I'm not too much help on this one. Not sure what the brand is for the ear cleaner I use (I'll look when I get home tonight) but its the kind wear you put a generous amount of drops in their ear, rub the base of the ear then let the pup shake it out. Helps work out all the debris deep down, then you use a cotton ball to wipe out their ear. Be careful you don't start cleaning the ear using these over the counter solutions too soon. Samson got his first ear infection in May and it keeps coming back. The vet told me those solutions can irritate the ear more if the infection is still lingering. As far as the noce, Samson's is dry alot and all I know to do is the vaseline too. I have recently switched Samson over to that Fromm Surf & Turf and so far so good.