Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My chihuahua seems to have a lot of wax deep in his ear canal. I clean his ears frequently, and it doesn't seem to come out. I have heard that using Q-tips could be dangerous, is this true? The wax is quite dark brown and I'm wondering if it's normal. He scratches his ears once in awhile but he doesn't go crazy. Any suggestions? Thanks!

I forgot to mention that his ears do have a bit of an odor to them as well.

well,while a bit of brown wax is normal,odor is not,it may be the beginning of an ear infection,or a fungal problem,get the vet to check it out

My chi, Charlie, had the same problem when I first brought him home. I had to take him to the vet and he got antibiotics and they showed me how to "safely" clean his ears. If he doesn't jerk and is still when you touch his ears you can use a Q-tip. Its only dangerous when the jerk and then the Q-tip can puncture the ear drum. There is also drops you can find them at wal-mart, pet stores, and petsmart and you just put in your dogs ears and it dissolves the ear wax, but I'd take the dog to the vet before I used it. Since it has an odor an infection is already set up in the ear and antibiotics will fight the infection. It isn't an over night or a week solution though takes about a month and I still do weekly cleanings to keep his ears free of infection. Good Luck~Marie and Charlie Chi

Thanks for the advice! He actually saw the vet and he didn't see mites but gave me some antibiotic solution to use just in case. I didn't want to use it unless I knew for sure there was a problem but I guess I'll have to try it afterall.

I'm glad I could help Hope your baby gets feeling better soon!
~Marie