Ticks in the ears of dogs - signs, treatment, prevention

Hello! I spend a lot of free time talking with Alina.

She now works as a young specialist in a veterinary clinic and has repeatedly helped me with my pets. She recently said that the problem of ear ticks in dogs is now one of the three popular calls.

I was not surprised, because ticks in the ears and in my dogs recently found. I would like to describe this problem in more detail, so that you can quickly detect this insidious parasite and help your doggies.

Ear tick in dogs: prevention and treatment

An ear mite in dogs is a source of significant health problems that can cause significant discomfort to your pet.

The main signs of an ear tick: a dog rubs against corners, scratches its ears, runs uneasily and whines, shakes its head. If all these signs are present, you must urgently examine the dog’s ears.

In the initial stages of the disease, ear scabies manifests itself as minor itching. However, over time, it significantly increases. Your pet's behavior becomes restless; over time, the dog begins to scratch its ears with its claws, while injuring them quite strongly. Gradually, bald patches, ulcers, and non-healing wounds appear on the combs.

Purulent discharge from the auricle appears gradually, which, drying out, forms crusts and scabs in the folds and indentations of the auricle. This is the main visual sign that your dog is sick with ear scabies.

The main cause of ticks in dogs is usually animals living nearby. Basically, these are cats, as they are more susceptible to an ear tick.

The appearance of an ear tick in a dog can lead to sad consequences. Failure to take timely measures, ear scabies can cause problems such as inflammation of the middle ear, perforation of the eardrum, inflammation of the membranes of the spinal cord and brain (meningitis), inflammation of the arachnoid and soft membranes of the brain (arachnoiditis).

Ear tick in dogs in an advanced stage is fraught with hearing loss in your pet; death is possible.

Perhaps the development of Horner's syndrome and labyrinitis.The pronounced symptoms of these diseases are the inclination of the head towards the affected ear and the retraction of the eyeball into the orbit. The neglected stage of scabies can lead to the development of inflammation of the auricle (otitis media).

Treatment

The most important thing - in no case do not self-medicate your pet. Contact a specialist who will make the correct diagnosis (it is quite possible that the ear tick is not the cause of the tick) and prescribe all the necessary medications, as well as completely control the process of getting rid of the ticks of the dog.

During the entire treatment process, the dog should be under the supervision of a doctor who will observe the slightest deviations in the behavior and well-being (redness, itching or rash) of your pet.

The process of using ear insect-acaricidal drops consists of two stages:

1. it is necessary to clean the dog’s auricle with a cotton swab, and for each ear it is necessary to use a new one to exclude the transfer of infection to a healthy ear; thoroughly wipe the auricle, remove plaque;
2. instill a tick control in each ear, even if it seems to you that there is only one tick.

If there is a reappearance of an ear tick in a dog, this can mean either your pet has a weak immunity and an environment favorable for tick life, or insufficient treatment of the ears with medicine.

Prevention of ear scabies disease is as follows: periodically inspect the dog’s ears, checking for secretions and brown deposits, clean them with cotton swabs or tampons.

And most importantly - during a walk, limit your dog from contact with stray or simply extraneous animals.

Prevention and treatment of ear mites in dogs

Dog owners often do not attach importance to the strange behavior of their pets, considering scratching behind the ear in the order of things.

Really not so. In this case, we can say with full confidence that the dog was infected with a very unpleasant and persistent ear mite Otodectes cynotis.

Otodectosis is the name of this disease.

What is this creature

The ear tick belongs to the class of arachnids. Microscopic parasites settle in the dog’s inner ear.

They feed on blood, lymph, sulfur, particles of the epidermis, causing this painful itching in the animal. In a warm, humid environment, otodects quickly multiplies, thereby increasing the suffering of its owner.

Causes of infection

Otodectosis is a disease with a high probability of infection, usually this occurs when in contact with a sick animal.

Puppies will certainly get infected from a bitch if she was not given prophylaxis or treatment before mating.

Symptoms of the disease

The dog owner should be wary and carefully examine the dog’s ears if:

In the affected ear, increased excretion of serous exudate begins, turning into purulent.

The liquid mixes with the mite waste products, forms thick crusts that dry in the folds of the ear and smell unpleasantly.

