Ear mites in dogs

Prevention of infection

A dog can become infected with an ear mite on the street, it usually gets into an apartment through a person’s clothes and shoes. Therefore, the main thing in preventing infection with this parasite is to observe the hygiene of the dog’s ear cavity. For this you need:

• Constantly check the pet’s auricles, make sure that there are no foreign objects and secretions in them;

• Do not allow the dog to come close to stray animals;

• Support your pet’s immune system. To do this, it is necessary to ensure that the dog’s diet is balanced and that it spends enough time in the fresh air and is not stressed.

Special sprays, shampoos and collars will help to avoid infection, but they should be used carefully to avoid allergies to the active substance.

Signs of a tick infection

The ear mite eats holes in the skin inside the dog’s ear, causing constant itching. It also lays eggs, which hatch into larvae after four weeks. Signs of the appearance of a tick are noticeable from the first day of infection: the dog becomes nervous, unhappy, less active, often loses its appetite. She starts shaking her head, while squealing, rubbing her ears against various objects. With severe itching, he combs his ears with his paw until he bleeds. Infection can lead to otitis media – the ear will become hot and discharge will appear in it. The dog will tilt its head to the side and whine when touched.

How to get rid of ear mites

Ear mite infestations are treated under the supervision of a doctor with special ear drops or injections. These drugs are quite toxic and are selected individually for each dog.

Treatment takes place in several stages:

• Before using drugs, the ear is treated with cotton pads or a bandage moistened with a special lotion so that particles of sulfur and parasite secretions do not interfere with the action of the drug;

• The dog is immobilized: the procedure for cleaning the ear and instilling the medicine is not the most pleasant, and the pet can, breaking out, cripple itself and others;

• In a sore ear, according to the doctor’s recommendations, medicine is dripped. Also, for prevention, the second, healthy ear is also treated;

• The whole procedure is repeated after 14 days to destroy the eggs of the parasite;

• Immediately after the start of treatment, the dog is washed with tick shampoos or sprayed with an antiparasitic spray. This is necessary to prevent re-infection;

• The tick is able to live without a host for up to a month, so the entire apartment is also treated with a special tool;

• The ear mite is extremely contagious, so treatment should be carried out for all pets living in the apartment.

The sooner an ear mite is found, the easier it will be to treat. If the situation is running, then you need to contact a specialist who can diagnose the ear and prescribe special therapy.

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For a more detailed study of the problem, we recommend contacting a specialist.

Ask the vet

15 2017 June

Updated: July 6, 2018