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My dog has had ear mites for a while and we have tried many remedies and in store products to get rid of them. Now she has bumps on top of her head under her skin; is it mites? If so, how is it gonna effect her?
By TE
Hello...
I have been a Veterinary Technician for over 20 years. Over the counter ear mite medication DOES NOT work. Please take your fur baby to the Veterinarian. Your Vet will prescribe the correct medication to rid your poor baby of ear mites.
How will I know if my dog has ear mites, or a yeast infection, or just very dirty waxy ears? I clean his ears with Ear Cleanse at least twice a week, but the wax build-up is still very bad.
He shakes his head all the time, but scratches his ears only a very small amount. The wax is black/brown, very sticky, and very thick. Some parts are very dry, and some parts are very oily.
By David from Mooresville, NC
If you do not have the money to take your dog to the vet you could call and ask. Or if you have a groomer they will be able to tell. Mine told me my dog had yeast and now I used vinegar and water women's douche on his ears. Put a little on cotton ball rub around outside of ear, then drop a little inside and rub ear.
One of mine [a recent rescue pup] had the same problem and the Vet found that her ear was badly infected to the point that the canal was swollen shut! She was having teeth removed under anesthetic, so he was able to clean her ear out and sent her home with Mometamax ointment to be used for a month.
How do I get rid of dog ear mites?
Hello,
Are you sure they are mites? Please go to your Veterinarian and have him/her take a slide and diagnose exactly what they are. If there are mites your vet has to treat them.
So how do you know if it's an ear infection or ear mites in your dog's ear? I have chocolate Lab who has the itching, shaking head, with black flaky yucky stuff coming from its ear.
It sounds more like a fungual infection. Either way, please get the vet to check it out. Both need prescription treatment as home remedies can make it all much worse.
This can be ear mites or another type of infection. I owned rabbits for years and had to treat ear infections in them all the time. You can use honey or even baby oil for this to get rid of ear mites. You will need a syringe and some baby oil. You can fill the syringe and put some in his ears and around the ouside of the ear to get rid of this.
I would first check with your vet to make sure this is ear mites and if so it can be treated with baby oil and normally goes away in about a week. You will need to continue on for a month. The first 3 days you need to put the oil in the ears. Then you skip 2 days and do it every 3 days for the next week. In the end you are putting the oil in the ear twice a week and the last week is only once.
Dogs can also get fleas and ticks in their ears and this can cause hearing loss and also the dog to change the way they are towards people. To be on the safe side see the vet before you treat the dog for any type of ear infection.
A safe thing to try is hydrogen peroxide. I have 5 dogs ranging from German shepherd to long haired chihuahua. I wet a cotton ball with the peroxide and gently moisten the inside of the ear. Loosen any discolored areas until clean. If you feel there are some inside the ear canal, use a dropper to add a small amount and hold head to side for a minute. Then gently remove with a cotton swab.
First; My vet told to never, never put a Q-tip near my pet's ear as they are prone to shake their head and this action could cause permanent damage to the ear canal/channel. Here is what is said:
"DO NOT use cotton tip applicators (Q-tips) due to the risk of perforating the ear drum or causing trauma to the ear canal. In addition, the use of cotton tip applicators can push debris further into the ear canal."
This is his instructions for cleaning a dog's ear; which may need cleaning once in a while even if no infection is present.
"How to clean a dog's ears
INSPECTION
If your dog has floppy ears, gently lift up the ear flap to expose the inside of the ear.
Try to hold the dog's head in a position that will allow the cleaning solution to flow downward into the ear canal.
Visually examine the ear, and wipe away any loose dirt and residue from just inside the ear.
CLEANING
Squeeze ear cleaning solution into the ear, filling the ear canal. You can't use too much.
Put one finger in front of and at the base of the ear flap, and put your thumb behind and at the base.
Massage the ear canal between your finger and thumb. A squishing sound tells you that the medication has gone into the horizontal canal.
Insert a cotton ball into the ear canal and soak up stinky brown ear wax-laden excess liquid from deep within the canal.
Repeat flushing as necessary, replacing saturated or soiled cotton with new, until the ear is dry and clean.
Wipe any residue from the inside of the ear flap."
You can try taking your dog to a PetSmart and see if their attendant can help you as they usually have a certified vet tech on duty (you might want to call first to find out their hours). This will be much less expensive than a vet visit.
Ear mites are common in cats but not so much in dogs. Dogs usually have an infection or an allergy.
If you have a farm/tractor supply store in your area, they may have a good OTC medication as they usually sell to farmers who do almost all of their animal medications. Call and see what they have for infection.
There are some DIY remedies on the Web but be very careful when doing this type of procedure yourself.
If you try any of these suggestions yourself be sure to follow instructions and if no improvement in a couple of days - do not wait - take lab to the vet.
This site also explains how to determine if your Lab has ear mites or an infection.
here is a link to a site that carries some of the same medications a vet carries.
animals.howstuffworks.com/
My dog has ear mites that the vet diagnosed. I'm treating him with drops. I have two questions; first, how and what do I clean to make sure they are all gone from the house? Second, is it wise to for him to be in bed with me at all ever again? I love my little guy and he cries now that I put him on the floor.
By Cameo
I had dreadful times with my poor dog. No vet could help him, then I found this recipe which changed everything and works without fail:
Mix together 1/8 cup vinegar, 1/8 cup purified water, 1 tablespoon boric acid and 1 dessert spoon witch hazel, shaking constantly. The boric acid, water and vinegar will do the cleaning while the witch hazel soothes the skin. Insert the mixture into ear canal with eye dropper and massage for 60 seconds. Let the dog shake then get as much goo out as possible with cotton buds and cotton wool. Use twice daily until clear and then for another two days. The problem will recur every so often but using this solution clears it quickly.
Your vet will prescribe cleaners and medications. I would not let the dog sleep with me until the problem is gone.
Vets often prescribe Acarexx, a .01% solution of ivermectin, to treat parasites including ear mites. Some pet owners prefer to mix their own solution when treating their pets. This is a page about using ivermectin to treat ear mites.
