Here?s a common scene in any veterinary hospital that?s worthy of a great comic strip.
Picture this: the itchy dog, with frantic eyes, all scrunched over as he claws at his ear with a hind paw and sends hair flying all over the room. The caption reads, ?It would be so much easier if I could reach my ear with a front paw!?
Can?t you just picture this cartoon? Well, we may smile at a comic strip, but itchy ears are definitely not funny for the cat or dog, especially one with an ear mite infestation. Here?s what you can do about it.
What are Ear Mites in Dogs and Cats?
Ear mites are happy to live and breed in your dog or cat's ear canal. Follow these steps to end the suffering!
Ear mites are tiny insects that look like crabs with six wriggly legs. The scientific name for ear mites is Otodectes cynotis, which is a big name for this really small bug. These mites can live their entire lives in the ears of our pets where they love the warmth and darkness of the ear canal. They feed off skin debris, mate, and have babies all within a 3-week period right there in that tiny space. Sometimes they crawl out of the ear and roam around the skin on the face and neck. Wherever they crawl they cause itching and irritation.
How Do You Know if Your Dog or Cat Has Ear Mites?
Dogs and cats with ear mites scratch a lot! They?ll sit on their haunches and stretch their rear legs way up to their head to scratch at their ears. Or they will rub the sides of their faces on a sofa, or a tree, or a rug to relieve the itching. They scratch so much that they often cause abrasions or hot spots on their necks and faces.
You may also notice a black, crusty discharge in your pet?s ear canals. The discharge may have a foul odor, especially if a secondary bacterial infection moves in to complicate the ear mite infestation.
How Do Dogs and Cats Get Ear Mites?
Ear mites are spread by direct contact with another infected animal. They spread rapidly through a household where dogs and cats live together, but ear mites are so contagious that your dog can readily be infected while playing with another canine at the dog park. Or your cat can be infected while visiting with the neighbor?s cat through the fence.
How Are Ear Mites Diagnosed?
Ear mites are so tiny that you probably won?t see them with the naked eye; however, sometimes you may note tiny white flakes on the surface of the skin inside the ear flap. Unlike dandruff, these white flakes wriggle around. Yuk!
Most often, you won?t see them at all unless your veterinarian shows you one under the microscope. Your pet?s doctor will take a sample of the ear canal contents with a cotton swab, prepare a slide, and view the sample under a microscope. Under magnification, ear mites look a lot like crabs. They are fairly scary looking, so most pet owners are eager to rid their pet of this pest.
How Will My Vet Treat Ear Mites in My Dog or Cat?
First, your veterinarian will clean your pet?s ears to remove the black debris and provide open access for medication to reach way down the canal where the mites live. In addition to ear drops that are applied to the ear canal, there are topical preparations applied to the skin that will kill ear mites. Whatever product you use, repeated treatment is essential to break the ear mite life cycle.
If your pet has a secondary bacterial infection or if the ear canal is irritated, your veterinarian will prescribe additional medication. This may take the form of additional ear drops, oral antibiotics or anti-inflammatory medications.
Due to the ease with which ear mites spread, your veterinarian will ask you to treat all pets in your household. It would also be wise to warn your friends at the dog park or neighborhood that your pet has ear mites, so that they can be on the lookout for symptoms in their own pets.
Small Bugs Don?t Have to Be a Big Deal
Ear mites don?t have to be a serious problem. They can be easily treated. So, don?t delay if you see your pet scratching his ears. There is no need for this tiny bug to bug your pet!
Have you ever seen ear mites up close or in a microscope? Tell us about it.
Source: http://mypeted.com/blog/2013/03/08/ear-mites-in-dogs-and-cats-small-bugs-that-cause-big-problems/
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