Okay, so my beagle, Tyco, keeps scratching at his left ear. I've looked at it and its red and swollen. We have some sulfodine and I've been putting that on it every evening but there isn't much improvement. I'm thinking maybe he has ear mites.

Anybody know how I could tell if he had them? Or does anybody have any other suggestions?

My dog had the same problem in the past. Our vet told us to use peroxide twice daily, massaging the ear while the peroxide is working then use cotton balls or gauze to clean the ear. Do this for 5 days and see if that helps. If not, I would suggest seeing a vet.

Okay, that helps. How much peroxide do you think I should use? About a capful? or less?

Sounds like an ear infection to me.

DO NOT try to treat it yourself, you could just make it worse. Peroxide is a bad idea.

Just be responsible and take the dog to the vet to get a proper diagnoses.

Yes, take your dog to the vet! It could be any number of things, all with different treatments. Only a vet can diagnose what's causing it, by looking at a sample under the microscope. And they can give you the correct medication to treat it with. In the long run, it's cheaper than trying one product after another, then ending up having to take him to the vet anyway after it's gotten much worse and maybe affected his hearing.

Please take the dog to the vet. You need a diagnosis before you can try any type of treatment.
Treating for the wrong thing could be dangerous for the dogs hearing.

Katie has the same problem with her ears. So, I took her to the vets and they gave me some drops to put in her ears twice daily. So far, her ears are better. I would strongly suggest taking the pup to your local vets. Some people make the mistake of treating something theirselves and end up paying for it in the long run. Hope your dog gets better soon.