Ear mites in cats and dogs

(view of an infested ear canal of a cat - click image for more detail)

Ear mites in cats are one of the most commonly seen veterinary health care problems. Treating ear mites in cats has finally become a relatively easy experience now that veterinarians can prescribe safe and effective medications that do not require applications every other day for weeks. Caused by a little mite called Otodectes cynotis, the mites generally live along the surface of the ear canal, but can also be found on other areas of the body or in the environment. These mites can, but seldom do, infest humans. If present for long periods, hey can lead to serious ear difficulties in cats and dogs.

As ear mites move about and feed along the cat or dog's ear canal they create substantial irritation and subsequent inflammation. The mites feed on tissue debris and secretions from the ear canal lining. With repeated irritation, the ear canal thickens and debris builds up within the ear canal. This debris, caused by mite waste products, dead tissue and fluid resembles coffee grounds. In chronic (long term) cases of ear mites in cats and dogs, there often is secondary bacterial and yeast infections present that complicate the treatment and create even more stress on the animal.

Generally, ear mites do not break the ear drum. However, in the presence of infection and with severe enough affliction with ear mites, the ear drum can be penetrated. When this occurs, a very severe middle ear disorder can result where the animal can loose balance, become disoriented and have severe physical signs of trouble.

LIFE CYCLE
The ear mite life cycle, which takes about twenty-one days from egg to adult, entails going through four different stages:

Stage 1: The Eggs
Female ear mites usually lay about 5 eggs daily during their entire adult life. Deposited on the surface lining of the ear canal, the eggs hatch within 4 days.

Stage 2: The Larvae
Once hatched from the eggs, the larvae feed for 4 days then rest for 24 hours as they molt into the nymphal phase.

Stage 3: The Nymphs
Two stages of nymphs are recognized. Each feeds for 3 to 5 days and then rests and then molts to the next stage.

Stage 4: The Adults
Just barely visible to the naked eye, the adult ear mite appears white in color and feeds off the epithelial debris in the cat's ear. There can be literally thousands of mites crawling about the ear canal and external ear surfaces. Ear mites do not burrow into the skin as Sarcoptic Mites and Demodex Mites do. They are communicable from one animal to another by direct contact.






SIGNS OF EAR MITES IN CATS AND DOGS
* Head shaking
* Scratching the ears (there may be sores around the ears as a result of scratching)
* Reddish-brown to black discharge (crusts and cerumen) in the ears that resemble coffee grounds
* Sometimes there seem to be no observable signs of ear mites

DIAGNOSIS OF EAR MITES
A diagnosis of ear mites by the veterinarian is usually made by one of the following methods:
* Direct visualization of the mites with an otoscope
* Microscopic examination of the ear discharge

Although some cats show no outward signs of ear mite infestations, the mites can be diagnosed as described above. In most cats with ear mites if you briskly rub the ear canal area the cat will respond by automatic scratching movements of the back leg. Triggering this automatic scratching movement seldom occurs in cats that do not have ear mites. Veterinarians check for ear mites as part of the routine physical exam, especially in multi-cat households.

TREATMENT: There are a number of medications used to treat ear mites in cats. Your veterinarian will prescribe an effective product. One study showed that treatment with ACAREXX was 92% effective in treating adult ear mite (Otodectes cynotis) infestations after 7 days. In a well-controlled clinical field trial, one treatment of ACAREXX was 94% effective in clearing cats and kittens of adult ear mite infestations within 7 to 10 days. Your veterinarian may prescribe a different method or different medication such as Tresaderm liquid; be sure to have a follow-up exam done four weeks after you think all the mites are gone.

Comments

[Buffy and Christie]

My cat has bumps on his ears. Maybe ant bites?? Ever heard of this?

[Erin Winter]

We have taken a neighborhood cat under our wing. This female is left outside with no shelter in freezing weather and erratic food availability. Since we now feed her every day and she has a warm cat bed of her own here she spends every night and most of the day here. Do we wonder why? She has a long term medical problem that HAS to be treated. She has earmites that have not been dealt with for at least 5 years. She is tearing up her little ears by scratching. There is now a black growth almost as big as her ear (ok, maybe one half) extending on the end of the ear. I was told this was actual feces from serious long term ear mites. We don't have any extra money for vets,(would literally come out of the food budget but we must do something to help her. If we have to, we can do without because I cant stand to see this suffering this little girl is in. Any home remedies?????
Remedies that REALLY work? Please throw some ideas my way. And calling HUMANE SOCIETY on the real owners isn't an option because my gut feeling says they might take Squeak away to the Pen......We have grown attached!! Thank you for reading this long story............Erin W.

[Scott Bruce]

Hi Erin. It's always nice to hear when someone saves an animal rather than dumping it at a shelter (or worse). I took in two kittens that were being raised by mama in the warehouse where I work (subsequently my mother took the mama and her next litter of three kittens). The kittens I took in were infested with fleas, ear mites & worms. It took awhile to get all three problems taken care of using medicine from my local vet (otc flea medicine was pretty much useless). Recently ear mites began reappearing. After looking around for some home remedies I tried a few drops of mineral oil in each cat's ears twice daily, making sure to clean the ears out with cotton balls about 10min after application. I was skeptical at first but was pleasantly surprised to find that this treatment was effective for my cats. I'm not sure if it would work as well for you due to the severity of the infestation though. I hope you are able to find something that works.

Good luck,

Scott B.

[Erin Winter]

Thanks for your input Scott!! There must be a slew of us softies out there. I was at my doc's
office and got to talkin cats with the nurse, and told her about Squaeks problem. This wonderful woman that I had just met that day has
volunteered to come to my house and use her
remedy, warm oil, etc. on her ears, hoping we can fix up her ears.
I can't believe my luck running into her and her kind offer to help. I will let you know if we
"conquered" or not!!!!
Cheers,
Erin

[tania morphett, adelaide, SA]

My name is tania and i am too a cat lover who always takes in homeless cats even though i have 3 adult cats, my newest is squirt. And he has a bad cough, diarrea and ear mites which have spred to my older boys. I too, can`t afford $88 to have them all treated, food money but after searching the net, i found that llium ear drops and mineral oil work. I am going to try the ear drops as i can`t stand seeing my poor babies itch and shake their heads. What a cruel thing to have in your ear. Hope it works, good luck 2 u. from tania.

[Myra Nissen, CCH RSHom(NA)]

I have successfully gotten rid of ear mites in my cats by using a few drops almond oil daily in the years. Dr. Picarin, DMV recommends this and it worked for me.

[ann farmer]

my daughter's 3 yr old cat started crying "meeeoooow" and "mommeeee" while tryn to clean her ears. they lookd infested so i bought an otc earmite med at the grocery store and its working! i was watching her closely because the wax buildup was bad enough i had to help her remove it. but now on the 3rd day of one treatment per day shes much better:)

[ear mites]

Found this site by accident but enjoyed reading what you have. We always had problems with ear mites in cats and dog ear mites too. Now we use a natural remedy for ear mites, Dr Dogs Ear Oil and it is safe for getting rid of the ear mites in cats and in dogs. An over the counter medicine that is safe for both the cats and dogs, before we used to get one for the cats and one for dog ear treatment. Anyway, maybe it can help others too, find out more if you have problems with ear mites in pets from http://www.drdogs247.com