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Ear Mites

 
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.


 
Info is from Buzzle.com

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