EAR MITES
This disease is caused
by tiny bugs that live in the ear canals and feed on skin debris. Mites
are the most common cause of an ear infection in a puppy or young dog.
Suspect it whenever both of your dog's ears are infected.
The characteristic sign is intense itching
(i.e., scratching and violent shading of the head) The ear discahrge is
reddish brown, or black and waxy, sometimes resembling that of a yeast
or fungus infection. To mek the diagnosis, remove some ear wax with a cotton
swab and look at it under a microscope against a dark background. Mites
are white specks, about the size of the head of a pin, that move.
At times ear mites leave the ear canals
and travel out over the body. They are highly contagious to dogs and cats.
If there are other pets in the household, they should be treated.
Treatment: Do not begin treatment
until you have identified the mites. Other ear problems can be complicated
by using an ear-mite preparation.
Clean the ears . Medicate the ears with
a miticide twice weekly for three full weeks. As the medication does not
destroy eggs, a new crop of mites will reinfect your dog if you stop too
soon.
An antibiotic is given if the ear problem
is complicated by bacterial infection. Ear preparations containing a miticide,
an antibiotic and a steroid (to reduce itching) are available. They include
Cerumite, Canex and Tresderm.
EAR FUNGUS IN CHIHUAHUAS (SMOOTH)
This disease
is first noticed along the edges of the ears on smooth coated chihuahuas.
It first appears as hair missing just along the edges and tips of the ears.
It is usually followed by a thin crusty scab that peals in layers off the
ears. While it is called a fungus it is really caused from the dog getting
a chill and the skin cells dying off along the edges of the ear.
Treatment: First apply
a thin coat of an oil preparation such as baby oil, mineral oil, or vaseline.
Leave it on for at least 24 hours. The thin scabs can then be peeled safely
from the ear. An antibiotic salve or lotion should be applied to the new
layer of skin to make sure there are no secondary infections.