7 Inexpensive Ear Mites Remedies
Ear Mites are surface mites that spends its whole life cycle primarily in the ear canal, hence the name. The most common ear mites are called Otodectes cynotis and they feed on skin debris, wax and oil in your pet’s ears.
Ear mites are highly contagious and though they are generally found in the ears, they sometimes wander out onto the other parts of the body causing more irritation. These pesky parasites are usually not life threatening but could cause itchiness and discomfort and on severe cases, ear infection and hematoma on the ear flaps.
Symptoms of Ear Mites in Cats and Dogs
Ear mite, though microscopic in size, the infestation may be easily recognized through your pet’s behavior and appearance. The most common symptoms are head shaking, scratching, hair loss at the base of the ear, skin irritation and inflammation, and excessive black debris found inside the ears.
Treatments Available
There are several options for treating ear mites. If you opt for conventional medicine, a visit with your trusted vet is a must for definitive diagnosis. Home remedies are also readily available for those who prefer alternative treatments.
Home Remedies for Ear Mites
It takes approximately 21 days for ear mites to develop from egg to a mature adult. They can live for about two months inside your pet’s ears while they continually reproduce. To effectively eradicate ear mites, treatment must cover the whole life cycle. Treatment should therefore be followed for 3 weeks (1st week on, 2nd week off, 3rd week on).
• Olive Oil + Calendula Mixture
Just mix 8 tablespoons olive oil, 2mL of calendula tincture. This mixture will loosen up the black debris and olive oil suffocates the ear mites. The Calendula tincture serves as the soothing agent because of its anti-inflammatory properties. The mixture must be stored away from direct sunlight.
Application: Put 5 drops into the ear and gently rub/massage base of the ear until mixture reaches ear canal. Use Q-tip to wipe the excess mixture and black debris out. Make sure not to push hard and avoid hitting the ear drum. Day 1 is usually cleaning out the debris. Repeat procedure 2 times a day for 7 days. Stop medication for a week and then follow up the same procedure for another 7 days.
• Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is a wonderful oil to have on hand because of the nutritional and medicinal benefits we get from it. Coconut oil has antiviral and antibacterial properties that could address the ear infection caused by the ear mites. Its consistency can also smother the adult mites.
Application: Warm up coconut oil to liquefy and follow same step as Olive+Calendula oil mixture. Repeat procedure 2 times a day for 7 days. Stop medication for a week and then follow up the same procedure for another 7 days.
• Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous Earth is a naturally occurring talc-like powder from fossilized remains of marine phytoplankton. It compromises their waxy coating of the bugs once it comes in contact with the powder but remains safe for cats and dogs.
Application: Put a pinch of Diatomaceous Earth at the tip of Q-tip and gently put it inside the ear up to the ear canal. Rub it in and then wipe it off. Day 1 is usually cleaning out the debris. Repeat procedure 2 times a day for 7 days. Stop medication for a week and then follow up the same procedure for another 7 days.
• Baby Oil
Baby Oil is something we all have at home which can be used to treat ear mites. Baby oils contain mineral oil and vitamin E which are great for cleaning and breaking down the debris and at the same time soothes the inflammation.
Application: Just put 2-3 drops of the baby oil into the ear canal in both ears. Gently rub/massage base of the ear and then clean with a Qtip. Make sure not to push hard and avoid hitting the ear drum. Day 1 is usually cleaning out the debris. Repeat procedure 2 times a day for 7 days. Stop medication for a week and then follow up the same procedure for another 7 days.
• MCT Oil
MCT Oil is primarily derived from coconut oil and has been known to be helpful in increasing energy and brain health. Being in oil form, its consistency can also suffocate adult ear mites and kill them. One advantage of MCT oil over coconut oil is that it’s already in liquefied form and there’s no need to heat it up.
Application: Just put 2-3 drops of the MCT oil into the ear canal in both ears. Gently rub/massage base of the ear and then clean with a Qtip. Make sure not to push hard and avoid hitting the ear drum. Day 1 is usually cleaning out the debris. Repeat procedure 2 times a day for 7 days. Stop medication for a week and then follow up the same procedure for another 7 days.
• Sweet Almond Oil
Almond oil is wonderful natural oil from almonds that contains high beneficial fatty acids. It also contains vitamin E which is a powerful anti-oxidant that can help sooth sore, inflamed ears. And like any other oil previously mentioned, it can smother and kill ear mites.
Application: Just put 2-3 drops of the MCT oil into the ear canal in both ears. Gently rub/massage base of the ear and then clean with a Qtip. Make sure not to push hard and avoid hitting the ear drum. Day 1 is usually cleaning out the debris. Repeat procedure 2 times a day for 7 days. Stop medication for a week and then follow up the same procedure for another 7 days.
Neem Oil
Neem is a tropical evergreen tree with the scientific name Azadirachta indica. It’s actually one of the largest and fastest growing evergreen trees, reaching approximately 40-80 feet in height. It can live up to 200 years, which is due to its drought-resistant and heat-tolerant nature.
Neem is native to Southeast Asia and Africa, and has been widely used in Ayurvedic, Chinese and Unani medicines for centuries.
Neem oil is cold-pressed from the seeds of the tree and used for medicine because of its high antioxidant, insecticidal and healing compounds. The leaves and bark of the tree are also used for their medicinal properties, including their quercetin content. Other therapeutic compounds in neem include azadirachtin and nimbolide, which have insecticidal and free radical scavenging potential.
Application: Dilute the Neem Oil to a 2% solution. 1ml of Neem in 50ml of a carrier oil, such as Olive Oil or MCT oil.
Put 2-3 drops of the oil into the ear canal in both ears. Gently rub/massage base of the ear and then clean with a Qtip. Make sure not to push hard and avoid hitting the ear drum. Day 1 is usually cleaning out the debris. Repeat procedure 2 times a day for 7 days. Stop medication for a week and then follow up the same procedure for another 7 days.
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