Bugalugs Antiseptic Ear Drops

The first thing most owners notice about an ear is the smell, and by then whatever caused it has usually been building for a while. Ears are dark, warm and folded shut, which is a good description of a place you would rather things did not accumulate, and that is the argument for cleaning them on a schedule rather than on discovery.

The whole ingredient list is three things: hypochlorous at under 5%, water, and salt at under 5%. There is no alcohol, no preservative and no fragrance in it. Bugalugs put it forward for flushing debris out and lifting wax, dirt and ear odour in one step, and the same bottle is listed for skin as well as ears. It complies with UK BPR and EU 528/2012 for veterinary biocidal use, and has been independently tested against a list of EN standards including EN 1276, EN 1656, EN 13697 and EN 14476.

• 200ML bottle
• Under 5% hypochlorous, water, under 5% salt — the entire composition
• No alcohol, no preservatives, no fragrance
• Listed by Bugalugs for dogs, cats, horses, birds and other small pets
• Compliant with UK BPR and EU 528/2012 for veterinary biocidal use
• Bugalugs quote 99.99% of germs killed on their own testing

What the label does not say. There is no instruction supplied on how much to use in an ear, how often, or whether to wipe it out afterwards — which is a strange gap on a product this specific. Treat it as what it is: a cleaner, not a medicine. A hot, red, painful ear, a bad smell that keeps coming back, or a head that will not stop shaking is a vet appointment, and cleaning an ear that already has something wrong in it can make the day worse rather than better.

Who it's for: owners of drop-eared dogs, swimmers, and anyone with a household of mixed species who would rather buy one bottle than four. It suits a routine more than an emergency.