Treatment

Self-medication is unacceptable! Currently, veterinary pharmacies have a large arsenal of drugs for the treatment of otodectosis.

You must carefully follow the doctor’s instructions so as not to harm your pet. The usual mistake of the owners: after applying the drug once or twice, and seeing that the dog no longer itches, they stop treatment.

At the same time, after a while, the symptoms of otodectosis reappear, as adult mites were destroyed, and the eggs and larvae remained unharmed.

How to treat a sore ear

Before dripping a drug prescribed by a doctor, the ear must be cleaned of serous secretions. This is done with a cotton swab and hydrogen peroxide. Large breed dogs can be cleaned with a cotton swab.

It is very important not to scare the dog during the procedure, if possible not to hurt her, otherwise in the future the dog will not allow examination of his precious ears.

Talking gently to the pet, it is necessary to thoroughly clean the ear cavity from the discharge. And for each ear, use a clean cotton swab.

After completing the procedure, you must praise the dog, treat her with a treat.
When several animals are kept in a house, preventive treatment is given to everyone, even if the rest have no symptoms.

After cleaning, instill the drug in the dosage prescribed by the doctor in both ears and massage a little so that the medicine penetrates deeper and is absorbed.

As soon as the dog feels freedom, she will try to shake the medicine out of her ears, so her head should be fixed for a while.
After 5-7 days, treatment must be repeated to destroy the new ear mites that have hatched during this time.

In most preparations, the age of the animal is up to two months. If puppies are infected by their mother, then only a veterinarian should carry out their treatment and treatment.

What is the danger of a running illness?

If you do not provide the animal with medical care in a timely manner, or if you do not completely treat it, then the raging ear tick threatens the dog with such dangerous complications:

• inflammation of the middle ear (otitis media);
• perforation of the eardrum;
• arachnoiditis;
• Horner's syndrome;
• meningitis.

In Horner's syndrome, the dog constantly tilts its head toward the affected ear, in some cases the eyeball is pulled into the orbit.

If left untreated or the disease is started, the dog may be deaf and even die.

Prevention of otodectosis

In order for the ear tick not to cause so much suffering to the animal, it is necessary to regularly carry out prophylaxis - examination of the pet’s ears, careful cleaning with a cotton swab with hydrogen peroxide.

Using the most modern methods of prevention of otodectosis, the owner will protect the animal, and himself, too, from many troubles.

Prophylactic agents must be applied before the animal becomes ill.

Special collars, drops at the withers, sprays will protect the pet not only from ticks, but also from fleas and other unwanted guests.

Caution should be exercised when choosing, all drugs for parasites in one way or another are poisons, therefore a strict dosage is necessary, and it is imperative to monitor if the animal has allergies.

Apply, for example, green tea or olive oil with garlic. As a rule, these half measures are ineffective and only worsen the situation: they do not destroy, but only slightly inhibit the reproduction of the parasite.
At the same time, precious time is lost, and the tick goes deeper into the ear canal.

The faster and better the competent veterinary care will be provided, the faster the dog will get rid of torment, and the reward for the owner will be a healthy and cheerful pet.

Ear mites in dogs

Unfortunately, many animal diseases cannot be cured quickly, and therefore additional problems appear. One of these diseases is ear mites in dogs.

The causative agent of otodectosis, as a rule, is an acarimorphic tick, which can live both on the inner surface of the auricle and in the external auditory canal. There are times when the parasite affects the tympanic membrane of the animal.

The most common sources of infection are animal habitats (nest, burrow, lair), as well as another infected animal. In rare cases, when measures related to the treatment and destruction of ear mites are not taken, the animal’s immunity falls, the body weakens, which ultimately leads to death.

That is why it is so important to timely diagnose and treat ear mites in dogs.

Symptoms

The main symptom of an ear tick in a dog is itching, which over time begins to progress even more and disturb.

At the same time, the animal begins to constantly shake its head, rub its ears against the wall or various objects, trying to calm the itching with its claws, forming abrasions and deep scratches. In the place of these scratches, purulent wounds subsequently form, turning into a receding hairline.

If a dog begins to behave uneasily without any reason, shake his head and even stop eating, there is a high probability that he is already infected with ticks.

