Ear Infections and Vinegar

A dog or human who is suffering from an ear infection can benefit from an application of vinegar. Vinegar can be used as a cure for swimmer's ear, which humans and dogs can experience. Dogs that swim a lot are every bit as likely to get swimmer's ear as a human who is frequently in the water.

  1. Recipe

    • According to Earthclinic.com, mix together 2 cups of distilled white vinegar with 1 tbsp. rubbing alcohol and 1 cup of water and pour this mixture into a spray bottle. Squirt the mixture onto the outside of your dog's ear canal. Do this after your dog has gone swimming. In addition, you can apply this solution to a cotton ball and clean out your pet's inner ear.

    Results

    • Vinegar creates an acidic environment, which prevents bacteria and yeast from growing in your dog's ear and kills fungus and germs. Alcohol helps dissolve ear wax. When you mix water and white vinegar this creates an astringent.

    Identification

    • When a human or a dog gets swimmer's ear, this means that an infection has occurred in the skin that lines the canal of the ear. Generally, this area is protected by a water-resistant, waxy coating in the inner ear. If this barrier is broken, bacteria can get into the skin and cause an infection that is referred to as external otitis or swimmer's ear. When water is trapped, yeast and bacteria multiply, which irritates the canal and results in infection and pain.

    Moisture

    • When an ear remains wet for too long, regardless of whether it's a dog's ear or a human's ear, this moisture can penetrate the water-resistant layer and the skin gets wrinkled and prune-like as well as soft. Bacteria are able to move easily into this soft skin. If there are scratches in the ear canal this makes the inner ear skin susceptible to infection.

    Recommendation

    • If your dog's condition does not improve after applying the vinegar and alcohol mix, take him to the vet. He may have a serious ear condition that home remedies can't fix.