Ear Mite Treatment

How will you know whether your pet is suffering from ear mite infestation? As both dogs and cats have big ears, small microscopic parasites can easily enter these ears. Ear mites are canine microscopic parasites that can also affect the cats. When ear mites are small in number, your pet may not show any symptoms or unusual behavior. However, when their population grows significantly, the dog will start scratching the ear frequently. Excessive scratching followed by lethargy and fever are some of the most common symptoms of ear mite in dogs.

How to get Rid of Ear Mites

Mineral Oil
Use of mineral oil is a standard treatment to clean the ears and free them from ear mite infestation. One can always purchase this mineral oil that is available at various drug and pet stores. You can always ask any chemist in order to buy a bottle of mineral oil. For proper application of this home remedy, the pack of mineral oil also contains an eye dropper or an ear irrigation pump.

How to Use Mineral Oil
Using mineral oil for ear mite eradication does not mean making the bottle upside down and pouring the oil. It has to be done in a systematic manner for effective results. Use the eye dropper to apply the oil. Unfortunately, one or two drops will not suffice. This is because, by the time you come to know ear mite problem of your dog, hundreds of mites would have colonized your ear's pet. So, putting several drops of mineral oil into the ear would help to eliminate the infestation.

Massage
After adding the drops, you need to massage your cat's ear, so that it evenly distributed in the ear. Massaging can be done by gently holding the ears in such a way that the portion of the thumb is inside the ear. Use the other fingers to grasp the outer skin of the ear. Ensure that your thumb does not go deep into the ear canal, otherwise it may damage the ear. Massaging is an easy way to safely free the impacted wax and bring the debris in the visible range so that it can be removed with the help of a cotton ball.

Insecticide Ear Drops
Also, mineral oil, helps only to clean the ear by loosening the wax and bringing the coffee-colored debris (eggs) in the removable range. Also, the mineral oil destroys only a few mites and not all of them. In order to completely get rid of these ear mites, special insecticide solutions have been formulated. There are quite a few brands selling these solutions which are easily available at various pet stores. However, to be on the safer side, use those ear drops that contain natural insecticides like pyrethrins. Once, ear drops are applied, the dog moves the head vigorously. This activity helps the dog to throw the debris out of the ears.

How Long To Continue

Ear mite infestation will not vanish simply by cleaning and applying the insecticide once. You need to do it everyday, thrice a week. For best results, follow the procedure daily and do it for consecutive three days. Now, do not give any treatment to your pet. After a gap of one week, the treatment procedure is again repeated for consecutive 3 days. You will have to apply the medication again after taking a week's gap. This treatment schedule that lasts for more than a month helps to eliminate the ear mite infestation and prevent its recurrence.

Caution
Many people advice to use cotton swabs to remove the swab. However, this is not recommended as one may inadvertently injure the eardrum, which could result in permanent hair loss. Also, besides mineral oil, one should not even think of using any other product such as olive or almond oil. These products do not help in any way but only aggravate the scratching and uneasiness.

Too much scratching can make the ear swollen and red. So, as a pet owner, you should not neglect this bizarre activity of your pet and immediately take him to a qualified veterinarian for diagnosis. Once, the infection has been diagnosed as ear mite infestation, one should follow the aforementioned ear mite treatment plan to put an end to their entire life cycle, once and for all.