It is great to adopt a new puppy or kitten, but sometimes the new addition comes with pets of his or her own in the form of ear mites. Ear mites are tiny little parasites that live in the ears of dogs, cats and rabbits. They are particularly common in kittens. They are contagious (to other animals but usually not people) and are spread by direct contact.

Ear mites are related to ticks and spiders. They spend their life almost entirely inside the ear canal and they cause severe itching and scratching. They live on skin debris in the ear canal and cause inflammation and secondary infections. The adult mites lay their eggs in the ear. These eggs hatch in approximately 3 weeks.

Signs of ear mites are black debris in the ear canal, severe itching at the ears,and head shaking. Ear mites are diagnosed by direct observation with an otoscope in the ears or by finding them while looking at ear debris under the microscope.

There are many treatments for ear mites. Conventional treatments include: products like Revolution, Advantage Multi or Milbemite topical treatments which are applied once and kill the ear mites continuously; ear medications such as Tresaderm that you use twice daily for a week or more; or, injectable medications like Ivermectin (which can cause problems in some breeds).

Holistic treatments for ear mites include cleaning ears with mineral oil, olive oil or an herbal ear cleaner such as Ear Clean Gold. Ear Clean Gold is in a base of fractionated coconut oil and has soothing herbs in it to reduce inflammation and soothe itchy ears. It does not contain any essential oils that could be toxic to cats, so it is very safe and an effective treatment for ear mites.

For more product information or to order Ear Clean Gold, please visit:  http://www.petwellbeing.com/products/cat-ear-mites

HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM WITH YOUR PET?