LoveToKnow Dogs:AllComments

From LoveToKnow Dogs

Comments

Hi Marlene,

I'm sorry to hear your dog is having trouble with her ears. Honestly, it would be best to consult your vet because you can't be too careful with a pregnant female. A quick phone call is all it should take.

In the meantime, cleaning your dog's ears with a standard ear wash should help ease some of the irritation. Just don't use anything that is medicated unless your vet gives you the okay.

Best wishes that the problem is cleared up soon so you can look forward to that coming litter. Good luck. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

hi my dog is pregnant, due in two weeks. she started shaking and her head and scratching her ears yesterday. she had the same thing happen about this time last year (not pregnant then) and my vet prescribed mite meds to put in her ear and then he instructed me to follow up with t8 keto because he was afraid an infection had developed. worked perfectly. he told me to use it whenever i noticed her scratching and shaking her head to prevent it from getting so bad. but can i use it now since she is pregnant? if not, what is safe to use because she is really scratching.

-- Contributed by: marlene

Hi Paula,

I'm so sorry to hear about your difficulties with the vet. Cleaning the ears out before medicating helps the medicine get in deeper to route more of the infestation. It also allows better air flow.

Usually I recommend that people see their vet, but since you've already been down that route, I think you can do a decent job of treating the current infestation on your own. If you can get the same miticide online, go ahead and purchase it. Clean out everyone's ears, being sure to use new swabs on each individual ear, and washing your hands between treating each dog. After that, go ahead and put the drops in everyone's ears. It is possible that if one dog has ear mites, they could have migrated to the other dogs. It doesn't hurt to treat everyone, and at this point it's a worthwhile preventative measure.

Additionally, you'll want to wash all of your dog's bedding. You might also want to seek the advice of a different vet in future.

Thanks for your question, and I hope you find this advice helpful.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

Hello.. I have 3 adult malteses, 1 adult yorkie and 1 maltese puppy. I just found out from vet that the puppy had ear mites. First of, vet didn't even clean my puppy's ear like how it is explained above and just gave me ACAREXX Otis Suspension and didn't even tell me I was supposed to clean the ears first. Second, they charged me $50 for 1 dose of the meds which I found online for $12. Now after I read bout ear mites, I am worrying my other 4 dogs r gonna get them too. What should I do? I really can't afford to spend another $400 for 4 dogs to visit the vet to see if they got the ear mites too. 1. Should I just buy the meds and treat them anyways? 2. But 1 of them is pregnant, can I apply the meds on a pregnant dog? Thank you very much. I appreciate ur respond ASAP. :)

-- Contributed by: Paula

Hi Tony,

Your dog is absolutely not beyond help. Your vet can lightly sedate your dog if neccessary in order to clean out the ears and medicate them. Ear infections/infestation can become quite painful, so please make an appointment right away.

Thanks for your question.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

my dog is 10years old and he has 4 of those symptoms you listed >Constant scratching behind or inside the ears >Frequent head shaking >Dark, coffee ground-like discharge. >An unusual head tilt or loss of balance is he past help because of age or will a vet be able to help him .because he gets very nippy when you try to touch his ears (Yorkie)and i don't think he will let any wet touch his ears..

-- Contributed by: TONY

Hi Levoid,

It sounds like your dog has a severe ear infection, but your vet will need to examine your pet to make an accurate diagnosis. Ear infections can be extremely painful and do permanent damage if left untreated. Please make an appoint with your vet right away.

Thanks for sharing your situation, and best wishes for your dog's full and speedy recovery.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

There is a black looking scale around ear. One ear is raw and has a discharge. Large black area around ea4r

-- Contributed by: levoid davis

Hi Terry,

It could be mites, but it could also be due to a bacterial or fungal infection. It would be best to let your vet have a look and make the diagnosis. That way you're sure to get the appropriate medication to treat your dog's ears.

Thanks for your question, and best wishes for your dog's quick recovery.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

I don't see any dark discharge, but my poodle does have a scailly appearance and the other symptoms. There is also a really fowl oder. Is this a sign of ear mites?

-- Contributed by: Terry

Hi Sue,

Your vet may indeed be able to prescribe a stronger miticide for your dog's ears. It's definitely worth it to let your vet perform an examination of your dog's ears. There mite also be some infection causing part of the discomfort.

Thanks for your question. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

The article suggested that treatments for fleas like Frontline will take care of ear mites; however not all monthly flea treatments are indicated to treat ear mites. You have to check the label. The only treatment that I know for sure takes care of ear mites that is a monthly flea treatment is "Revolution". So read labels to make sure you are getting the correct treatment or your dog will continue to suffer with mites.

-- Contributed by: Juls

We have a 14 year old beagle with a very stubborn case of ear mites. In the past 2 weeks, I've b thed her with a flea shampoo,put a flea collar on her, changed her bedding daily and treated with flea spray, I've sucked a flea powder into my vacuum bag and vacuumed the house throughly. I've washed her ears with a mild soap, dried them and added 2-3 drops of Dr's Foster and Smith ear mite drops. Yet those ...s are still making her scratch and shake her head. My heart is breaking to see my best friend in such discomfort. Can a vet take care of this in one visit? Help please.

-- Contributed by: Sue

Hi Rich,

I don't really think you can overdose on these products, but because your dog seems in such distress over her condition, it would be a good idea to follow up with your vet. The vet can deep clean the ears to remove as many of the mites and their debris as possible, and then fill the ears with a far more affective medication than you'll find over-the-counter.

Thanks for your question, and I'm sure the vet will have your dog feeling better very quickly.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

My dog has all the symptoms of ear mites. Scratching and shaking of the head are very noticeable. I put some over the counter drops in her ears about 9:00 PM tonight. She was very angry with me and went and hid under the bed until my bedtime. After I went to bed, she got very restless and kept shaking her head (I thought the pesty little critters were just running about in her head, driving her crazy) so I put more drops in her ears. She has kept me awake all night by jumping on and off the bed, shaking her head. Have I overdosed her? I love her like my child and don't want her hurt just because of my ignorance. Please help.

-- Contributed by: rich copeland

Hi Roxana,

I'm not the original author of this article, but apparently Frontline does have a systemic effect on ear mites. Does the package actually say to put drops in the ears? My impression is that the medication spreads across the dog's body and lodges in the sebaceous glands. I haven't heard of dropping it in the ears, nor does the article above say to do that.

I'm going to recommend you give your vet a call on this one and ask if this is truly the best method of ridding your dog of ear mites.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

You said that Frontline Plus also treats ear mites, and I also read that on the box. It says that multiple applications are recommebded. I have a 150lb American Bulldog, that WILL NOT let us put the drops in his ears. We use Frontline Plus for dogs up to 132lbs. on a regular basis. How many multiple applications do you recommend for him. Thank You.......Roxana

-- Contributed by: Roxana

Alberta,

You'll find an answer to your question about how dog ear mites can affect a dog's hearing on our Ask the Experts page. ~~Kelly

-- Contributed by:
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