Dogs are prone to many dog health problems, if one does not take good dog care.
One such problem is dog ear mites. These are tiny little Ectoparasites
that live in the dogs ear canal and even on other parts of the body.
Scientifically, ear mites are known as Otodectes Cynotis. They are tiny little parasites that resemble ticks or a tiny spider. They are the most common cause of dog ear problems.
Dog Ear Mites Causes
Dog ear mites are very contagious Ectoparasites. They can easily spread
through contact with other infected animals. They can spread from a
mother to her puppies. Dogs who are sent to dog obedience and training
classes, may get infected, by coming in contact with other dogs who have
ear mites.
If you own more than one dog, or even a cat, and even one of them has
ear mites, you need to have all the other dogs, as well as cats, treated
for the same. Dog ear mites are not only found living in ear canal, but
anywhere on the body. Thus, make sure during the dog ear mite
treatment, not only the ears, but the entire body is treated.
Dog Ear Mites Symptoms
Dog ear mites commonly affect dog breeds
with long floppy ears. They love to live in ears that are warm, moist
and have restricted air flow. One of the usual dog ear mites symptoms
involves frequent scratching of the ear and shaking of the head. If your
dog continuously shakes his head or scratches his ears, its time to
examine his ear canal closely. These tiny critters are not just one two
or ten in number, but 1000's of them scurrying across your dogs ears. If
you do not carry out immediate dog ear mites treatment, you are
inviting serious trouble for the dog.
Another tell tale sign of dog ear mites symptoms
is reddening and inflammation of the ears. The tiny critters crawl
around the surface of the ear canal. They feed on the tissue debris,
tissue fluids and ear wax. This causes the ears to itch and the dog will
continuously scratch to get rid of the discomfort. This causes
inflammation and reddening of the ears.
You should also watch out for increase in earwax along with thick black,
crusty ear discharge as dog ear mites symptoms. You may also notice a
foul odor coming from the ears. If the dog continues to itch, he may
damage the small blood vessels in his ears. This causes the ears to
bleed and formation of hematomas.
Dog Ear Mites Treatment
If the veterinarian detects dog ear mites as the cause of ear
inflammation, he will begin with the treatment. Dog ear mite treatment
involves use of ear preparations that contain pyrethrin. Dog ear mites
will not be killed by use of simple ear products. The ear preparations
need to contain insecticides to kill the nasty critters. Other ear
preparations containing ivermectin, fipronil, selamectin, are also used.
As mentioned earlier, the entire body of the animal needs to be treated
for ear mites, therefore, shampoos, sprays, dips, containing
ingredients to kill fleas and ticks are used. The product should be
applied from the head to the tip of the tail. Dog ear mites cannot
survive without a host for a long time, therefore, it is not necessary
to treat your yard and house for ear mites.
Dog Ear Mites Home Remedy
Apart from dog ear mites treatment advice from the veterinarian, you can
also carry out some dog ear mites home remedy to help ease the
discomfort. You should bring home a ear dropper or syringe, and fill it
with some olive oil or vegetable oil. Then hold you pet's head still and
drop some of it in the ear canal. Still holding your dog's head,
continue massaging the ear thoroughly. This will help loosen the ear
mite dirt, and remove it from the ear. Then, with clean cotton balls or
q-tips you can clean within the ear canal. Be very careful and if your
dog is not comfortable, stop immediately.
Another effective dog ear mite home remedy
is, using a mixture of ½ ounce of almond oil or olive oil. Mix 400 IU
of vitamin E with the oil. Then, warm this mixture to body temperature
(do not make it hot or unbearable), and fill ½ dropper with the
solution. Drop the oil mixture in the dogs ear, and gently message the
ear canal for about a minute. You can allow the dog to shake his head
after the message. This will help get the oil deeper into the ear canal.
Then, using cotton balls clean the ear canal. Use this therapy every
alternate day, for six days. Then, after a gap of 3 days, begin with the
oil mixture therapy again.
Yellow Dock Root extract is also one of the effective home treatment.
You can dilute Yellow Dock Root extract with water by adding 9 drops of
extract to 1 tablespoon water. Then, using the method described in the
above paragraph, clean the dogs ear once every 3 days. This therapy
should continue for 6 continuous weeks.
Make sure you continue with the dog ear mite treatment advised by the
veterinarian, as well as any of the home remedy you choose. Dog ear
mites are not easy to get rid off, therefore you need to continue with
the treatment, without a single gap. You should bathe your pet with flea
or mite shampoo and make sure you clean them from the tip of their nose
to the tip of the tail. If they remain lodged in any other part of the
dogs body, it is very easy for them to return to the ear.
You should make sure you feed a healthy, dog diet to your pet. You
should use a raw meat diet, or preservative free, dog foods that helps
make the dog healthier. These dog foods should be
supplemented with garlic and brewer's yeast, as it will help get rid of
the pesky pests.
If you observe black, coffee bean like discharge, continuous shaking of
the head, scratching of the ear, you need to take the dog to the vet
immediately. If not treated as early as possible, it may lead to serious
complications like deafness.
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