Dog Ear Mites Views
It takes about three weeks for an ear mite to develop into an adult. These little pests can live their entire lives inside a dog's ear. And once afflicted, thousands of tiny mites scurry inside the ear canal. Keep in mind that your dog's ear canal is extremely sensitive. As the little buggers creep and crawl inside the ear, they eat cerumen, or ear wax. As this happens, the tender ear canal becomes more and more irritated.
A veterinarian can easily detect dog ear mites by examining a sample of ear wax from an inflicted dog under a microscope. You can detect dog ear mite infections at home by looking for dry, black ear discharge resembling coffee grounds in your dog's ear. (Sorry, coffee drinkers...) This dark discharge is composed of ear wax, blood, biochemicals, and the ear mites themselves.
Ear mites are very contagious. They can easily pass from one host to the next by physical contact. So, most likely if your dog has ear mites, she caught the infection from another animal with whom she had been socializing. Due to the ease of transmission, if you have multiple pets, they all should be treated for ear mites, even if only one displays the discharge and/or symptoms.
After you have treated your dog for ear mites, wash everything that she has come in contact with in hot, soapy water. Adult ear mites are extremely mobile and can actually live for a while off of a dog. So, treat everything from your dog's toys to her bedding, perhaps even yours, to make sure all ear mites have been eliminated from the environment.
Dog Ear Mites Images
