Ear mite in dogs

What is an ear mite

What does a parasite look like? This is a very small insect, not reaching one millimeter, with a grayish–white translucent body, having a gnawing oral apparatus. He chews through the skin and makes moves under it, laying eggs in them.

Wounds become inflamed and fester. Larvae, feeding on suppuration products and lymphatic fluid, reach sexual maturity after 3-4 weeks, and then also lay eggs. In a short period of time, an ear mite can damage not only the skin of a dog's ear, but also the eardrum, and penetrate further into the inner ear and brain.

The disease develops imperceptibly – when the animal begins to show signs of the presence of a tick, then, as a rule, a significant part of the ear is affected. In addition, it has been noticed that the insect's activity is subject to some cyclicity: the period of activity and bright symptoms are replaced by more or less calm intervals. Perhaps this is due to the cyclical development of the parasite. When pathology takes threatening forms, there are no periods of rest.

How can a dog get infected with an ear mite

Ear mite is able to be transmitted from one animal to another, regardless of what stage of development it is at. During itching, the dog intensively combs the ears, contributing to the spread of the parasite over the entire surface of the body. That is, the tick and its transitional forms can be located anywhere where the pet is located.

A healthy animal can "pick up" an ear mite in the following ways:

• upon contact (even fleeting) with a carrier animal;
• through the care item used by the infected dog;
• from a person who was in contact with the affected representative;
• by fleas (they can carry tick larvae);
• from the mother (in puppy age).

Which animals are at risk

It was found that the ear mite most often "attacks" young dogs who have not reached six months. The disease is characterized by a severe course and the development of complications.

Four-legged friends with long ears have increased susceptibility to the parasite. Among them: dachshunds, spaniels, Yorkies. Dogs of hunting breeds are a special risk group – they can get infected with a tick not only from other relatives, but also from wild animals.

Does the disease depend on the time of year

An ear mite can "cling" to a pet at any time of the year – unlike ixodic mites, this parasite is active in winter. Their reproduction does not depend on air temperature, daylight duration and other conditions. Since they live in the ear canal, they do not have a rest period. This means that the owner should be on guard even in severe frost, preventing contact between his pet and foreign dogs.

Ear Mite Symptoms

It is possible to suspect an ear mite in a dog when a dirty brown mass is found in the external auditory canal. It is formed from skin scales, particles of the outer integuments of faded parasites, secretions of the ear glands. All this is mixed with purulent secretions from damaged areas of the epidermis and tick excrement, and leads to severe skin irritation and inflammation.

Other symptoms of an ear mite:

• hyperemia of the skin of the ear canal;
• severe itching;
• swelling of the ear folds.

The dog is nervous, shakes his head, often itches. When combing and while shaking the ears, particles of accumulated mass may fly out of the external auditory canal.

Photo of an ear mite

Diagnostics

Diagnosis of an ear mite in dogs is not complicated: a veterinarian will take the material from the ear during the examination and look at it under a microscope. In the chronic form, bacterial culture of the contents of the auditory canal may be required to determine the sensitivity of the insect to medicinal substances and choose the optimal drug. In advanced cases, a specialist may prescribe an X-ray examination or computed tomography to identify the condition of the inner ear and the membranes of the brain. Among the additional diagnostic procedures should be noted: bacterial analysis, scrapings, allergic tests.

Is it possible to identify an ear mite yourself at home

There are situations when it is impossible to conduct a microscopic examination of a dog in a clinic. Before treating a pet for otodectosis, you can independently identify the parasite at home. To do this, you will need a cotton swab, a dark-colored piece of paper and a magnifying glass. Taking a little plaque from the external auditory canal of the pet with a stick, you need to put it on paper. In the presence of the disease, under a magnifying glass, you can see moving ticks of a light gray shade.

Important: at the initial stages of pathology development, the population may be small. Therefore, the probability that there will be insects in the material taken is reduced.

Treatment

Treatment of ear mites in dogs is based on the mandatory use of medications. Without the use of drugs, it will not be possible to get rid of the parasite. The owner should be patient, as the process can take a long time. Since insect larvae persist in the environment, careful treatment of the room in which the dog lives, as well as items of care for it, will be required to prevent re-infection.

Drug therapy

Drugs for the treatment of otodectosis in dogs differ in composition, manufacturer, form of release, price and other parameters. It is not recommended to buy a product at random: before removing the parasite, you need to consult a specialist.

The most popular medications for ear mites in dogs are presented in the table.

Folk methods of treatment

Sometimes dog owners use folk remedies to rid a pet of an ear mite. Compositions based on kerosene and vegetable oil, oil and iodine, strong tea are popular. Sometimes vegetable oil is mixed with garlic juice. This approach to otodectosis therapy cannot be considered correct. Firstly, such compounds, if they can help, then only at the earliest stage of the development of the disease, when the number of ticks is low.

Secondly, garlic juice, kerosene, iodine have a strong irritating effect on the skin of the animal. Applying these components to the damaged cover can lead to burns, and in the case of penetration into the inner ear, lead to complete deafness.

How to prepare a dog's ear for treatment

Before dropping drops from an ear mite, it is necessary to clean the pet's ears from the accumulated mass. If the dog resists (not all animals stoically tolerate this procedure, especially if they experience pain), it is better to carry out the procedure together. With a small size, you can throw a blanket over it or wrap it in a towel. If the pet is large, you should use a muzzle.

During the cleaning process, the following recommendations should be followed.

• You need to use sticks, not cotton swabs or discs, as there is a risk of pushing the accumulated mass deep into the ear canal.
• You should start cleaning from areas located close to the edges of the ear, gradually moving deeper.
• The movements of the wand should be outward.
• If the masses are dry, you can wet the cotton end with peroxide or chlorhexidine. You can't bury them in your ear.
• It is advisable to use lotions specially designed for this purpose to clean the ears.
• If long hair grows on the dog's ears, then it needs to be cut off for the period of treatment.

What is the danger of an ear mite in dogs

Lack of treatment for ear mites in dogs leads to the development of complications:

• blockage of the ear canal;
• secondary infection joining;
• inflammation of the middle and inner ear;
• damage to the eardrum;
• deafness;
• mental disorders;
• the transition of the inflammatory process to the brain;
• pet death.

Can a person get an ear mite from a dog

Can. Although rare, but cases of otodectosis in humans also occur. The symptoms of the disease are the same: itching, inflammation, swelling of the auditory canal, accumulation of insect waste products.

Prevention

It is impossible to completely prevent the infection of a pet with an ear mite. However, with the help of preventive measures, it is possible to reduce the likelihood of developing the disease. To do this, you need to:

• prevent the dog from contacting unfamiliar relatives;
• periodically carefully inspect the animal;
• if a four-legged friend has a brown plaque in his ears, visit the clinic as soon as possible and undergo an examination;
• periodically carry out preventive cleaning with special preparations that are selected together with a veterinarian, taking into account contraindications and other nuances.

The disease has a favorable prognosis provided timely detection and proper treatment. At the very beginning of the development of otodectosis, it happens that the ear mite disappears after one cleansing procedure and the use of the drug. In advanced cases, it is necessary to be patient, observe the rules of hygiene of the pet's ears, adhere to the therapy regimen, increase the dog's immunity.