Ear mites?

[loving two dachsie's]

Who can tell me about ear mites. I am pretty sure my Bailey has them. He has a bad odor coming from his ears and he is always scratching at them.

I always clean them , and he seems to love when I do this (thats what his little history papers said he loved when I rescued them, but never mentioned ear mites)

I went to Pet Smart and baught some ear cleaner/ear mite stuff. the directions said that if there is a black/brown crusty material in his ear he may have ear mites.

Well I used the cleaner and when I wiped the ears out with a cotton ball there was alot of the black/brown stuff. I will continue to use this 2 x a week as the box says. Just one application helped the odor alot.

When I went to wipe the ear with the cotton ball Bailey was practically moaning, it was as if it hurt so bad yet felt so good to him (does this make sense?).

Are these ear mites something my other dachsie can catch from Bailey. And can they hurt the dogs in any way, who knows how long he had them, I have only had him for 5 weeks now and he came with a clean bill of health. all his vet papers showed he was up to date on all his shots. IHis previous owners took great care of him and loved him very much , but the turned him into rescue because they started traveling alot with their business adn he was haveing bad seperation anxiety.

I am taking him to the vet for a lyme disease shot in 2 weeks so I will have this all checked out. But I know everyone in here knows alot about these things and I appreciate all the advice you all give.

Thanks,

Linda

[weenie]

Hi Linda,

Willi had the same problem a few weeks ago. It turned out not to be ear mites but a "bacterial yeast infection" which was taken care of by having his ear flushed by the vet and antibiotic cream. You can especially tell if your doggie may have this if there is an odor coming from the ear also. My vet told me that this is common in long-eared dogs and suggested in addition to the cream to try to flip the ears back to let some air to them (Willi lets me do this, some dogs may not). Let me know what you find out. Hope this helped.

-Kris http://dachsie.org/ubb/ksmile.gif

[Penny's Aunt]

Ear mite debris looks like coffee grounds. Odor often comes from infection. But you can have both at the same time.

I know you're probably trying to save money, but a lot of over-the-counter earmite meds aren't very good. Ear mites can be very difficult to kill off, even with med from your vet. And yes, they are contagious. If the dogs sleep in the same bedding, etc, they can all get them. And they can get re-infested repeatedly if you don't get them killed off.

Med from the vet is usually given daily for 2 wks, rest 10 days, then daily again for 2 wks. And if you forget too many times, it can continue a lot longer. They're real stinkers. So the 2x a wk from the pet shop seems unlikely to cure the problem.

A trip to the vet would seem needed. Also, if it ISN'T earmites, you need the right stuff to clear up the problem. The vet usually does a test right in the office to make sure what he's dealing with. Even for a vet, looking at it doesn't always give the right diagnosis. And who's seem more ears than him?

There is also a flea preparation called REVOLUTION that you put a small amount on the back of the dog's neck once a month, & it kills fleas, ticks, & EARMITES. I've never used it, but it sure sounds easier than the usual way.

[Tanya]

Hi Linda. It's me. I've owned so many dogs (rescues) that I've seen almost everything. Flop eared dogs do seem to have more problems with ear mites. (My vet says because of the moisture.) Ear mites are contagious just like the other members have already replied. Punkin and Josie have had them and they acted like they were in heaven when you scratched their ears. I could have probably gone so far as to scratch their brains! My vet also suggested flipping the ears back to let air flow. Ear mites are a nuisance and like Penny's Aunt said, it does take a good med and meticulous attention to giving the med correctly. Punkin didn't respond to one treatment so the vet had to try something else...Otomax maybe, not sure. Let me know. I fell an attachment already to little Bailey!
Tanya

[Mandy]

Penny's Aunt,

I remember reading a post on this board not too long ago that mentioned Revolution. Apparently a few dogs had seizures and died from what looks to be a reaction to the pesticide. I would be reluctant to use it. I HAVE used Advantage in the past and never had a problem with little critters on the boys. My husband worked at Bayer (who makes Advantage) and even spoke with the man who invented it. Bayer does extensive testing on all of their products, so I feel more confident with them.

[loving two dachsie's]

Thank you all,

I am taking Bailey to the vet for a complete check up. I am afraid of these little buggers getting to Ginger also. The thought of bugs in the ears gives me the chills.

Tanya Bailey does the same thing when you scratch his ears. lIke he can not get enough.

The residue did have a coffee ground texture also.

We just put the advantage on our dogs two weeks ago for flea and ticks, maybe this will help? I am sure my vet will have a better med then the over the counter.

Thanks again,

Linda

[loving two dachsie's]

I called my vet and told her the symtoms, they said to have him be checked out becasue it could be an ear infection in his inner ear. And if ear mites households with multible dogs can just pass them back and forth. I also told her of the crying Bailey did the other day ( anyone who saw my post under back problems knows what I am talking of) she said it could be from a painful inner ear infection or a disc.

Bailey is going in on Monday morning for a complete checkup. I want him to get all taken care of.

I will keep you all posted.

Linda

[Penny's Aunt]

I had not heard this. Maybe Revolution isn't perfect. That's entirely possible. But some problems with medication come from the way they are used. Most vets specifically tell the pet owner that these flea preparations (Advantage, Frontline, Revolution) MUST be put on the back of the neck. However, after some of the vets I've met, I can imagine that some of them aren't so specific.

Even a friend of mine (who KNEW better) applied Advantage to her cat, but lower down than she had been instructed (she even admitted it). The cat managed to twist around & lick the Advantage (short-coated Burmese). She started drooling, acting sick, & refused to eat. It took a while to get over this, & a nice vet bill.

So, whatever you use, PLEASE USE IT CORRECTLY. It really DOES matter.

p.s. We went through medicating EIGHT CATS for earmites. And they didn't like it one little bit. They were royal pains in the patootie, I can tell you. I have offered Revolution because I didn't know about it's use for earmites at that time. The vet med we did use helped increase our knowledge & use of quite a few 4-letter words, & made me wish I had stock in Neosporin & bandaids.

[This message has been edited by Penny's Aunt (edited April 27, 2000).]

[Wienergal]

No experience with earmites, but plenty with the bacterial/yeast ear infection, thanks to Peaches, my highly allergic dog. With the bac/yeast infections, the stuff is reddish-brown and kind of...oily, or creamy, as opposed to the coffee ground texture of earmites. Be aware, though, that the earmites can lead to the bacterial infection, so sometimes a dog has all of that going on in the ear.

Peaches has chronic ear problems--she has MANY chronic problems http://dachsie.org/ubb/crying.gif --and she is doused regularly with a homemade ear cleaning solution, made of rubbing alcohol and white vinegar. Then she gets a dose of Otomax. If it turns out that Bailey is prone to ear problems, I highly recommend the homemade ear cleaner; it works and it's a whole lot less costly than the packaged stuff. BUT be sure to use the Otomax instead of over-the-counter products you can buy at the pet store; those really don't work.

Good luck! Keep us posted!