It’s allergy season….as if you didn’t already know!!
If you have an allergy prone dog you are well aware of how itchy and scratchy things can get during the spring. If your dog happens to have big floppy ears like our boys, you also know that ear infections are unfortunately all too common this time of year.
Regular ear cleaning will go a long way in preventing ear infections, but did you know that most of the dog ear cleaners on the market contain acids or alcohol? Not surprisingly these chemicals can cause discomfort and even pain to an already sore ear canal! We have been on the lookout for a more natural option for a while and were so excited to recently learn of Brave Beagle.
Brave Beagle was kind enough to send us 2 bottles of their all natural dog ear cleaner to test out with our floppy eared, itchy boys!
What Causes Dog Ear Infections?
There are several different possibilities, the most common of which being:
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- Moisture in the ear canal – As the weather gets warmer we have trouble keeping the pups out of the water, however even something as benign bathing your dog can cause moisture to be be trapped in the ear canal. This moisture fosters the growth of microorganisms in the ear that can eventually lead to infection.
- Inflammation from allergies – Microscopic inflammation in the skin caused by allergies allows for the overgrowth of normally occurring bacterial and yeast organisms.
- Mites – These tiny parasites feed on the wax and oil in a dogs ear canal causing irritation and inflammation.
Other contributing factors can include excessive hair in and around the ear canal or even the presence of a foreign body.
Poor Puppy
Harley’s ears often get red, inflamed, itchy, and painful. Not the mention the WAX (so, so much of it). Over the years we have become pro’s at identifying the early warning signs of an ear infection. For us the most commonly occurring symptoms include the following: excessive shaking of the head, rubbing head on things, excessive itching (with feet), foul odor, and increased wax production.
An Ounce of Prevention…
Keeping your dogs ears clean is one the of the easiest ways to help battle recurrent ear infections. Whether after a swim, or as part of routine care, once you get the hang of it you’ll be wondering why you ever didn’t do it, or worse, paid the vet to do it!
If it’s so easy, why isn’t everyone doing it?
Most of the commercially available dog ear cleaner on the market contains alcohol which can cause irritation to an already sensitive ear. If your pet is showing signs of discomfort, it is likely that you will not want to regularly stay on top of this maintenance!
Here for the fight…Brave Beagle!
Like so many of our favorite companies, the inspiration for Brave Beagle comes from the owners own pet – an adorable rescued Beagle.
After having difficulty finding natural options to ease her allergies and painful ears, they developed their own natural ear cleaning solution.
Brave Beagle Dog Ear Cleaner – The solution…literally
Brave Beagle’s ear cleaning solution is all natural, free of sulfates, phosphates, alcohol, parabens or preservatives. Instead, this product contains Coconut oil, citrus extracts, palm oil, and vegetable extracts. It has a light pleasant odor and is extremely gentle on the ears. Brave Beagle’s solution is intended to be used on dogs over 12 weeks of age.
So how do you use it? Well, it is quite simple!
How to Clean Dog’s Ears
- Apply ear cleaning solution to a cotton ball
- Squeeze the cleaner into your dog’ ear canal and use the cotton ball to hold your dogs ear closed
- Gently massage the base of the ear to allow solution to work its way around. The solution and movement will help loosen debris which will then collect on the cotton ball
- Use another soaked cotton ball to wipe the visible surfaces of the dogs ear
- Allow your dog to shake to work out any remaining wax, debris or solution
These steps are also summed up in this great infographic from Brave Beagle:
Why MyDogLikes Brave Beagle’s Dog Ear Cleaner
We are big fans of anything all natural and made in the USA. Brave Beagle’s ear cleaning solution checks off both of those boxes and is perfect for dogs like ours who are prone to ear problems. It should be noted that this is not a medication and is not to be used to treat existing ear infections, but rather to stay on top of regular maintenance. Routine ear cleaning is an important but often overlooked component of keeping your dog healthy – and Brave Beagle helps makes this process much more enjoyable for all parties!
Click here to Buy From Amazon
He gets his ears cleaned at the groomer’s but I don’t do it on a regular basis unless I think he’s itchy.
We have been using it every couple of days because the boys produce so much more wax at this time of the year and we have seen no irritation. Its great!
Thanks for the review! My wife and I just adopted a poodle mix a few months ago and have just been using your standard pet store ear cleaner. It’s nice to see a more natural product.
We love it. It hasn’t caused any irritation using it regularly. So far allergy irritation has been kept at bay too! Thanks for stopping by and welcome to MyDogLikes!
We don’t clean our dogs ears often enough. I like an all natural option like Brave Beagle.
I have always worried about the irritation of cleaning them too often. I love that the Brave Beagle is not alcohol based! Grab some cotton balls and you are in business!!!
What a great review, lucky my dogs don’t get infections or need ear cleanings but a couple times a year.
If we let it go too long we look like the most neglectful pet parents ever!! Maybe Chessies have better ear canals! Lucky dogs 🙂
What a good boy!! Natural options are always our preference too. Cleaning the cat’s ears is an entirely different experience. ;0
Cleaning our cats ears is not something that I care to ever undertake! I still bear the scar on my hand from the last time I had an encounter that they did not want to participate in!
This sounds like an excellent product! I wonder if it works for cats too. I absolutely love it when products are all natural. It looks like it did a great job on your dogs! It has to feel really good to them when their ears are nice and clean.
Oh it does! This time of year their ears can get so sensitive!
Our golden retriever Sheba needs at least monthly ear cleanings. She’s had infections before so we try to keep on top of it. I hate the smell of the stuff I’ve been using, and would love to try an all natural option, which is always our preference! We clean the other dogs’ ears too, they just don’t seem to need it quite as often.
Oh, and I love the name of this! Our late beagle Kobi needed constant ear cleaning too!
Love those floppy ears, but they sure are prone to ear problems! Good luck!
There is no odor at all! Their ears get a little greasy but not any worse than the other options we have tried. This is a great product! Good luck! I know Sheba could use a bottle!
I absolutely love the all natural option. Leonard hates getting his ears cleaned out because the normal stuff you get from the vets or the stores just hurts his ears because of his skin allergies. I hope if we win this it will be so much better for him and even if we don’t win I will definitely look into purchasing some for him.
The boys didnt mind us using this on them at all! We are giving away 20 bottles! I hope you win one to try!
Umm, ‘consistently’ might not be the exact right term; I HAVE cleaned my dog’s ears (I will say that!). Natural products are always the way to go. I can’t remember what I bought before. In fairness I’ve only had him since January. I adopted him from the ASPCA and he had lived in a terrible place (he’s also about 8 or 9 years old poor darling). So, I had to bathe and clean him up after his stitches from his hernia operation healed. Before that he stunk! In fact I discovered that one of the reasons that he stunk was because he has gross stuff in his ears. So, I bought something (I don’t know now what it was) and cleaned his ears. it took ages; though he didn’t seem to mind much. I don’t think that they had ever been cleaned. He’s cleaner and happier now, but I am sure that I should go in there and have a look again.
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{in the contest I am Margot C__ on the Rafflecopter}
We clean their ears occasionally. I had no idea the alcohol was a bad idea!
I would have loved this for my cocker spaniel who used to get terrible ear infections. We made a solution from a recipe that I found on the internet from someone who raised them., I love natural solutions.
What a great idea to make it yourself. I never trust myself enough to do it! I love this product and think it would be great for cockers, do you still have one?
I clean my dog’s ears every now and then, I need to do it more often. Luckily she’s never had any ear problems. I would love to use this though.
Very cool! Shiner has ear problems sometimes unfortunately. She can never have too much ear cleaner!
this product so wonderful
Unfortunately I don’t clean my dogs ears as much as I should. I’d be more inclined to do so if I had some “natural” ear cleaner though!
Ear Stuff, was just looking into it today as I need to get some soo it would be awesome to win, thanks for giveaway
I haven’t had my dog very long but… I’ve never cleaned his ears. Definitely going to this week though!!! Lol. I really like that the brave beagle is natural, I’m not a fan of stinky, scary chemicals going anywhere near my dog or me.
Would love to try this on my flop eared dog.
i have actually never cleaned her ears… :-O
I have hounds – and hounds have long ears and are prone to ear problems if you don’t keep their ears cleaned on a regular basis. I go through a LOT of ear cleaner and am always looking for ones that are better for my dogs and that work better, too.
You need a case for all of those hound ears!
I usually clean my dog’s ears after a grooming just in case water has gotten into his ears when having his bath. I did not realize there might be alcohol in the cleaner and I think the natural cleaner would be much healthier.
Yes, I do clean my dog’s ears frequently 🙂 I think is important for an all natural ingredient, less chemicals the better!
We clean the dogs’ ears when they get a bath and if needed between baths. I think an all natural option for cleaning ears is even better 🙂
Yeah we love all natural anything…thats the way it should be!
I clean them when they need it. Check them often, but don’t necessarily clean every time
I think thats key. Figure out the trouble times and adjust accordingly.
I have previously tried using olive oil on my dogs ears, but it really irritates her ears and she hates when I do it! I would love to try this product that is natural and safe to use on their ears.
This stuff is great because its over before they realize. I quick squeeze, massage, shake, and wipe!
