Yes, you can treat many dog ear infections at home if you catch them early.
The #1 remedy I recommend (and still use years later) is EcoEars, which cleared up Ginger’s chronic ear infections in just a few days.
Other natural options include a green tea and apple cider vinegar rinse, calendula drops, or herbal ear washes.
However, remember that recurring infections are often a sign of allergies or other underlying health issues, so prevention is just as important as treatment.
Does your dog shake their head constantly, scratch at their ears, or have that awful brown gunk and smell coming from inside?
I’ve been there. With Ginger, our allergy-prone pup, ear infections were a never-ending battle. I’ll never forget the piles of brown gunk I pulled out of her ears every single day. The redness, the scratching, the head shaking… it was miserable for her and heartbreaking for me.
That’s when I started my journey of trying every natural remedy I could find, desperate to help her without running to the vet for yet another prescription that only offered short-term relief. After a lot of trial and error, I finally found something that worked.
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Treating Your Dog’s Ear Infection at Home
First things first: if you’re ever unsure, call your vet. Severe infections, especially those deep in the middle or inner ear, often need professional care. But for the majority of common yeast or bacterial infections, you can safely start treatment at home.
Here are the remedies I’ve tried, trusted, and recommend:
1. EcoEars by Vet Organics (My #1 Recommendation)
I was on the verge of another expensive vet visit when I found EcoEars on Chewy, an over-the-counter ear infection treatment. Six-plus years later, it’s still my go-to.
- Works on yeast infections, bacterial infections, and even ear mites
- Relief is often available within 24 to 48 hours
- 93.7% reported success rate
- Costs a fraction of a vet visit
After just a couple of days using EcoEars on Ginger, the redness disappeared, the gunk lessened, and she finally had relief. Today, I still use it monthly as a maintenance treatment for all our dogs.
Ingredients: Denatured Grain Alcohol, Organic Mullein Leaf Extract, Witch Hazel Extract, Rosemary Extract, Ionic Silver Solution, Boric Acid, Vegetable Glycerin, Tea Tree Oil, Polysorbate 20 (Food Grade).
I wish I had better pictures, but this shows what Ginger’s ears looked like and the amount of brown gunk I cleaned out every day BEFORE using the EcoEars.
Here is what Ginger’s ears look like today, infection-free! And I owe it all to EcoEars.
2. Green Tea Natural Ear Cleaner
Green tea is naturally soothing, apple cider vinegar is rich in antioxidants, and calendula is anti-inflammatory.
- 2 cups brewed green tea
- 2 tablespoons of organic apple cider vinegar
- 5 drops of calendula
Mix, cool, and gently syringe 1–3 ml into the ear canal. Massage your dog, then let them shake it out.
3. Apple Cider Vinegar Solution (Use With Caution)
- 50% organic apple cider vinegar
- 50% water
Soak a cotton ball and gently wipe the inside of the ear. Do not use it if your ears are red or have sores, as it may cause irritation or burning. This never worked for Ginger, but many dog owners swear by it.
4. Herbal Ear Wash Options
These medicated cleansers come highly recommended by holistic veterinarians:
- Earth Animal Apothecary Clean Ears (chamomile, calendula, aloe, witch hazel, and more)
- Zymox Plus Advanced Formula (with hydrocortisone)
- EcoEars by Vet Organics (mullein leaf, witch hazel, rosemary, and more)
5. Essential Oils for Dog Ear Infections
Credit for this one goes to Dr. Katie with The Natural Pet Doctor.
- 10 oz. of distilled water or brewed green tea (cooled)
- 5 drops of lavender essential oil
- 5 drops of copaiba essential oil
- 5 drops of frankincense essential oil
- 1 tablespoon of colloidal silver
Spray 2–3 times daily until the infection clears.
You can find all of these ingredients and recommended products in my Amazon List: Natural Home Remedies for Dogs with Ear Infections.
DO NOT USE Hydrogen peroxide. It irritates and inflames the ear canal, making infections worse.
Why Ear Infections Keep Coming Back
This is what I learned with Ginger: ear infections are often a symptom of something bigger, usually allergies. Once we put her on an elimination diet, her chronic infections finally slowed down.
Food = medicine for dogs, too. I now feed my dogs raw/fresh food whenever possible, which helps keep them healthier in the long term.
Want safer, natural solutions for your dog? Grab my free Natural Remedies for Dogs Reference Guide — it’s packed with easy swaps and remedies I use daily. GET IT HERE > >
Symptoms of Dog Ear Infections
- Head shaking
- Redness
- Brown/black waxy gunk
- Foul odor
- Tilting head
- Swelling or pawing at the ears
Causes of Dog Ear Infections
- Allergies
- Bacteria or yeast overgrowth
- Ear mites
- Excess moisture
- Thyroid or endocrine disorders
- Excessive cleaning or injury
How I Clean My Dog’s Ears at Home (Step-by-Step)
- Soak a cotton ball or Q-tip with EcoEars, then gently remove the gunk.
- Pour the solution (I use the cap as a scoop), massage it, and let the dog shake.
- Repeat twice daily for 10 days.
- Monthly maintenance with a cotton ball wipe.
When to Go to the Vet
If your dog has:
- Severe swelling or pain
- Recurring infections that don’t improve in a few days
- Signs of middle or inner ear infection (loss of balance, walking in circles)
…please call your vet. Sometimes home remedies aren’t enough.
FAQs About Dog Ear Infections
Can I treat my dog’s ear infection without a vet?
Yes! Many mild outer ear infections respond well to natural treatments, such as EcoEars or herbal rinses. However, if symptoms worsen, please call your veterinarian.
Are home remedies safe?
Yes, if used correctly. Never use vinegar on raw/red ears, and avoid hydrogen peroxide altogether.
How do I prevent ear infections?
Regular cleaning, keeping ears dry, and addressing allergies/diet are key.
Can allergies cause ear infections?
Absolutely. Food and environmental allergies are a leading cause of recurring infections.
Final Thoughts
Watching Ginger suffer through chronic ear infections taught me two things:
- EcoEars is the fastest, most effective home treatment I’ve ever used.
- Long-term health (diet, allergies, and natural prevention) is just as important as short-term fixes.
If your dog is struggling, start with a safe home remedy and grab my free Natural Remedies for Dogs Guide so you have holistic tools ready for the next time.
Please advise how I can subscribe to your newsletter. Many thanks SB
PLEASE DON’T CLEAN YOUR DOGS EARS . As a vet nurse, we are taught how to do this, a dogs ear in NOT the same as a human ear.
Thank you Jo Anne for your comment. But I still think dog owners need to be able to handle certain health and grooming situations on their own. I’ve actually never heard a vet suggest not to clean your own dogs ears.
I agree 100%, Debi. Our dog has allergies and gets ear infections every now and then. Last time I brought him in to have his ears checked, the vet & vet techs spent most of the visit showing me the proper way to clean his ears. I’d highly recommend that anyone who is not comfortable cleaning their dogs ears have their vet show them. It’s helped our dog tremendously!
That’s fantastic that the vet did that for you! It’s so important to be an advocate for your dog.
An owner should ABSOLUTELY be cleaning a dog’s ears! As a hound owner, I want to make it known how damaging the above advice can be. Sure, my erect eared dogs can go ages without needing to be cleaned other than getting dead skin and dust out, but floppy eared dogs, especially things like hounds, Labs, and Cockers who are incredibly susceptible to ear infections, need to have their ears cleaned daily. I’m sorry, but asking any dog owner to visit the vet for ear cleaning on a daily basis is ludicrous to the extreme.
Cleaning a dog’s ears is basic care just like trimming nails or brushing their coat or lotion for hairless dogs. It is absolutely not something we should be relying on a vet for.
I am very glad you were shown how to do it, but that is to be expected. Of course you should be taught in your profession, but that does not mean the owner of the dog shouldn’t learn too. An uneducated owner can cause incredible pain and misery to a dog if nails are trimmed wrong, but that is done at home too.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful and thorough comment. I totally agree with you!
