Ear mites

[tss]

***EDITED TO CORRECT NOW KNOWN MISINFORMATION...DO NOT USE APPLE CIDER VINEGAR OR GARLIC IN YOUR FERRET'S OR CAT'S EARS. THIS DOES NOT WORK WELL AND CAN DO MORE HARM THAN GOOD***



The people next door own a cat and rarely let it inside. During the winter there were a few times that we let him in away from the cold. The ferrets got nasty itchy ears which we immediately knew was ear mites so we put front line drops in them a few times over the period of around 2 months. We cleaned their ears and they did great but about a week ago we let the cat in the house again because it was storming and he was soaking wet, again the ferrets ears are itchy and nasty. What can we use to get rid of the mites? Someone told of plain ol veggie oil but I'm not sure

Thank you!

[Forum Administrator]

You can use a mix of garlic and olive oil You just put a few drops into their ears. Yes, garlic is toxic for ferrets to CONSUME, but you CAN use it to kill ear mites. Here is a recipie on how to do it:

scentsofpeace.com/earmites.html

NOTE: I am not sure if, like cats, ferrets can't handle essential oils. Until I know for sure (I'll be calling my vet to ask) better be safe then sorry and DO NOT include the lavender oil and tea tree oil that the recipie calls for. It says those two are optional anyway.

[buzzonesbirdie]

i use mineral oil. we clean their ears weekly and then put a few drops of the oil in each ear. before we started using this Tootsie had problems with having really bad ear mites all the time. Since we have started this there have been no problems with mites.

[tss]

Thanks. We've got mineral oil already, I'll give it a go in the morning and update you all on what happens.

[Forum Administrator]

I was just PMed by the owner of the website that I originally linked to. She wanted me to pass on this info regarding mineral oil:

I need to post it on the site, but mineral oil should NEVER be used - it interferes with the ability to assimilate/absorb certain nutrients and is a petrochemical by-product. Yes, it is "natural" . . . it's essentially dinosaur fat . . . blehk! Just plain cooking oil would be better if they don't have time or ingredients to do the recipe.

[mustelidmusk]

There was a post on the FHL about using mineral oil to treat intestinal blockages. The post stated that mineral oil blocks the "pores" in the intestines thus preventing absorption of nutrients.

We never used mineral oil on animals because it has a low density ad therefor it can be easily aspirated. I had never heard about the absorption issue until I read the post on the FHL

Some people don't like to use mineral oil to clean ferret ears since they complain that the ears get coated and too oily/gunky.
I'm no expert on mineral oil, but a lot of people seem to use it on ears.

-jennifer

[buzzonesbirdie]

Going back to the ear mites, we used to use vegtable oil but when we did that they would sit and lick each others ears but since we have started using the mineral oil they dont lick each others ears, and i get the point of it not being the best for giving to them to "eat" but in their ears do they really do that much damage when there is barely any in their ears??? I would hate to stop using it in ears only since it is the only thing that has kept Tootsie from getting ear mites.

[scentsofpeace]

Honestly it will have to be a judgment call on the mineral oil. . . a question though - have you always fed raw? Is it possible their decline in mites coincides with a "better" diet? A healthier pet (of all types) will have less problems with mites/fleas etc.

What you must remember is that the skin absorbs EVERYTHING - think of all the new trans-dermal meds on the market for everything from pain to smoking cessation, etc. Try rubbing a clove of garlic on the sole of your foot and see how quickly you "taste" it ;-)

For me, I'd rather oil their ears more frequently and consider the "licked off" portion a form of supplementation for healthy bowel function than chance it with a known carcinogen. However, there are times when you must (for whatever reason) use a petro-chemical product - such as the toe doo-dad blockage vs. surgical intervention. . .

With all things, personal and pet, you simply have to weigh out your options and pick the lesser of two evils. If all I had on hand was less-than-ideal, but simply all I had to work with, it's what I would use; a suffering pet is never an option !

I hope I didn't offend anyone. My intention is to help, not wag fingers - lol !

[tss]

I got some garlic infused sunflower oil.. We rarely use cooking oil for food so I ran into the dollar tree and just happened to so the sunflower oil sitting beside the normal veggie oil.

How long should the treatment continue?

[Forum Administrator]

I would assume until the mites are gone. Then I guess you could do the treatment once a week as a preventative to keep them at bay. Scentsofpeace?

