Drying a Labrador's Ears After a Swim

A Labrador's ear canal is shaped like an L, and that bend holds water after a swim. Dry the canal within an hour of the last retrieve: fill it with a veterinarian ear cleaner, massage the base for thirty seconds, let the dog shake, then wipe only what you can see. A dog that shakes its head for more than a day, or that holds one ear lower than the other, needs a veterinarian, not another week of home care.

The breed's ear is a flap over a narrow tube. Air moves poorly through it, warmth stays in it, and water sits at the bottom of the vertical canal below the bend. That is the whole mechanical problem, and it is why otitis externa shows up so often in Labradors that work water in September and October.

Why the Labrador Ear Traps Water

The ear canal runs down, then turns almost ninety degrees toward the eardrum. Water that enters during a water retrieve has to travel back up that turn to leave. A drop that stays behind softens the skin lining the canal. Soft skin tears, bacteria and yeast that already live on the dog move in, and the canal swells. Swelling narrows the tube further, which traps the next swim's water more effectively than the last.

Hair growth makes it worse in some lines. So does a heavy, low-set ear that covers the opening. The same anatomy that keeps debris out of a working dog's ear on a dry field day keeps moisture in on a wet one.

Owners who compare breeds notice the difference in upkeep. A breed built for cover and water carries a different set of maintenance tasks than one built for show, and the comparison is worth reading before the first swim of the season: a spaniel's feathered coat and ears demand their own routine, and the two are not interchangeable. The Labrador's problem is inside the canal, where you cannot see it.

How Often Should Labrador Ears Be Cleaned?

Once a week for a dog that swims, and once a month for a dog that does not. Cleaning more often than that irritates the canal and removes the wax layer that protects it.

The weekly check takes two minutes and does not require a cleaner. Lift the ear flap. Look at the skin inside. Smell it. Press gently along the base of the canal and feel for thickening or heat. A healthy ear is pale pink, nearly odorless, and cool.

On a swimming dog, add a drying step after every session in the water, not just on the weekly check day. The weekly check is for catching change. The post-swim routine is for preventing it.

How Do You Dry a Labrador's Ears After Swimming?

Use a veterinarian ear cleaner, not water, not alcohol, and not hydrogen peroxide. Water adds to the problem. Alcohol and peroxide sting raw skin and slow healing.

1. Shake the bottle and fill the ear canal until cleaner reaches the top. Most dogs tolerate this better than owners expect.
2. Massage the base of the ear, the firm cartilage below the opening, for thirty seconds. You should hear a wet, squishing sound. That sound means the cleaner has reached the bottom of the canal.
3. Step back and let the dog shake. The shake brings the cleaner and the loosened debris up and out.
4. Wipe the inside of the flap and the visible part of the canal with a cotton ball or a soft gauze square. Do not push anything into the canal. A cotton swab can pack debris against the eardrum.
5. Repeat on the other ear with a fresh cotton ball.

Do this within an hour of the last retrieve. A dog that swims twice in a day gets the routine once, at the end.

If the dog's ears are already red or tender, skip the cleaner and call the veterinarian. Cleaning an infected canal pushes debris deeper and hurts.

What Does an Ear Infection Look Like in a Dog?

Five signs cover most cases.

• Head shaking, repeated and hard, often in the evening.
• One ear held lower or rotated outward. Owners describe it as a head tilt.
• Scratching at the ear with a hind foot until the skin around the opening is raw.
• Odor. A yeasty ear smells like stale bread. A bacterial ear smells sharper, closer to decay.
• Discharge. Brown wax, yellow pus, or a dark crust along the inside of the flap.

Pain is the sign owners miss. A dog with a painful ear may stop eating on one side, pull away when the head is touched, or refuse to pick up a bumper. In a working Labrador, a sudden drop in steadiness or a refusal to enter cold water can be an ear problem, not a training problem.

When the Veterinarian Is Needed

Call the veterinarian when the ear is red, swollen, painful, or producing discharge, or when head shaking lasts more than twenty-four hours. Do not wait for the weekend to pass.

A veterinarian will look at the canal with an otoscope, take a swab, and examine it under a microscope. That step separates a bacterial infection from a yeast infection from a foreign body, and the treatments differ. A grass awn lodged against the eardrum looks like an infection and will not clear with any cleaner.

Chronic cases need more than a bottle of drops. Repeated infections in the same ear can mean allergies, thyroid disease, or a canal that has narrowed permanently. A dog with three infections in one season needs a workup, not a fourth course of the same medication.

Finish the full course of medication even after the ear looks normal. Stopping early is the most common reason an infection returns within a month.

The Routine on a Northern Plains Schedule

August through October, a working Labrador may swim four or five days a week. Build the ear check into the same evening routine as the tick check and the foot inspection. Dry the canal after every water session. Check the ears on Sunday. Write down anything that changes, because a small note about a slight odor in September is worth more to a veterinarian in October than a memory.

In December, when the water is cold and the sessions are short, the ears still get wet. Cold water does not sterilize a canal. The routine does not change with the season.

A dog that stays dry between swims, gets its ears dried within the hour, and sees a veterinarian at the first sign of pain will spend far fewer days out of the field than one whose owner waits to see if it clears up on its own.