Signs and Treatment of Ear Mites
Visit our Hearing and Ear Health Discussion
Forum
What are ear
mites?
What are ear mites? Ear mites are very small organisms that
are rather common in dogs and cats. They look similar to a tick
but they are microscopic. Normally, your pet will need an exam
to determine if they have ear mites because they will only
appear as a tiny white dot with the naked eye, if you can even
see them at all.
Ear mites are caused from a parasite and they are
transmitted from one animal to another. Therefore, when one
animal comes in contact with another that has this condition
they will get it to. If you have multiple pets and one is
diagnosed with ear mites you need to have all your pets
examined.
Symptoms of Ear Mites
A pet with this condition may have a “dry black ear
discharge” that is said to resemble coffee grounds. However, a
diagnosis of ear mites shouldn’t be based on this discharge
alone. Normally, a pet with ear mites will scratch at their
ears regularly and shake their head vigorously. Another symptom
of ear mites can be sores around the ears caused by the
constant scratching.
The ear canal may become inflamed and the pet may have
problems with balance due to the head shaking and being tilted.
In serious cases they may refuse to eat or experience vomiting.
Since these symptoms can also be the signs for other ear
conditions, it is important that your pet see a veterinary to
have the proper test run to correctly diagnose this condition
before treatment is started.
Treatments of Ear Mite
If your pet has ear mites, then you need to get started with
the treatment right away. Your veterinary will perform the
first initial treatment for your pet and then you will be
required to finish out the treatments.
The first thing that the veterinary will do is to gently
clean your pet’s ears. After the cleaning, a topical medication
is applied to the ears. This medication contains
anti-inflammatory medicine to treat and soothe the inflamed
ears. There will also be an antibiotic in the medicine to fight
the bacteria and anti-paracidicital that is designed to kill
the ear mites.
The process of cleaning the ears and using the medication
should continue for seven to ten days. When a cat has ear mites
and it is obvious that it would be too difficult to treat the
condition, sometimes a medicine called Ivermectin is used
because it is an injection. Even though this drug is used
often, it is possible for a cat to have a reaction that
includes signs of central nervous system damage.
If you suspect that your dog or cat has ear mites it is
suggested that you take him or her to the vet to have test run
immediately. This is not a condition that you should ignore or
let linger for very long.
Need more information about the ears?
Use the convenient box below to search for related
websites
 Learn More About Your Ears and
Hearing
This electronic book covers many of the
topics included on this website and also features
additional information and resources.
Just $3.97 (half-price) when you order from
this site
Click here for more
information
To see dozens of additional medical
products and books related to health, click on
|