I have a 1 year old lab and he is starting to swim a lot, what should I do to make sure he doesn't get ear infections? I think it's too late for the first time, he is shaking his head and pawing at his ears continently.

TIA

clean his ears after every swim. you can use an alcohol/water mix, or buy the wash at pet store / vet.

but for now, sounds like you need antibiotics.

Oti-clens and some antibiotics for this first round. Then continue with the Oti-clens after each swim.

jay...depends on the dog and a lot of times on the breed. A lot of dogs that have floppy ears are more likely to get nasty ears ie. hounds, spaniels, etc.

Basically, what other people said. Keep them clean and dry after every swim. Go to the vet if they are already bad.

Our lab would get ear infections after swimming in the pool. We used alcohol.

My golden retriever gets them all the time at lake LBJ. We use tissue to first clean her ears. Then use ChlorhexiDerm flush to clean them. Let dog shake head, and let ears dry. Later,only after swimming, we uce a anti-biotic rinse called MalAcetic Otic. Let shake head, dry ears again. Finish with 3-4 drops off some gel in a small green tube I think called MyOtic. It works when I use it, but my sister's too busy to do it, so she always seems to have one. I should qualify that it is technically my nephews' dog.

Go to Vet-s/he will probably take a swab of each ear-stain it, look under microscope and provide appropriate meds--
common problems diagnosed with magnification looking at ear canal are ear mites.
Microscope required to differentiate between inflammatory problem, yeast or bacteria--each of the 4 requires different meds to treat effectively.

There are numerous solutions which would be good for modifying the ear canal environment to make it less susceptible to reinfection after swimming

My lab just turned two in March, and I've never had a problem with his ears. He swims in our cattle trough, creek, tank, if it has water he's in it.

My Ag vet told me long- haired dogs, have problems because after they get out of the water the hair around their ears prevents them from drying out, and becomes a haven for bacteria. She's never had ear mites. I quit taking her. It's the same thing every time so I just suck up the cost of the meds.

Yeast infections are also a common ear irritation in dogs. A little vinegar/water rinse does wonders. It seems to have a lot of uses...