Gma Mary's Ear Solution

I've been warned by Mr. H that soon the HB patrols will be knocking on my door. 
So here's the recipe that Gma Mary gave me to help with Abby's ears.  They are doing very well since I started using this. 

The ingredients you'll need are white vinegar, powdered boric acid, isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol), and Betadine antiseptic solution. Generic versions of the Betadine are known as Povidone-Iodine, and those are fine, too. Just be sure not to use "Betadine Scrub", which is Betadine with a detergent added. What you want is "Betadine Solution" or generic "Povidone-Iodine Solution".




The first time we looked for the boric acid and the Betadine, we had no clue where to find it... but our local Pharmacist was happy to point us in the right direction. They used to keep boric acid in stock out in the pharmacy section of drug stores and you could buy it "over the counter". Recently, it's gotten a little harder to get after the regulations got tightened regarding selling it... since boric acid can be used to manufacture illegal drugs. These days, you usually won't find it just sitting out on the shelf of your local drug store. You usually do have to ask the pharmacist for it.

You'll also need an empty bottle to store your ear cleaning solution in, and from which you will squirt the solution in to your dog's ear. We recommend use of a plastic bottle with a long applicator snout, and with markings on the outside that show fluid levels in ounces. This makes it very easy to measure the ingredients as you pour them in to the bottle. A great place to find these is at beauty supply stores, as they are commonly used for hair-coloring solutions.



Here are the directions for mixing the solution together. Be sure to follow them in the order listed... I'll spare you the explanation of the chemistry involved, but trust me... to get the boric acid to dissolve properly, you need to do it exactly like this:




Pour six ounces of isopropyl alcohol in to your applicator bottle. (This is where those ounce measuring lines on the outside of the bottle really come in handy.) Next, add one and a half teaspoons of boric acid powder. An easy way to do that is to measure the powder, dump it on to a piece of paper, fold the paper in half and use the paper as a funnel to get the powder in to the plastic applicator bottle. Be careful not to get any boric acid on your skin or clothing. If you do, wash it off immediately.



Shake the solution up really well, until the boric acid powder is fully dissolved. Next, add two ounces of white vinegar. Shake it up some more. Finally, add one teaspoon of the generic Betadine antiseptic, and shake it some more. The solution should take on coloring similar to ice tea. Be careful not to get any of the Betadine on your skin or clothing. If you do, wash it off immediately.



That's it! You're ready to move on to the hardest part now... getting your Cocker to let you squirt this stuff inside the ear canal.



One thing to keep in mind is that the ear cleaner contains Betadine, which is orange-colored and will stain carpet, furniture, etc. So, you should apply the ear cleaner to your dog outdoors or in your garage or in your bathtub... somewhere where nothing important can get stained when the dog shakes his head and the ear cleaning solution is flung in to the air.



http://www.zimfamilycockers.com/EarCleaner.html

With the alcohol, make sure you get the 90%, alot of place offer 71% but it's better with at least 90%

A tip that I use.  I bought a 4 oz measuring glass, that is only used for making this mix.  Also, I bought a clear ketchup bottle at walmart, easier to get into the ears better since it has the snout.  :) 

So there you have it.....I'm safe from the patrols for another day.

Until next time....High Paw Five
Abby

PS.....it sure is hot here...staying inside where the A/C is.