How to Care & Clean a Maltese's Ears

The Maltese is a toy-sized canine with a long, silky coat. The dog has long ears, and a lot of hair grows inside them, hindering the air from drying the ear canal. The area inside the ears is dark and moist, ideal for bacteria, yeast cells and wax buildup. Proper care and cleaning of the ears is necessary to prevent otitis externa or external ear canal inflammation, which commonly affects Maltese dogs.

Things You'll Need

  • Ear powder
  • Tweezers (optional)
  • Ear-cleaning solution
  • Eye dropper
  • Cotton balls or towel
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Raise your Maltese's ear flap and gently massage the base of the ear to relax the dog. Check if there are any foreign bodies such as grass or dirt in the ears. If you find anything, remove it with tweezers.

    • 2

      Spread ear powder over the hair that grows in the ears. The powder makes the hair easier to remove.

    • 3

      Pull out the hair with your fingers or a pair of tweezers. If using tweezers, pay attention not to pinch the dog's ear canal skin while plucking out the hair.

    • 4

      Use an eye dropper to insert canine ear-cleaning solution into one of your dog's ears. Place the ear flap into its normal position and massage the ear area for a few seconds to allow the solution to get into the dog's ear canal. The dog will shake its head. Wipe off any remaining solution, liquefied wax and debris from around the ear area using a cotton ball or a towel. Do the same with the other ear. Perform the ear cleaning once a week.

    • 5

      Fold the ear flaps for five minutes after cleaning, to allow the ear canal to dry.