As Debbie so rightly points out , controlling the food allergy cleared up the ears and therefore the ear cleaning was not necessary.. 90% of repeating ears have an underlying allergic cause that is what needs to be addresses
Thank you Andrew. The ear cleaning was still necessary to get rid of the infection in her ear, that was not going away on its own. But to prevent it from returning, we needed to figure out the underlying cause, which was her food allergies.
Thank you for the info in the ears, but how did you change the food diet? My dogs are constantly itching their ears, face, and chewing their feet. Apoquel works but soooo expensive when having more than one dog.
Hi Elizabeth, I’m actually working on writing an article about Gingers allergies. But basically, I stripped her diet down to 2 ingredients, fish and sweet potatoes. I cooked this food so I knew there were no hidden ingredients. She was on this diet for about 2-3 weeks until she stopped itching. Then I slowly introduced new proteins to see if she started to itch again. Long story short, we now feed her a fish based, limited ingredient dog food. I have also found that coconut oil, fish oil and honey help as additives. Make sure you subscribe to our newsletter so you can be notified when the article on allergies is published. Good luck with your dog, I understand how frustrating it can be to watch your dog constantly itching!
Apoquel works for enviromentla and food allergies. If your dog has a food allergy then can take off the apoquel and change the diet but if your dog has enviromental alleegie then the food chnage will not work. Im a vet tech and i deal with allergies in dog on a daily basis.
I’m having major issues with my Lab’s ears. Horrible ear infection and licking constantly on her paws and legs. Shaking head non stop. Vet after vet and lots of $$$$. How can I treat if it’s environmental? How do I find out if it’s food allergies? I’m so lost and discouraged. Any suggestions?
Hi Teresa,
I totally get your frustration, we are constantly struggling with our dog Ginger’s allergies. It’s heart breaking to see her scratching so much. We started with an elimination diet to find out what foods she was allergic to. But she does also have environmental allergies, so she is starting to itch again now that spring has arrived. We help her by giving coconut oil, probiotics and raw honey. It doesn’t cure the allergies, but helps her itch less. You can also try a OTC medicine.
I know the whole post is about dogs, but what about cats. Well this Eco Ear work on cats as well?
Hi Jamie, Actually Vet Organics makes a Eco Ears specifically for cats. You can find it on Amazon also: http://amzn.to/2ASY2YG
When my two year old Molly got an ear infection, I would put coconut oil on my hands and rub it inside her ear. Three times and her ears stopped smelling and were no longer dry and sore
Ah yes, we love coconut oil too! Never used it in my dogs ears, but I can see that it could work since it is an anti-fungal. We have an article all about Coconut Oil and it’s awesome benefits: https://www.rescuedogs101.com/coconut-oil-good-dog/
I have seen a number of ears that have been treated with alcohol in the medications. The ear flap turns black and rough. Soothing herbal ingredients can bring troubled skin back to life. Thanks for bringing this product to my attention. Gusto has prick ears so he is unlikely to get an infection but he hangs out with Labs that swim a lot and seem to have ear infections as a result of that activity.
After my dog’s ear surgery I had to go to town cleaning her ear because it was bandaged up for a few weeks and it was smelling something bad. It’s good to have a good ear wash to help with that and reduce the smell from their ears when there’s too much stuff in there. I think we’re not supposed to use cotton swabs in dog’s ears like we’re not supposed to in human ears either but I used a few in visible areas to get the wax stuck to something before using a wash like you did!!
Good point, I use the swabs to get into the nooks and crannies of her ear, never went far into the ear canal. That’s why the Eco Ear instructions say to poor the liquid into the ear, so you don’t have to dig into the ear.
I have to clean my pitty's ears and I use a swab (intended for dogs ears) Mister Ben's big bamboo ear buds dipped in mineral oil. The oil helps to soften the waxy discharge and less effort is needed to loosen any spots in crevices or hard to reach areas. My dog loves having his ears cleaned. And these q-tip type ear buds are almost fool proof they have a very large cotton tip 3 Times the size of a normal q-tip.
So happy you found something that works for your dog and you with ear infections. I’ve been very lucky that none of my cats have had ear infections.
I’m so thankful that you found a solution that worked for you dog! The pictures tell the story. Happy-Go-Doodle Chloe has never had an ear infection, but now I’ll know exactly what to watch for.