HELP! Cleaning Chihuahua Ears

I am a first-time dog owner and thus lack experience. I would appreciate any advice on dealing with my 7-year-old male chihuahua who does not let anyone touch his ears. I know his ears need to be cleaned. I have taken him to grooming services but they refused to take him because he tried to bite them. Now after 7 years of not having his ears cleaned, my Chihuahua is suffering from a yeast infection in his ears. I took him to the vet last week but because he was very aggressive, the vet was not able to examine his ears. I asked the vet for sedatives for my dog but she declined due to risks. I'm helpless and desperate. I have heard of dogs given antihistamine (allergy medicine) and they were successfully made sedated. Has anyone tried this before?

Hi PuppyK9,

I am not a vet but I've had pet dogs all my life. I wouldn't advise using antihistamines to knock your dog out. Through past experience, I understand that different dogs react differently to different medication. Some become over-excited, some get drowsy and some act strange (tongue flapping about). You never know the reaction you are going to get. If you Google it, you can find feedback from others.

If you are able to muzzle your dog, it will be better. If you do have a muzzle, you can use ear cleaning drops on your dog, at home. You will need to drip a lot in, massage it in for half a minute, then let your dog shake it's head to remove the excess. You can then use cotton balls or a soft, wet cloth to wipe the part of the ear that you can see. It's not a good idea to use cotton buds as you will push wax in further.

If you want further details, do drp me a message and I will go into much further detail. If you have a muzzle and you think you will need some help, I am willing to help you (for free). Maybe you will be confident enough to do it yourself after that.

Good luck!