swimming.
Outer ear infections (known as otitis externa), happen when the layer of skin inside the ear canal becomes inflamed. These infections, often caused by yeast, bacteria, or allergic reaction, may lead to inner ear infections and even hearing loss. It can become very expensive to treat with chronic ear infections in dogs. They may lead you to ask, “is there a way to protect my dogs ears from infection?”
How To Tell If Your Dog Has an Ear Infection
Ear infections can be sneaky. They sometimes have many, obvious symptoms, and other times they have are fewer, milder symptoms. If you believe that your dog may have an ear infection, it is important to contact your veterinarian as soon as possible. Some of the symptoms include:
- Odor
- Dark discharge
- Redness and swelling of the ear canal
- Pain
- Scratching the affected ear
- Crusting or scabs on the ear
By now you may be asking yourself “how do I protect my dogs ears while swimming?” As the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a poun
2 Big Tips For Preventing Water In Your Dog’s Ears
There are two big tips for preventing water from getting in your dog’s ear canals because of swimming. First is to make sure that you dry your dog’s ears off well after every time they are in the water. Patting your dog’s ears with a towel will work. This will help to make sure that excess water on the outer part of your dog’s ear doesn’t drain into your dog’s ear canal. However, this does not keep water from getting into your dog’s ear canals while swimming.
Second, CrittEar Calm dog earplugs can help keep water from flowing into your dog’s ear canals while swimming or dock diving. When properly inserted, our dog earplugs expand to fill your dog’s entire “L” shaped ear canal perfectly. They are a simple solution to your question, “how do I protect my dogs ears while swimming?” Dog earplugs also have the benefit of protecting your dog’s ears from loud summer time noises like fireworks or thunderstorms.
Swimming Without Ear Infections Is Possible
For many dogs, part of a great summer is a good swim. You may have wondered, “how do I protect my dogs ears while swimming?” Keeping those ears dry can be as simple as a pair of CrittEar Calm dog earplugs. CrittEar Calm dog earplugs are available in a 3-pack so that you have a pair for swimming in the back yard, a pair for the beach, and a pair to have with you wherever the road may lead. Right now is a great time to begin training your dog to accept dog earplugs. Get ready for summer, swimming, and all of the fun that awaits you and your dog!