Treatment

As soon as the dog has the above symptoms, the owner should immediately contact the veterinarian for timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

Based on the results of the examination and diagnosis, the veterinarian will prescribe a treatment that includes a number of drugs aimed at destroying ear mites and eliminating signs of the disease.

The most effective medicines include:

• Otibiovin
• Mastiet Fort
• Tera delta
• Aurican and others

However, it should be borne in mind that without strict prescription and control of the attending physician, the use of these drugs at their discretion is strictly prohibited. Since these drugs contain large quantities of chemicals and compounds that have a detrimental effect on ear mites, they can also adversely affect dogs.

During treatment, it is necessary to monitor the behavior of the dog, since all these drugs can affect the state of the animal in different ways. If signs such as redness of the skin, rash, irritation, and itching are observed, you should suspend treatment and inform your doctor.

Disease prevention

An important role is played by the timely prevention of the disease. Preventive measures are to regularly inspect the inner surfaces of the auricles.

As you know, ear mites can affect both ears, so when cleaning your ears, you need to use different cotton buds so as not to bring the tick from a sick ear to a healthy one.

Toys for dogs, dishes, rugs and other items must be periodically cleaned and disinfected to destroy tick larvae and other bacteria and viruses located on them.

On sale you can find the spray "Bolfo", the drug has antiparasitic properties that contribute to the destruction of ear mites in dogs. There are also Kiltiks collars (German manufacturer Bayer), front line sprays and drops from the French company Merial, which have an acaricidal effect.

All of these preventive measures will avoid infection of the dog with ear mites.

Dog owners should bear in mind that failure to comply with preventive measures, norms and rules of hygiene, as well as untimely or illiterate treatment of ear mites can lead to serious consequences in dogs such as meningitis, arachnoiditis, Horner's syndrome and other complex diseases.

Ear mite in a beloved dog, symptoms and treatment at home

Ear mite in dogs, treatment of otodectosis in the home is a very common question of our readers. Veterinarian Irina Barabash talks about the symptoms and treatment of a dog when infected with ticks.

It is no secret that different breeds of dogs have different eye shape, and the curliness of this eye is different, but there is no difference in the shape of the ear or the mite. It would seem that the larger the ear (the auricle), the greater the chances of settling the tick. But no. Everyone has equal chances.

But, the larger the ear, the faster it becomes contaminated, for example, with dust (catches it like a vacuum cleaner) and the more often we pick up a cotton swab moistened with warm water and wipe this large locator. And cleanliness is the key to health. Together with the dirt, we wash everything else that got there, dust and insects.

Small ears, covered with wool, are quite another matter. Sometimes the owner has not looked there for years, but why, people don’t see it. And how to look into this small ear, the picture is not funny.

Otodectosis

The tick Otodectes cynotis causing otodectosis itself is microscopically small, but his thirst for reproduction is already very indecent. Over its short century (no more than 2 months), the parasite manages to leave multimillion-generation offspring.

It is especially dangerous for a puppy. Ticks simply gnaw at a young ear. But parasites do not live outside the dog’s eye, fresh air and the sun are very unpleasant for them.

Dog symptoms

And at some point, watching our dog, we notice symptoms:

All these symptoms indicate abnormal processes.

Local symptoms

Let's look into the ears:

The question sometimes arises, where did the ear tick from a dog that lives on a leash come from? But the cat, his only friend, sometimes your home, and sometimes on his own, it was he who dragged a parasite on himself. And both will be treated.

If the dog does not hurt, and you immediately feel it, everything is normal, there is no otitis media, and now the tick is expelled.

Treatment

How to treat a dog that has got ear mites? Get rid of the ear tick, at home it will not be difficult.

Modern acaricides are not expensive, effective, affordable and have little toxicity to warm-blooded animals. Local treatment is usually sufficient for a pet dog.

The following medications can be successfully used to treat ear ticks at home.

Mr. Bruno Plus - drops are applied to the cleaned ear and rubbed with massage movements. It is enough to apply 2-3 drops in each ear with an interval of 5-7 days. By applying the same drops to the withers of the animal, you can easily prevent an attack of both ticks and fleas. Drops are packaged in pipette tubes with packaging for different weights of dogs, which is extremely convenient.

