Dog ear mite infections

Dog ear infections are very common.  Occasionally they are caused by ear mite infestations.  Ear mites are actually fairly rare problems in dogs these days, and dogs actually get the Cat Ear Mite, Otodectes cyanotis.  Dogs also get the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis: no wonder dogs and cats don't always get on!

Anyway, back to ear mites.  Mites are rarely the cause of dog ear problems, but people often think they are.  Many people spend a lot of money using ineffective ear mite drops in their dogs ears when their dog actually has a bacterial or yeast infection.  For this reason, its important to take your dog to the vet if their ear is is itchy and red, and especially if there is pain, smell and discharge (gunk or fluid in the ear).

Ear mites are little 8-legged critters that live in ears.  They are tiny, and you won't be able to see them just looking.  The vet will use and otoscope to look in your dog's ear and take a sample to look at under the microscope if they suspects ear mites.  In many cases the vet will rule out ear mites just by looking at the ear without taking a sample, as ear mites produce a very characteristic type of inflammation and discharge, which has been described as waxy and coffee-ground like.

If it is ear mites, thats actually good news as ear mites are very easy to treat..... but not with ear mite drops.

Drops often fail in treating ear mites as the mites can live on the head as well as in the ear, so the mites just return when you stop putting the drops in.

Far more effective are spot-on products like Advocate or Revolution: these both contain an ingredient which kills the mites with a single dose.  I reccommend pets use a course of 3 monthly doses to prevent reinfection, as the mites may survive in the environment.  Its vital that all in-contact pets, especially cats are treated as ear mites are highly contagious.

Ear drops are often still required as the ear may be very itchy and may have a secondary infection, which won't impove with the spot-on products.

More commonly, there are no mites, just a bacterial or yeast infection, and drops supported by a cleaning regime will be the best treatment.

Read more about Ear Mites below.

Ear Mites

Signs, Diagnosis and Treatment of Ear Mites

From Lianne McLeod, DVM, former About.com Contributing Writer

See More About:

• ear mites
• ear infections

Image (taken through microscope) of ear mites sampled from a cat's ear.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Caroldermoid

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Ear mites are tiny parasites that live out their life cycle mostly inside the ear canal. They are quite common, and can cause severe irritation and itchiness of the ears.

The most common ear mite of cats and dogs is Otodectes cynotis, and therefore an infestation with ear mites is sometimes called "otodectic mange."

Cause
Ear mites primarily live in the ear canal, where they feed on skin debris. Their presence causes inflammation, and can also lead to secondary ear infections.

Eggs are laid in the ear, and it takes about 3 weeks for eggs to hatch and develop into adult mites that can reproduce.

While ear mites are generally found in the ears, they can also wander out onto the body, causing irritation and itchiness of the skin as well.

Risk Factors
Cats are more commonly affected than dogs. Ear mites are spread mostly by direct contact with another animal that has ear mites (they are commonly seen in outdoor cats). They are especially common in young animals.

Signs and Symptoms of Ear Mites

• head shaking
• scratching at ears
• dark waxy or crusty discharge from the ears (looks a bit like coffee grounds)
• sometimes there will be scratching or irritation of other parts of body

Diagnosis of Ear Mites
The diagnosis of ear mites is confirmed when ear mites are found in a sample of the ear discharge examined under a microscope. Sometimes the mites can even be seen as little white specks moving around in the ear (when using a magnifying scope to examine the ear). Confirming the presence of the mites is necessary to distinguish ear mites from other ear infections.

Treating Ear Mites
There are several alternatives for treating ear mites, and your veterinarian will recommend a treatment protocol for your pet. Over the counter medications are often less effective or require extended treatment times compared to medications prescribed by your vet, especially the newer medications that require a single application to be effective.

First, a thorough cleaning of the ears can help clear the discharge to help calm the irritation and remove some of the mites. This can be followed up in several ways:

• one-time treatments applied to the ear: medications such as Acarexx® or Milbemite® (cats only)
• one time treatments applied to the skin: medications such as Revolution® or Advantage Multi® (these are typically used as monthly parasite control medications; a single dose usually takes care of an ear mite infection but you may consider using them monthly to prevent reinfection and control other pests)
• repeated treatments applied to the ear: e.g. Tresaderm®. It is important to strictly follow your vet's recommended dosage schedule for successful treatment of ear mites (usually twice daily treatments for a week or more). Though more time-consuming to apply (and can be difficult with uncooperative patients), Tresaderm® does have the advantage of containing medications to calm inflammation and treat secondary bacterial or yeast infections.
• injectable ivermectin can also be used (this is an off-label usage for ear mites, and care must be taken as some breeds of dogs are sensitive to ivermectin)

All pets in the home should be treated at the same time, even if they are not showing symptoms.

Ear mites do not survive for long on humans so do not cause long term infections in people. Rarely, however, they will transiently hang out on humans, and may cause a short-lived but very itchy rash.

Please note: this article has been provided for informational purposes only. If your pet is showing any signs of illness, please consult a veterinarian as quickly as possible.