I try to clean my dog’s ears often. I just have been using a tissue when I wipe inside her ears. I think a natural solution like Brave Beagle is great, since I never wanted to use ones with acids in them.
Its such a sensitive area. This stuff works great without causing irritation!
I have never cleaned my dogs ears but this looks like a great, easy product to use and I would now!!
Entry form name: Marlene V.
Yes, it really is so easy. Regular upkeep can save so much on the veterinary bills!
Thanks for the review. Our golden needs it’s ears cleaned regularly
I clean my dogs’ ears a few times a year; I would love an all-natural cleanser.
Would love to try this for our Golden
Ahh yes! Goldie’s need extra love to care for their ears! Good luck!
I clean my dog’s ears rarely. The cats do it for me most of the time. LOL!
I’ve never cleaned my dog’s ears. I check them regularly and they seem to be fine.
Lucky ducky!!! Good genetics I guess!
We’re always on the lookout for problems with our Jake’s ears, and I frequently clean them with a cotton ball and some oil, which works quite well if we stay on top of it. I’d love to try this product though. It looks like it’s a great thing.
It is great! We love it! Good luck!
I think it would be great, and guess what I have a beagle who has stinky ears a lot!!
HA! Perfect!! Good luck!
Our dog’s ears need to be cleaned a lot more often and I love this natural option.
I love using it because it doesn’t have a yucky medicinal smell!
I have 4 dogs and would love to give this a try!
I do clean their ears and would love to use this!
I clean six pairs of ears. I sure could use this great product!
We always clean our doggy’s ears. I think the Brave Beagle product looks gentle and would love to try it.
I would be trying to win this for my boyfriends sisters dog tucker , and I like that this is so natural to use,the more natural the better
Pugs are prone to ear infections. We really try to be proactive in cleaning their ears to keep them to a min. We clean them once a week at bath time and in between if we see them scratching at them. I would love to try this product. The only thing found that works so far is from the vet and crazy priced. I love to try an all natural product that works.
I’m all for the all natural option and like seeing (and using) more of these products. We clean our malamute’s ears about twice a month.
I am for anything natural for my pup. I don’t like any kind of chemicals in her grooming or food/treats. This sounds like a pawsome product.
I try to clean my dogs ears regularly usually the same day she gets a bath its like a spa day for her. I currently have ear cleaner but a natural option is always better. Thanks for the giveaway
I don’t typically clean my dog’s ears, though i have not had him for very long! i would definitely rather use something all natural than sticking chemicals in his ears.
Mumpford was recovering from an ear infection when I adopted him. He does not like the ear cleaning solution the rescue gave me, Maybe it is too harsh, because he freaks out when I try to clean his ears. An all natural solution may be the solution.
Oh poor baby 🙁 I would love for you to try this!
I do clean my dogs ears and I like that this is natural!
We continually clean our dogs ears as because of their ear type they are prone to infections due to allergies. I love the idea of a more natural cleaner for them.
I clean them routinely, but not consistently. My dogs have erect ears and much fewer problems.
I clean my dog’s ears and I would love a product that is healthy for them.
Our golden Dixie is a big swimmer and this sounds like a great product to keep her ears clean.
Oh yes, perfect for Goldens! We have been trying to get in the habit of using it after every swim session.
The last date of reply was in May 2015? Repost or new posting?
Refreshing our previous review because Brave Beagle was kind enough to offer a brand new giveaway for our readers!
Cool
I don’t have a dog, but my friends do. I dog sit for them when they go away. They have a Scottie and it’s apparently a Scottie thing that they’re prone to getting ear fungus. I feel so bad for her. I sleep over there when I dog sit, and I often hear her in the middle of the night running around the house scratching her head on all the walls. One time she was scratching so much that she was limping! (She must have pulled a muscle in her back leg with all the scratching). Last time I watched her, we were outside, and she went into a Holly tree/bush so she could scratch her ears on the prickly leaves. It’s so sad!
Thank you for the review and also for the coupon code. I hope it’s still working! 🙂
Yep, the 20% off code is still active! Let us know what you pick out!
Well said! Dog’s ears are one of the most troubling parts of the dog body when it comes to the possibility of an infection.. Because they are unreachable and you can not be always sure that they are clean and not over moisture.
Luckily for us and our dogs of course, there are dog cleaners like this one! the great thing about this cleaner in particular, is that it is 100% natural.. Meaning that you don’t have to worry that your dog’s ears are going to get irritated or worse.
Great review, I clean them when they need it. Check them every week, but don’t necessarily clean every time.
Have used this product for a few weeks now and I find that it works. It has gotten all the gunk out of my dogs ears. Does not have a strong smell which is great. Easy to use. It also helped with the smell of her ears. Glad I saw this product.