Home Remedies
Many people prefer to avoid chemicals (and vet
bills) unless they are completely necessary, or an emergency. For
those of you that fit this category, home remedies are available! If
your dog or puppy has a minor ear mite problem at the "just an
irritation" stage, you might consider trying one of the home
remedies at the link(s) below before getting chemical treatment
options in your arsenal.
GREAT Link:
http://www.grandmashomeremedies.com/ear-mites/#Home_Remedies_for_Ear_Mites
Purchased Medications
These are typically labeled for dogs/puppies 12
weeks and older.
The main medicine is Pyrethrin, which is a very-common component of
bug killers for animals, such as horse and dog sprays, kennel
sprays, etc.
These medicines can be purchased from Wal-Mart,
Amazon, pet supply stores, your vet (more expensive from the vet),
etc. for as little as $3.50.
Hartz UltraGuard Ear Mite Treatment for Dogs
Sentry HC Earmite Free Ear Miticide for Dogs
Miracle Care R-7M 424224 Ear Mite Treatment
Flea Treatments:
To treat ear mites in cats or dogs, many swear by using
flea treatments, such as Frontline and Revolution, to kill ear
mites. Place one drop in each ear as a daily treatment until mites
are gone.
If you choose Revolution, I don't know that you need to do the
daily ear drop method. In fact, Revolution is labeled for
ear mites, with a once-per-month application on the
back/shoulders being their recommendation for puppies/dogs
as young as 6 weeks. Revolution also treats heartworms,
which would eliminate your need to give a separate heartworm
medication each month. It is a broad-benefit option for
fleas/ticks/mites/heartworms, which makes its overall cost actually
quite affordable each month.
What about younger puppies,
under 12 weeks?
Home Remedies:
See the Home Remedies section, above, for safe options.
Revolution:
Revolution is labeled for ear mites, with a once-per-month
application on the back/shoulders being their recommendation for
puppies/dogs as young as 6 weeks. Revolution also
treats heartworms, which would eliminate your need to give a
separate heartworm medication each month. It is a broad-benefit
option for fleas/ticks/mites/heartworms/sarcoptic mange, which makes
its overall cost actually quite affordable each month.
Ivermectin:
Also, some vets and breeders use ivermectin-based products
on puppies much younger than 12 weeks. Ivermectin does not require a
prescription, but it is sold in large quantities that make it too
costly for a pet owner unless they have cattle, horses, goats, etc.
If you know a farmer....he or she probably has ivermectin liquid
at home. ;-)
Ivermectin that can be used this way comes in two
forms: Pour On and Injectable. You don't inject it, however.
You put it in the ears (topical).
The "pour on" version can be put in the puppy's
ears directly. I don't have a dosage, but have seen breeders use
about 1/4 to 1/2 cc in a beagle puppy's ears (about 8 weeks old, so
5 pounds). I am not a vet, so don't take that as the dosage
you should use! Do some research.
This is from
Showcatsonline.com, but I have seen it used for dogs/puppies
this way as well. They are referring to the injectable version of
ivermectin here:
"I recommend
using the 0.27% swine formulation only. The dose is "one drop per
pound" (0.05 ml per pound, 0.5 ml for an adult cat). If using the 1%
solution, the dose is 0.1 ml for an adult cat, but must be carefully
diluted to be accurately dosed in kittens. Diluting one part 1%
Ivermectin to three parts mineral oil will create a solution that
can be dosed topically in the same amounts as the 0.27% solution.
One source for purchasing Ivomec 0.27% online is
Jeffers Livestock.
Ivermectin treatment
should be repeated in 2-3 weeks to catch life stages that were not
killed by the first treatment. Prevention of reinfection is
important and can be accomplished by cleaning the environment
thoroughly and treating all cats in the cattery at the same time.
Mites do not live for significant amounts of time in the
environment, so treatment of the carpet, scratching posts, etc. with
an insecticide is not necessary. "
For many years, I used one to 2 drops of
1% injectable ivermectin in each ear for 5-lb puppies, and never had
an adverse reaction. I did this as a precaution before puppies left
me, so can't say whether it worked or not. During those years, we
never had a puppy with ear mites...because of the ivermectin, or
just because we didn't have ear mites? I don't know that answer.
Do not use on dog
breeds that don't play well with ivermectin (such as Australian
Shepherds).
