Ear Mites in Dogs

2. January 2009 by admin.

Ear mites are nasty little creatures that are highly contagious in between pets and quite a bit of pain to get rid off! Ear mites usually live in your dog’s ear but are not limited to the ears only, depending on the severity of infestation they can spread all over the dog’s body.

Ear mites are too small to be seen with the naked eye but can be well detected under a microscope. Having said that they are cases where mites where detected with the naked eye due to the size of the mites. Ear mites usually affect BOTH ears.
If the infestation is well progressed, the ear canals may bleed.

The most common sign of ear mite infection is shaking of the head and ears.
Dogs may also scratch at their ears, rub their face and in severe cases may even cause bleeding sores behind their ears in their effort to relieve the discomfort from the mites. The intense itching associated with these mites is thought to be due to a hypersensitivity reaction, which is similar to an allergy.
Some pets can be infected without showing signs of itching or head shaking, apparently because they don’t develop the hypersensitivity reaction.
Itching, scratching and shaking of head can also be caused by “regular” ear/ yeast infections.
It’s very important to take your dog to a vet to get the right diagnosis and treatment.

Ear mites are very common but still serious. If not treated it can cause severe damage to the eardrum and loss of hearing.
Treatment can take up to 4 weeks to get rid of all eggs and adult mites.

To prevent ear mites keep your pet’s flea treatments, e.g. Frontline Plus, Revolution etc, up to date.

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