Some facts on ear mites...
 

Someone e-mailed me asking about ear mites. The vet book I have states that this is commonly a problem for cats more so than dogs. For those of you that have experience this, do you also have cats in or around your home? If so, all animals need to be treated since it is fairly contageous.

I also found this link that may help someone out...

http://www.vetinfo.com/dearmites.html

Ear Mites

Ear mites, (Otodectes cynotis) is the most common ear mite of cats but can be a problem for dogs. It usually lives in the ears and on the head of affected cats or dogs but it can sometimes live on the body of the cat or dog. It is contagious and the presence of the mites can cause severe inflammation in affected cat or dog's ears.

Ear mites are not the only cause of ear disease in cats and dogs. Your pet should be examined to determine if ear mites are present prior to treatment. Whenever treatment for this condition is not working well other causes of ear disease should be considered.

In the past it was felt that ear mites did not live well off the pet but they may be better at surviving in the environment than we thought. In order to eliminate ear mites it is important to treat your cat's or dog's ears, the haircoat and the pet's environment for the mites. There are a number of approved medications for ear mites. Flea control products that kill adult fleas will kill mites. These may be used to treat the haircoat and the house, according to the product directions. In particularly stubborn cases, the use of ivermectin, an experimental drug in cats, may be justified.

Mike Richards, DVM




Ear mites

Question: My dog has ear mites. What are these and how did she get them?

Answer: Ear mites are an external parasite that can infect dogs, cats and more rarely, humans. The mite's name is Otodectes cynotis. Otodectes mites are large enough that they can sometimes be seen with the naked eye and are easy to see with magnification.

Ear mites live in the ears and on the skin of pets infected with them. The
mite lives its entire life on the pet and it takes about 3 weeks for a mite
egg to develop into an adult mite. The adult mites are very mobile and can
live for some time off of a dog or cat, which enables it to be fairly
contagious.

The most common sign of ear mite infection is shaking of the head and ears.
Dogs may also scratch at their ears, rub their face and in severe cases may
even cause bleeding sores behind their ears in their effort to relieve the
discomfort from the mites. The intense itching associated with these mites
is thought to be due to a hypersensitivity reaction, which is similar to an
allergy. Some pets can be infected without showing signs of itching or head
shaking, apparently because they don't develop the hypersensivity reaction.

Ear mites are more commonly diagnosed in cats than they are in dogs but they are a significant cause of ear infections in dogs, too. Dark brown to black debris accumulates in the ears of infected pets and the mites may be visible as small moving white specks on the debris. Secondary infection with
bacteria or yeast is common in ear mite infections and may complicate the
diagnosis. The mites can live on the skin and some dogs and cats appear to
have infections that affect only the skin, causing small sores to develop in
affected areas. It is important to treat the ears for mites and the whole
pet with a product that is capable of killing the mites. Most flea and tick
products will kill ear mites on the skin.

In multiple pet households it is important to treat all the pets and to
clean the environment, considering the use of premise control insecticides
in persistent cases. Ear mites are susceptible to many medications,
including pyrethrins, rotenone, fibronil, thiabendazole and ivermectins. It
is necessary to treat for at least three to four weeks in most instances to
be sure to kill the adult mites and any eggs that may hatch later.

Many veterinary clients treat their dog's ears with over the counter
products for ear mites based on the presence of ear inflammation or exudate
in the ears, doing this for weeks or months prior to giving up and having
their dog's ears examined. There are a number of causes of ear infection in
dogs and it is best to have your vet examine your dog's ears to determine if
the cause of ear irritation is ear mites or another infection. Doing this
can save your dog from weeks of pain or discomfort.

Mike Richards, DVM

Thank you for that info!

You're so welcome! I know that someone on here had ear mites but I couldn't remember where the thread was so that's why I posted this info. It may help someone else. :)

Thank you so much for posting this...I knew nothing about this...have mercy on my dumb soul! :eek:

When I took one of my new Biewer puppies in for the vet check, she looked surprised and said she had ear mites. Joked and said must be German mites cause they never see them in dogs anymore. Well, guess what. We gottem again. Another German boy. AND, a little guy that went to his forever home had them. Thank goodness his new mom e-mailed me so that I would have a heads up. They are so easy to treat but the meds are expensive but well worth it. Only one application and bye-bye Mr. Ear mite!!

NO ONE is dumb! We all are here to learn and help each other! ;)

Thank you So much for that.. ;)

haha! German mites! Well, dogs do get them. We had a pointer once that got them...GROSS!

My cats have had these before and I had to treat their ears. I always check my dogs ears for them but so far none.

Rini,

That's so funny. Reminds me of when I brought my last 3 Biewers home. A few days after they settled in. I happen to see a gray thing (no not a hair..lol) on the floor I went to pick it up thinking it was lint. BUT it was like a ball. I looked at it closely and at first I didnt' know what it was. I set it down on next to my PC and it started to walk :eek: . I am deathly arachnyphobic (sp?) chills went all up and down my spine. I realized at that moment that piece of lint was a big A*& TICK filled to the gills with blood.
I was so grossed out, but managed to take pics of it to send to some friends. I called him the 'Foreign Exchange Student'..lololol..I had pics of him and everything, not anymore though. I saved him and ran him to the vet the next day to make sure it wasn't a Lyme tick or something..nope just a plain old Tick..but UGLY as sin!!

Anyway, German Mites, Foreign Exchange Student..Pests from another country..lolol..

My vet said the samething. They barely ever see mites in dogs before. Its' been years. I don't own a cat..but we have neighborhood cats that roam and that's how a couple of mine had mites. It's not fair when people let their animals run loose and infect our own!

I'm just surprised that no one caught on to this...PEOPLE CAN GET THEM TOO, though rarely. YIKES! :eek:

Really?..(itching my ear)

Yuppers! (scratching my whole head! :D )

Thats nice of you to provide us with this valueble information :thumbup: