Is your pet scratching its ears a lot?

My dog wont stop scratching his ears

I cannot tell you how many times someone has come in and said my dog has ear mites. Or my cat has ear mites. I actually saw them last week in a puppy. Below is a picture taken from our microscope of the little guy – obviously magnified significantly.

The real name of the Ear mite is otodectes spp.

Ear mites are a rare problem in dogs and cats and other household pets. They are just visible to the naked eye but often you need an otoscope to see them. They cause intense itching of the ears and generally animals are very distressed when they have mites.

The only way animals get ear mites are from contracting them from other animals. But don’t worry if they jump on you they will not last long as they are species (dog/cat) specific.

Ear mites are treated by cleaning the ears and using anti mite medication both topically and systemically. They are very easily controlled.