Here are 9 steps you can take, to keep your Golden Retriever’s ears healthy. Make a habit of giving her ears a quick flip and peek every day to make sure they are in good condition. The L shape of the canine ear canal makes it a prime collection point for dirt, debris, and fluids, all of which can cause irritation and infections. Lifelong ear maintenance is critical for your Golden, especially if you want her to hear you sweetly calling her name well into her senior years.

1. Examine your Golden’s ears daily. Lift the ear flap and check for waxy discharge, buildup of dirt or blood, and red or inflamed skin (basically, anything other than clean, healthy looking skin.)
2. While you have the ear flap up, take a quick sniff to make sure there is no odd or foul odor emanating from the ear, as this can be an indicator of an irritation or infection.
3. Make sure the hair in the ear canal is trimmed. Long hair in the ear canal can act as a magnet for dirt, bacteria, allergens, and moisture, creating a breeding ground for infection. If you notice the hair is longer than quarter of inch (6 mm), carefully trim it with a pair of blunt-nose scissors, ensuring the hair doesn’t fall down into the ear canal.
4. Trimming the fur under the ears increases the flow of air and keeps them drier, helping to mitigate potential infections.
5. Pre-moistened ear wipes are okay for a quick cleanup of the outer ear, but they cannot take the place of a thorough, deep cleaning with ear wash, which gets much further into the ear canal, where infections begin. The frequency of full ear cleanings depends a lot on your Golden’s lifestyle and general health. Every Golden Retriever needs to have her ears deep cleaned after a swim or a bath to remove any water that may have found its way into the ear canal.
6. To safely clean the ear, soak cotton gauze in a squeeze bottle filled with a solution of 40 percent vinegar and 60 percent water, or in a premixed solution recommended by your veterinarian. Gently wipe the ear clean, manipulating it so you can see into all of the nooks and crannies.
7. Using a fresh piece of solution-soaked gauze, very carefully wipe into the opening of the ear canal to clean inside. Check the gauze; if it comes out clean, and you didn’t detected any odd or foul smell earlier, you are done. However, if you did notice an odor, or the gauze comes out with any gunk on it, you now need to clean the ear canal. Using the squeeze bottle, gently send a steady stream of ear wash into the ear canal. This loosens and removes ear wax, dirt, and dead skin that has built up there.
8. Let your Golden have a good shake, which moves the cleaning solution and the debris it has loosened up and out of the ear canal. You may need to re-wipe and dry the outer ear area.
9. If redness in the ear persists or a rapid reaccumulation of debris occurs, your Golden may have an ear infection and should be seen by your veterinarian as soon as possible.