Educational pet-health and visit-preparation reference. Not a diagnosis, prescription, dosage recommendation or substitute for a veterinarian. Veterinary review: pending. This is an editorial educational reference. Checking sources is not a veterinary assessment of your pet.
Record shaking, scratching and which side is worse
Record onset, side, odor, discharge color and amount, touch sensitivity, head tilt, balance or hearing change. Cats may mainly scratch or shake; dogs may show red swollen ear flaps and odor. These observations cannot confirm an intact eardrum.
Section sources: VCA Know Your Pet · AAHA: Preparing for a successful veterinary visit
Use only clinic-approved outer-ear cleaning
Do not put cotton swabs into the canal or use alcohol, peroxide, essential oils, human ear drops or leftover antibiotics. Stop cleaning when the ear is painful, bleeding, swollen or may contain a foreign body; the clinic must assess the canal and eardrum before choosing cleaning, sampling or medicine.
Section sources: Merck Veterinary Manual: When to see a veterinarian
Head tilt, imbalance or severe pain is not ordinary wax
Head tilt, poor balance, abnormal eye movements, sudden hearing loss, rapidly swollen ear flap, severe pain, ongoing bleeding, facial asymmetry or marked lethargy need prompt contact. Collapse, breathing trouble or major trauma is an emergency.
Section sources: Merck Veterinary Manual: When to see a veterinarian
Bring cleaning products and discharge photos
Record whether both ears are involved, prior episodes, recent ear drops or parasite products, swimming or bathing, and whether cleaning helped or increased pain. Do not keep flushing or picking before the appointment just to make the ear look clean.
Section sources: AAHA: Preparing for a successful veterinary visit
Use this guide to prepare for a visit
Ear note Onset/side: Shaking and scratching frequency: Odor and discharge: Head tilt/balance/hearing: Cleaning and medicines used: Question for the clinic:
Record observations for this topic Visit checklistSources & editorial context
- VCA Know Your Pet ↗VCA Animal Hospitals · Legacy resource; claim mapping pending
- Merck Veterinary Manual: When to see a veterinarian ↗Merck Veterinary Manual · Editorial check: 2026-10-12 · Source date: Not clearly stated on source
Urgent signs including breathing difficulty, collapse, severe pain, bleeding, seizures and difficulty urinating. - AAHA: Preparing for a successful veterinary visit ↗American Animal Hospital Association · Editorial check: 2026-10-12 · Source date: 2026-02-10
Carrier preparation for cats, species-specific visit preparation and discussion of fear or anxiety.
What changed
Rebuilt around ear-pattern records, cleaning boundaries, balance and pain red flags, and visit preparation.
Dates identify editorial updates and source checks, not clinical approval. All four languages were edited together; native-language and veterinary review remain pending.
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