Is it safe to clean my dog's ears?

[Raia]

My dog has manky ears - possible ear mites as the ear gunk is black. I have Thornit, but should I be cleaning the gunk out and if so, what is the safest way to do this? So far I've only dared to us cotton wool and water and I'm wary of going too far into his ear cavities. Or should I ask the vet to do it for me? Any tips gratefully received, thank you!

[HowsTheSerenity]

I use baby wipes. You can buy ear cleaner that you squirt in weekly.

[LocalEditorEssex]

My GSD had a nasty ear infection, loads of gunk and some blood. The vet cleaned her ears. She was muzzled and had to be held down and it hurt her a lot.
How bad are your dogs ears? I would defo take mine back to the vet to have it done.

[moosemama]

With a case of ear mites and thick black ear gunk I'd take him to the vets, as you can't be sure how bad it is or even what it is for sure. You need the vets to have a really good look and see if they can determine the underlying cause.

My old girl used to get thick black ear gunk regularly, but she had a skin condition called malassezia complicated by atopic allergies that caused it. We did have to keep them clean to prevent infection, but only the external part, if there was any gunk or blockage lower in the ear canal it was a vet trip every time.

[Raia]

Thanks all for your advice

I think I'll take him to the vet to be on the safe side, then put a regular ear cleaning/checking regime in place to hopefully avoid a recurrence down the line. Thanks again!