Amidel gel - packaged in dispensing syringes. Having squeezed from 0.5 to 2 ml of gel into the dog’s ear and massaged, we deprive the tick not only of health but also of life. But with purulent processes, it will be necessary to use additional antibiotics.

Just 3-4 clicks on the nebulizer bottle, in each ear with an interval of 3-5 days and success is guaranteed. The simplicity and effectiveness of the application make this drug a bestseller.

Decta - contains in its composition both an insect-acaricide and a broad-spectrum antibiotic, which helps to quickly eliminate the tick and remove inflammation from the auricle.

Amit - drops that not only kill the tick in all its phases of development, but also alleviate the suffering of the animal. Having in its composition antipruritic and anti-inflammatory substances, Amit will perfectly cope with both pruritus and microorganisms.

We dig in each ear of a drop of 3-6 drops., And after 5-7 days, repeat the procedure. Amit is almost not absorbed into the body and has an exclusively local effect.

Aversectin ointment. It probably takes place as a medicine, but the manufacturer recommends applying it to the auricle with a glass stick, spatula or a cotton-gauze swab, this is probably not the best option, and it is much better to do this simply with a finger on which a fingertip is previously put on.

In addition, it is recommended to melt the ointment before use for ease of use.

When choosing a medicine, take care of the animal’s hygiene and your personal safety. If you are allergic or cannot apply the drug outdoors, do not give preference to aerosols, or ask your family or friends to perform this manipulation.

It is necessary to treat the dog in accordance with the instructions, if something is not clear in the description or is alarming, consult the seller or contact the clinic.

How to get rid of ear mites in a dog?

Ear mite, or otodectosis, is a contagious disease in dogs that affects the inside of the auricle. Most often, ticks can be found in the auricle and external auditory canal.

If treatment is not started, this can lead to serious complications, such as otitis media, arachnoiditis (inflammation of the choroid and spinal cord), perforation of the tympanic membrane, and meningitis.

Before starting treatment, you need to make sure that the dog really has an ear tick, and for example, it does not otitis. For this, the contents of the ears (scraping) are examined under a magnifying glass or microscope.

For the successful treatment of an ear tick (and depending on the type of medicine), certain procedures must be performed:

Drops in the ears

Before instilling drops in the ears, they must first be cleaned. The hair growing in the ears is cut off, otherwise the medicine will remain on it, and not on the skin.

If there are crusts, then they must be soaked, and then carefully removed. For this, a solution of cleansing drops (Migstim, Otifri, Klini, Epi-Oti) or lotion (Bars, Otodin, Epi-Otik, Ear Cleaner) is instilled in the dog’s ears.

Then with a cotton swab (a clean swab is used for each ear), the ear canal is cleaned. Drops are better to instill heated up to 30-35’C. After that, you need to massage the ear at the base for a couple of minutes to absorb the medicine more quickly.

When treating an ear mite, it is necessary to treat and treat both ears at once, even if only one is affected. Remember that odotectosis is a contagious disease and can be transmitted from sick animals to healthy ones. After 5-14 days (depending on the type of drug, see instructions), the treatment is repeated.

List of ear drops: Aurikan, Bars, Otovodin, Amit, Anandin plus, Tsipam, Amitrazin, Otoferonol Gold, Demos, Dekta, Tresaderm, Mr. Bruno Extra, Bio Grum Ear Mite Treatment, Decor-2, Epatsid-alpha, Surolan, Oricin, Ectodes and others.

Drops at the withers

Drops on the withers are applied only externally - they are applied to the shoulder blades, to the base of the neck or along the dog’s cervical vertebrae.

Using such a tool is easy and simple, and its effect lasts up to a month. But such drugs are quite expensive and not everyone can afford them.

List of drops at the withers: Front Line Spot He, Attorney, Stronghold, Dana Spot He, Fiprist Spot He and others.

Injections (injections)

Injections are convenient in that there is no need to drip drops into the sore ears (but not to clean them), which often intensify the pain, which is why the dog has fear when cleaning his ears. Once in the blood, the drug not only kills ear mites, but also helminths.

But there are also disadvantages:

List of injectable drugs: Aversect K & C, Otodectin, Ivermek 1% and others.