[meli]

So can you put a drop of veg. oil in each ear or say a cotton swab dipped in oil and run it along inside their ear for ear mites? I did this today after I cleaned each ear with cotton swabs lightly dipped in vinegar. I don't know if my guys have mites since they're vet appt. is on the 7th of july.

[weloveourweasels]

ok so question with the garlic infused olive oil....Do you clean out the ear mites that are there and then make sure the ears are dry with the q-tip or do you leave a few drops of it in there and leave it wet. both my girls have mites ( i think i can't really tell if it is just wax or not but i think its mites) I have 2 dogs and 3 cats but none of them have mites. So this is kind of confusing because I keep cleaning their ears out but the mites or wax keeps coming back. 2 cents here would be great. I need to know before I have to consider getting them that horrible poison shot for mites. Also Should i wash their bedding while I have them out and am cleaning their ears? because I just washed it like 3 days ago but they slept in it one night and I cleaned their ears the next day so I think they may have gotten into the bedding and reinfected them. I'm also worried about pushing them further into their ears.

EDIT: I have read that apple cider vinegar in their water will help deter pests like fleas so how much of it to use (they have a lock on crock bowl) and does it help deter mites?

[Forum Administrator]

Jun 26, 2008 18:18:16 GMT -5 weloveourweasels said:

I need to know before I have to consider getting them that horrible poison shot for mites.

DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES GET THIS SHOT! Chaos (who was Quill aka Trina's baby) just passed away because of this shot. DONT do it!

I will answer yours and Meli's questions in a sec (someone else feel free to jump in and help) My toilet overflowed and is flooding the bathroom so I am a tad busy at the 'mo.

Will give a good answer later, I promise.

[hales]

I need a good cure for ear mites, as well...

I'm not completely sure how, but Molly has ear mites, but Rikki and Luna don't. Is it possible that, since she's deaf, she has deformed ear canals, causing more buildup, and therefore creating a more livable environment for mites?

Since I work at a vet clinic, I can take samples of their ears whenever I want and take them into work to have a look and see what's going on. I didn't see anything odd in Rikki or Luna's, but in Mollys I saw a giant clump of 10 or so eggs...but no mites.

I want to get something for them...they were on revolution for a while, but the vet had only given us two months' worth. But now, somehow, they're back....and I have no idea how. Is it possible that the Revolution didn't work?

I think it would be easy for me to do a trial and error testing of which method works best since I can take samples whenever I want and see how things are looking...

So I guess my question is....what should I use? I see the ideas of olive oil and garlic... Does just olive oil work? I don't know how I feel about putting garlic in their ears, really...

And should I treat all of them even though only Molly has the mites? It's sort of a confusing situation, I think...

[scentsofpeace]

weloveourweasels- Please do NOT use q-tips, use cotton balls instead. If your baby sneezes or flinches, you could injure their ears . . . it only takes once for you to regret it forever! Also, a cotton ball allows you to wipe the ear, apply the oil (or other medicine) to the outer area, and by squeezing the excess - drip into the ear itself. As for your concern about pushing debris further into the ear - this will no longer be an issue. Be sure to use a clean ball for each ear so to not cross-contaminate. Unfortunately, it takes a while to get rid of a problem once you have one because of hatching eggs. Washing bedding and treating everyone is a good idea. Stay on it and eventually you will be mite-free.

hales - Although I am not a fan of Revolution, to answer you question - two months supply only gave you a false sense of security . . . eggs are not affected, and once hatched, start the cycle all over. Will just olive oil work ? In a healthy ear . . .maybe it will prevent or maintain at best. If you have a problem, I suggest the garlic. Just curious - why do you oppose it's use ? My recipe is not for raw garlic; you must roast ALL the moisture content out. It is far less dangerous than *conventional* treatments. Ivermectin is highly toxic (Giuli - my sympathy for the loss of Chaos) and now they are linking autism to the use of pyrethrins, a common "natural" insecticide derived from chrysanthemums. Here is a blog post on the subject and why there is a connection :
www.enviroblog.org/2008/06/pet-shampoo-ingredient-linked.htm

On my site where the recipe is posted, my motto is "A clean ear is a healthy ear."

Feel free to PM me as I check in as often as possible, but it can sometimes be up to a week or two.