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Can I clean my dog's ears and teeth using homemade solutions?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Male | unneutered | 6 years and 3 months old | 81 lbs

1. Can I clean my dog's ears without a specific product? He's prone to ear infections. 2. Can I clean his teeth without toothbrush & toothpaste? (maybe with gauze?).

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on August 20th, 2017

It's best to clean the ears with a product labeled for dogs. This will be appropriately balanced and have components that allow the ear to dry after it is cleaned. You can make your own ear flush at home with sterile saline (can get this in pharmacies) and add a tablespoon of white wine vinegar to a liter of saline. This is not as good, but will at-least help to flush out the debris and help manage yeast infections. Any time there are chronic (long-standing) ear infections I want to ensure that they are not suffering from an allergy. German Shepherds are more prone to allergies than other dogs and this will cause the ear to keep getting infected. It's best to have a veterinarian look at Rusty and see if there are any other signs of allergies. This can be treated with medication. You can definitely use gauze instead of a brush. There are also little finger brushes available that I find easier to use rather than a toothbrush. Make sure you use a dog toothpaste and not one made for people. You can also use baking soda instead.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Davis

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Yes you can clean Rusty's ears with a half and half mixture of white vinegar and water. I soak a soft cotton ball and use that to clean the ears. Then I take a dry cotton ball and remove excess liquid so Rusty doesn't shake his head. This mixture is good for after swimming or general cleaning. If he has thick dark wax in the ears a veterinary ear cleaner will be more effective as it has a surfactant in it which will break up the wax. As far as teeth cleaning I actually prefer to wrap a damp gauze around by finger and slide it into the mouth along the upper teeth and rub the teeth with the gauze. Most dogs prefer this method over trying to hold their mouth open while trying to brush the teeth, or using a tooth brush. Because dogs have a rough tongue they do not get much tartar buildup on the inside of the teeth so you do not need to brush those. I'm glad you are brushing Rusty's teeth. If you notice a bad odor or his gums get red with tartar buildup then it's time to schedule a dental cleaning at your veterinary office. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Rusty.

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