Aerosol foam

Ear treatment with acaricidal foams must be carried out at a distance of 10-15 cm for 1-2 seconds.

List of acaricidal foams, sprays and gels: Acrosol, Ivermek, Anti-Flea spray, Amidel-gel, Acaromectin.

Ointments

Ointments are used to treat damaged areas of the skin of the auricle. When laying the ointment in the ear canal, the auricle is folded in half lengthwise and massaged at the base. For external use, the ointment is applied to the surface of the skin or to the ear at the rate of 0.2 - 0.3 g per 1 cm².

Remember that ear mites can move to other parts of the body, so during treatment, the dog must be treated with insecticide and acaricidal shampoo (Flea Tick Shampoo, Zoolecar, Demos, Bars, DIP-II, Dana, Hartz, Husse Sitronella, Bolfo, Fitoelita, etc. )

The parasites are quite tenacious and can live in the environment for up to a month. In order to prevent re-infection, along with treating the dog, it is necessary to treat its things (bedding and objects with which the sick animal was in contact) and the tick floor with any acaricidal agent (Butox 50, Tsipam, Amit, Allerhoff spray, Quick Bayt WG 10, Diazinon S, Suminak).

Ear tick in dogs - photo, treatment

The dog requires special attention to his health, as she herself will not be able to take care of him fully. Many diseases and ailments that the dog’s body encounters can be eliminated to the end and without death only with the help of the responsible participation of the owner.

No matter how hard a man tries to take care of his animal, sooner or later something can still harm a pet.

It is not so difficult to get rid of vile insects, but you still have to make some efforts. It is worth talking about what signs of an ear tick in dogs exist.

Symptomatology

You need to start with the fact that, often, completely different diseases have the same symptoms, therefore, if you rely only on your own knowledge, you can incorrectly diagnose a dog, start treatment not from a real disease, but, therefore, only harm the health of a sick animal.

Based on this, the article provides indicative signs that indicate the presence of ticks, but the final conclusion is advised to be done already at the appointment with the veterinarian.

The fact is that some animals (regardless of breed) may have hidden pathologies. If you do not know about them and start treatment yourself, you can kill the animal.

First of all, find out what the ear tick in dogs looks like - photo:

Indicative signs of the disease

Dog more and more often tries to rub against furniture and corners, trying to scratch his ear. If such an action is not regular, then there is nothing to worry about - the animal’s ear has just been combed out (it may be worth cleaning it). But if this action is constantly observed, then this is already a bell of the presence of an ear tick.

The presence of any foreign body in the ear will cause anxiety and discomfort in the dog. She can start running around the house and whining uneasily, as well as shaking her head, as if she wants to shake something out of her ears.

Wounds and scratches began to appear on the dog’s ears, although nothing (for example, another dog) could cause her such an injury. So she combed the skin on her own.

An unpleasant (unusual) smell gradually begins to flow from the ears of a potential patient, intensifying over time. After this, the appearance of purulent discharge from the auricle is characteristic. These secretions (after drying) form crusts and scabs.

If at least one of these signs is observed in your pet, it should be carefully examined.

An ear mite in dogs, the symptoms and treatment (photo - see above) of which are discussed in the article, is located inside the ear or directly in the ear canal. Why can it appear in your dog?

Perhaps after a walk you did not wipe her ears too carefully, or you rarely cleaned them. Since this type of parasite eats not only blood and particles of the epidermis of a living organism, but also sulfur, it will feel more than good in contaminated ears!

But, in fact, if you do not start the fight against the parasite in time, other more terrible diseases may develop: inflammation of the arachnoid (or soft) membrane of the brain or meningitis. If your smaller brothers are dear to you, then it is necessary, immediately after the appearance of the first sign, to begin treatment.

Treatment methods

Earlier it was said that all methods and methods of treatment should be discussed with a specialist in veterinary medicine. If the pet has its own attending and consulting doctor, this is even better.

Because the personal veterinarian knows more about the features of the baby than any other. You can consult him by phone. But, most likely, you will have to visit a doctor personally.

Thus, if you do not consult a knowledgeable person, you can damage the health of animals with the same poison.

After the drops have already been prescribed (taking into account all the nuances and characteristics of the patient), it is worth starting the treatment.

