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My puppy's ears are red, waxy, blistered after olive oil. Infected?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Dachshund (Miniature Smooth Haired) | Male | unneutered | 2 months and 1 day old | 5 lbs

Hi we recently cleaned my puppy’s ears with a natural olive oil dog ear cleaner. This morning I noticed my dogs ears are now much more red the wax build up has gotten worse and he has small red little blisters on the inner portion of his ear. Is this an allergic reaction? Or ear mites? Or a sign that he now has an infection? He has this on both ears but I have attached 1 picture.

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on September 15th, 2022

Poor Finn, his ear does look red in the picture. Yes, I would be concerned about an infection. Olive oil should never be put in a dog's ear, I know you said it's a natural cleaner, but these natural cleaners often contain ingredients that are frankly not safe to use. I would throw away this cleaner and if you want to use a safe cleaner in the future for his ears, I recommend Epi-Otic. You can get it from your vet. Speaking of your vet, you need to give them a call now to make an appointment as he has to get his ears checked out and treated. Please get him in as soon as possible, as ear infections are very uncomfortable for dogs and leaving them untreated can lead to hearing loss. I hope this helps!

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11Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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