Dedham Veterinary Associates masthead
Monthly Update
August 2011
Greetings!
The first issue of our newsletter generated some great suggestions from readers. Thank you for your ideas! This month's feature article responds to a reader request for an article on how to clean a dog's ears. If you have a cat, we've provided some helpful resources for you as well.

We want this newsletter to reflect your interests and concerns, so keep those article suggestions coming! Just send us an email at [email protected].

Please visit our website for more information about keeping your pet healthy and the latest news from our practice.

 

Sincerely,
Dr. Beverly Mason
Medical Director
Dedham Veterinary Associates

How to Clean Your Dog's Ears  

Your veterinarian may recommend routinely cleaning your dog's ears as an important way to reduce the chance of ear infections and excess wax buildup. Ear cleaning is fairly simple. Koja posed for pictures to help show how easy it is!

 

Step 1: The Right Supplies

Here's what you need:

  • Ear cleaner recommended by your veterinarian --We usually recommend Epi-Otic Advanced (Virbac) ear cleaner. Occasionally we prefer a different cleaner for certain conditions, so check with your vet first.
  • Large cotton balls or pieces of cotton from a roll

Dog ear cleaning supplies   

 Step 2: Apply Ear Cleaner   

Pour a liberal amount of ear cleaner into the ear canal. If your dog is nervous about the bottle near his head, then just saturate a piece of cotton with the ear cleaner and squeeze it into the ear canal. Most dogs don't mind this.

Dog ear cleaning 

 

Step 3: Massage and Dry
Now massage the ear gently. You can feel the cartilage of the ear canal just below the ear. You should massage this area, too. Most dogs love this step. Koja is so happy to get an ear massage!

 

Next, take some dry cotton and place it over your finger tip. Gently swab away any liquid and debris from the opening of the ear canal. Keep repeating this step with clean cotton until it comes away from the ear dry and clean.  

 

Don't worry if your dog starts to shake his head during the cleaning. The shaking is normal and will loosen more debris. Just wipe it away with clean cotton.

 Drying a dog's ear 

 

Even if your vet does not recommend using ear cleaner for your dog, it is always a good idea to dry the ears with cotton after swimming or bathing to prevent ear infections. For more information about ear problems in dogs, please read our

Ear Problems Handout on our website.

 

Ear Care for Cats

While cats are less likely to get ear infections than dogs, your vet may recommend regular cleanings. Most cats do not enjoy the cleaning process, so it can be a bit of a challenge.For help, you may want to refer to the  step-by-step ear cleaning tips and photos provided by the College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University. For more information about ear disorders in cats, please read our handout on feline ear problems. 

Puppy at Dedham Veterinary Associatesyp
Cheddar visits our office for a check up.

 

Quick Links
Office News 

 

Meet Lisa  

 

  Ward Nurse at DVA

 

Lisa has many jobs at DVA, but her main role is Ward Nurse. She is responsible for all our hospital patient's needs and enjoys educating clients on the post-operative care of their pets.

 

Lisa joined us in August 2007 after working for more than 14 years as a veterinary assistant at another local animal hospital. Her lengthy experience and training with animals ensured a smooth transition to our team.  

 

Lisa loves her responsibilities as Ward Nurse and is proud to give our patients the very best care. She shares her home with her husband Mike and their three "4 legged feline kids" Spaz, Chloe and Whiskers. 

 

 

 

 Save the Date:

Dedham Day 

 

Dedham Day is coming up on September 25th! This is a great family event sponsored by the Dedham Parks and Recreation Department. Be sure to stop by our booth to say "hi" and pick up some pet treats!  

 

Watch for details in the next issue of this newsletter.

 

 

 

 

Pet Pics Wanted 

pet picture 

 

Do you have some great shots of your pets? We'd love to see them and share a few each month with our readers!

 

 

You can share pictures online at the Pet Gallery on our website, or email them to us for consideration for the newsletter. Here's how:

 

 

Website: Click here to sign up or log in to post pictures.

 

Newsletter: Please email your photo in jpeg format, your name, your pet's name, and a brief caption here.

 

We assume that you own the copyright to all photos and that we have permission to publish them. We look forward to some fun shots!

 

To kick off our photo gallery, we're sharing a picture of Cheddar, an adorable Lab puppy. We loved having him at the office!