Thoroughly clean the ear cavity with a cotton swab. Do this very carefully, as the pet can resist and twitch, as a result of which there is a risk of additional injury to the ear. Each ear should be cleaned with different sticks so as not to infect a potentially healthy ear from the patient.

After the entire procedure, do not stop monitoring your ears. The medicine may not be strong enough (then you will need to pick up another medicine with the doctor), or the dog will again come in contact with infected animals. Always keep hygiene and do not forget about regular checks.

Ear tick in dogs: symptoms, treatment, prevention

An ear mite gives the dog great discomfort. A cheerful and healthy dog ​​begins to constantly scratch his ears, rub his head on all possible angles, run uneasily and periodically anxiously crack open or whine mournfully. When this behavior occurs, the dog owner should carefully examine its ears.

The cause of this behavior in an animal may be otodecosis or ear scabies. It occurs as a result of invasion (infection) of a dog by Otodectes cynotis ticks. These mites are located in the ear canal and on the inside of the auricles.

An ear tick in a dog is a very harmful parasite that feeds on particles of epidermis, earwax and most importantly the blood of its carrier.

Symptoms of an ear tick

The first signs of ear scabies is the appearance of an itch in the dog, which intensifies as the disease progresses. The dog shakes his head, rubs his ears on various objects or angles, combes his ears with his claws, up to the formation of abrasions and deep scratches.

Over time, a sick animal in the area of ​​the auricles does not pass purulent wounds and bald patches form.

Ear scabies occurs in dogs as a result of infection with an ear mite from sick animals (cats, strangers or stray dogs).The disease is often diagnosed in young animals under the age of four months. In this case, the mother is most often the source of infection.

Complications of Ear Scabies

Incorrect or untimely treatment of ear mites in dogs can lead to terrible complications such as inflammation of the middle ear, perforation of the eardrum, labyrinthitis, meningitis (inflammation of the meninges), arachnoiditis (inflammation of the soft and arachnoid meninges).

All these complications can lead not only to complete hearing loss in a sick animal, but even serve as the cause of his death.

Treatment

Before starting treatment, you should definitely make sure that the cause of your dog’s malaise is precisely the infection with ear mites. To do this, show the dog to a veterinarian who, based on the examination and test results, will make the correct diagnosis and prescribe treatment.

The composition of these drugs includes various substances in various concentrations, which are detrimental to ear mites. All of these substances are poisons! Therefore, never treat a dog without a doctor’s prescription. By this you can not only not help her, but rather harm her.

In addition, when conducting treatment, carefully monitor the state of health, the behavior of the dog. Be sure to inform the veterinarian at the slightest change. The first signs of concern are rash, redness, and increased itching.

In advanced cases, treatment of ear scabies in dogs has to be carried out much longer and, unfortunately, it is not always effective.

How to instill drops with ear scabies

Before direct instillation of ear drops, the dog’s ears should be cleaned of dried exudate, as otherwise, the effectiveness of the use of drugs will be very low.

Separate sticks should be used for each ear to prevent possible transfer of ear mites from one ear to another. Instillation of drops should be carried out in both ears, even if only one is affected by the disease.

Do not exceed the dosage indicated by your doctor. After instillation of the drops, massage the base of the animal’s ear so that the drops are evenly distributed over its auricle and enter the ear canal.

If, after an illness, a relapse of the disease occurs again after some time, then this may indicate either incorrect treatment or that the dog has reduced immunity.

Infection prevention

Prevention of infection of dogs with ear scabies is quite simple and consists in observing very simple rules:

• Regularly inspect the dog’s auricles for any discharge, especially those with a brownish color;
• Clean your dog’s ears in time with cotton buds;
• Do not let your dog communicate with other animals during the walk, especially stray dogs and cats;
• Regularly prevent medication with otodecosis using special collars, sprays and shampoos. Most often, drops and sprays of such well-known manufacturers as Front Line, Merial, Bayer and Bolfo are used for such prevention.

But speaking about the effectiveness of drug prophylaxis of dogs with ear mites, it is impossible not to say that all these drugs can cause allergic reactions in animals of varying degrees.

Therefore, when using them, the owner should carefully monitor the health status of the dog and, if there is the slightest deviation in it, immediately stop using the means of preventing otodecosis.