Introduction
Ear mites in dogs can cause intense itching and discomfort. Wounds around the ears, and secondary bacterial infections, can develop as a result of long term ear mite infestation. If your dog has been diagnosed with ear mites, or you suspect that your dog may have ear mites, prompt treatment is necessary to keep serious complications from developing in your dog’s ears; most importantly, getting rid of these pesky critters will help your dog to feel a whole lot better.
Treatment Options
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. These medications are generally applied to the dog’s ears, and in some products they are included with topical flea treatments. Specifically formulated ear mite treatments contain extremely low doses of the active ingredients, which are of little to no risk to your dog’s health. These treatments can be prescribed to your pet through your veterinarian.
Using alternative treatments to kill ear mites is rarely successful. Repeatedly cleaning the dog’s ears out will get rid of the ear mites on the outer surfaces of the ears, but other mites will continue to live deep within the ear canal; these mites will continue to cause intense itching and scratching. Trying to suffocate the ear mites by applying vegetables oils to the ears is also an ineffective treatment.
To completely rid your dog of ear mites, you will generally need to repeat the treatments again in a few weeks. As ear mites live in your dog’s ears they lay eggs; the eggs are often immune to treatments, and a few weeks later they hatch. If you have multiple animals in your household they will all need to be treated for ear mites whether they are showing symptoms or not. These mites are highly contagious between animals, but fortunately you cannot get ear mites from your pets.