Ear mites are extremely small parasitic mites, also known as Otodectes cynotis, which can infect the ears of dogs and cats. These mites are contagious, and they survive by ingesting nutrition from the pet’s ear tissues and blood. They may also live periodically on the pet’s paws and fur. They can be spread between cats and dogs, but they cannot live on humans for long periods of time.
Once a dog has become infested with ear mites, the presence of the ear mites causes an allergic reaction in the dog’s ears. As a result, the dog’s ears begin to excrete more wax and the dog experiences intense itching in the ears. The ears soon become red and inflamed, and the outside of the ears may lose hair as a result of the dog continuously itching and rubbing the skin.
If your dog has been diagnosed with ear mites prompt treatment is necessary to keep serious complications from developing in your dog’s ears. The only treatments that will successfully kill ear mites are medications which contain pesticides such as pyrethrins, rotenone, fibronil, parasiticides such as thiabendazole, or the broad-spectrum anti-parasitic medication ivermectin.