Cat and Dog Ear Mites Treatment

Treatment Of Ear Mites

Two topical medications that clear up ear mites are Mita Clear and Eradimite. Revolution (Rx) is a prescription medication applied to the skin on the back that treats ear mites—as well as heartworm, fleas, ticks and some intestinal worms.

Treating ear mites brings your pet immense relief from the irritation of having an 8-legged mite crawling and reproducing in its ear. Not only can your pet hear the mite and feel it moving, but it is in pain because mites cause itching, inflammation, and secondary bacterial infection.

We recommend that you boost your pet’s immune system with Missing Link, 1-800-PetMeds Super VitaChews for Dogs and 1-800-PetMeds VitaChews for Cats. Pets with healthy immune systems have a greater natural defense against ear mites and other parasites, including fleas.

Make medications effective: remove debris

Medications kill ear mites only when the medication reaches the ear mite. Help the medication work effectively by removing the discharge and debris that ear mites hide in. Your veterinary technician may enjoy teaching you how to do this. Removal is best done using a cotton swab with a rolling lifting motion. Discard the cotton swabs as soon as they pick up some debris so the material doesn’t fall off the swab and back into the ear. Plan on using at least a dozen swabs. Take care not to pack the discharge deeper into the canal.

Putting mineral oil in the ear makes it easier to remove discharge, but most pets dislike having liquids poured into their ears. Instead, put the mineral oil on the swabs to help pick up the debris. Treat the swabs with alcohol or bleach before discarding in the trash. Mites are not necessarily killed by flushing.

Should I medicate my pet for ear mites just in case?

No. Ear mite medications are rather harsh because they have a difficult job to do. Using them more often than necessary may injure the skin within your pet’s ear canal. The injured canal will become inflamed and produce cerumen (earwax) so that your pet now shakes its head and has ear discharge—caused not by mites, but by the excessive ear mite treatment.

Work with your veterinarian who will advise you on how often to use ear mite medication so that you don’t over use it. Then, let us help you get the medication you need.

Is one treatment enough, or can ear mites return?

Ear mites can return and you may need to treat your pet more than once. Ear mites lay eggs, and the eggs (like those of fleas) are nearly atom bomb proof. Eggs can be physically flushed or removed from ears, but most miticides won’t kill them. Instead, ear mite medications kill hatched mites. That’s why most medications are used once, and repeated in 7 days—to give the eggs a chance to hatch out and be vulnerable to the medication. If you wait too long between treatments, though, there will be enough time for the hatched ear mite to lay more eggs. If the second medication dose is skipped, ear mites will appear to return—in truth, they never left because the eggs were not killed.

Your pet may also be reinfected and need to be retreated if it comes in contact with other pets that have ear mites.

Can my pet’s ear mites infect me?

Yes. However, ear mites have evolved to prefer dogs and cats rather than people. In people’s ears, mites die without treatment after a few weeks, but they can be treated and removed as soon as they are diagnosed, just as they are for your pet. People who have had ear mites report that the infection nearly drove them insane because they could hear the scratching in their head, and because of the irritating sensation caused as the mites moved. People also report that they suffered from intense itching, heat, and inflammation.

How should I treat the environment?

Ear mites are spread by direct contact with another pet that has them or by bedding infected pets have been using. Wash bedding with hot soapy water and dry in a hot dryer. Clean the kennels. Treat the environment with a flea-type insecticide once, and repeat the application again in 2-4 weeks. We recommend Virbac Yard Spray and Zodiac Carpet & Upholstery Spray.

When ear mite infections won’t clear up

If your pet has a ear mite infection that won’t clear up, confirm the diagnosis with your veterinarian. Many pets have allergies that cause intensely itching ears but do not have ear mites. Pets can also have yeast (Malassezia) or bacterial (Staphylococcus or Streptococcus) infections; polyps, foreign bodies, cancer, or traumatic injury that cause symptoms similar to those caused by ear mites.

A few pets, however, will have repeat problems with ear mites. This occurs if the immune system doesn’t function well, and your veterinarian may recommend blood tests for diseases that suppress the immune system such as Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV).

Medications to use with caution

All medications can be toxic, so use them with the advice of your veterinarian. For example, ivermectin, which can kill dog ear mites, can be dangerous for collies, shelties and collie-cross dogs; and amitraz which kills cat ear mites, can be toxic for cats.

The articles here were answered by a variety of pharmacists and veterinarians   Date Category Topic 04/05/06  Eye Care  DRIED BROWN STUFF FROM CAT'S EYES 03/20/06  Ear Care  SORE BELOW THE EAR CANAL 03/19/06  Ear Care  EAR PROBLEM 03/04/06  Skin Care  TYPES OF MANGE 02/23/06  Ear Care  CAT EAR MITES 02/12/06  Skin Care  SKIN PROBLEMS 01/31/06  Ear Care  EAR HEMOTOMA 01/27/06  Other  BLEEDING FROM WISKERS 01/25/06  Ear Care  DIRTY SMELLY EARS 01/20/06  Ear Care  EARS 01/19/06  Ear Care  EAR MITES 01/15/06  Hormonal/Endocrine  HYPOTHYROID 01/08/06  Skin Care  SKIN RASH 12/29/05  Skin Care  ICHING,BUMPS AND CHEWING TO OPEN SOARS 12/24/05  Ear Care  EAR INFECTION/EQUILLIBRIUM 1 2 3 »»

 

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