Ear Mite Remedies

A vinegar treatment brought quick relief.

I returned late in the evening from a two-day trip and noticed my clearly aggravated cat constantly twitching his ears. After researching ear mites and finding this forum through Google I tried a vinegar treatment using a garlic flavored red wine vinegar I had on hand. He clearly showed relief after two treatments eight hours apart and has shown no further symptoms since his third treatment.

I used a paper towel folded in half twice, then rolled corner to corner to form a loose roll with pointed ends. I dipped an end into the vinegar, blotted it lightly on the side of the container until it stopped dripping, then inserted it into an ear holding it in place for about 2 minutes while soothing him. I used the other end of the roll for the other ear, then folded the two used ends together and dunked the center of the roll into the vinegar and without blotting it lightly dabbed outside of his ears and on the top of his head while avoiding his eyes.

It has now been four days exactly since I first came home and found his discomfort, he has received a total of five treatments and I intend to follow through with two additional treatments per week for the next month after taking note of the comments concerning unhatched eggs. The damp paper towel prevented any risk of damage and blotting it lightly before inserting it into his ear limited the chance of dripping liquid in his ear causing him to seriously fight me.

Holistic Ear Mite Remedies:

I adopted two kittens in November and both were infested with fleas and ear mites. They were babies, only four weeks old, but the mother stopped producing milk, and the woman who owned the pregnant cat said she'd had enough of the constant bottle feeding.

My key goals became to rid them of the fleas and mites, but the vet I have told me to avoid any medications at their young age, especially since one of them was the runt of the litter and barely weighed 14 ounces. The other was one pound.

Anyway, he suggested I mix 1/4 cup of olive oil with 10 drops of peppermint oil and then store it in a bottle. Every day, I'd put three or four drops of this oil mixture into their ears and then massage it in. I'd follow this with a bath in warm water with baby shampoo to kill off as many fleas as possible. Then I'd use blunt-tipped tweezers to pick off fleas that climbed to the head. Wrap them in a blanket and dry them off some. Then I'd use a flea comb to remove any other fleas that escaped. I was told that by bathing them right after the oil treatment, any mites that escaped the ear were washed away by the shampoo.

After two weeks, I took them back to the vet and heard the words I was waiting for--both kittens were completely flea and ear mite free. They are eight months old and never had fleas or ear mites again. So obviously the olive oil and peppermint oil mix did the trick. Now I have my two boys who weigh 11 and 13 pounds (the runt is 13) and as I've been told they are obviously part Maine Coon, the vet's told me to expect them to be huge. Given the size of their paws, I'd already expected that!

I would just like to say that I have a cat and have taken him to the vet several times for ear mites which cost me $65.00 per visit. I have also bought my medidcation from the vet at $12.00 a bottle and have given it to my cat faithfully. My cat still has the ear mites after over a year and suffers terribly from this he has no skin on the backs of his ears where he has dug them so much so at this point I am willing to try anything to get my cat some relief. Hopefully this will work.

I used 3 parts vaseline and one part sulfur on the outside of my cat's ears. The cat wiped all of it off including the scabs. When it would shake it's head blood flew. I thought there must be a better way so I'm considering a sulfur water/olive oil solution injected into the ear with an eye dropper. I'm wondering if the sulfur powder is a good idea and if so what are the ratios.... Mike

Please, never use swimming pool grade Diatomaceous Earth in the house, only foodgrade DE. From the gardenstore or feed store. NOT the swimming pool store. Swimming pool grade can give you lung disease.

I think it is possible that cat mites go onto humans. The scabies treatment will work as well, they are similar mites. Chlorine water from a pool is great, just make sure you keep the mites to yourself, should you visit a pool. You can suffocate the mites on your skin with cream, but they might keep hatching, so you have to be persistent.

Green Tea and Ear Mites:

My other kitten, Coyote, is about two and a half months old. Last night I noticed that he was moping around, so I picked him up and looked him over. The inside of his right ear was encrusted with the nastiest looking brown crap I have ever seen. I brewed a tea tag of green tea in a clean, empty baby food jar, took several cotton balls and carefully cleaned his ears out. I noticed that deep inside his ears was really cruddy looking, but I was afraid to probe down there with a Q tip, so I squeezed some green tea down there and allowed him to shake it out. I did both ears, but the right ear was worse.

I decided that if he didn't clear up we were going to the vet ASAP. The next morning I examined the little fella (had to pull him away from beating his mother up) and his left ear looked very clean. His left ear, which didn't get as much green tea, was now looking a little worse.

I warmed up the green tea I had left over from the night before and again carefully cleaned both ears out, treated the left ear just as equally as the right. I dripped green tea down inside both ears and waited while Coyote fussed and shook his ears out.

I've read that olive oil mixed with a little garlic works to kill the mites. I might try that. I also know that the ears need to be treated an entire month, because of the eggs. I have a bottle of that Mitricide but it states that it is not to be used on kittens younger than 12 weeks old. Coyote is ten weeks old. Might not make much of a difference, but I've had some bad experiences with meds that were vet prescribed, and I decided not to take the chance. There's a reason that caution was put on the bottle.

Black walnut hulls in the form of drops is effective on parasites, about 7 drops per day in a small glass of water for 3-4 weeks. I learned about this from a holographic health practitioner.

PLEASE REMEMBER: TEA TREE OIL IS TOXIC TO CATS

Ted says he likes the essential oils in Dr. Bronner's. Tea tree oil, lavender oil, peppermint oil, etc. ARE DANGEROUS TO CATS. TOXIC. CAN CAUSE SEIZURES AND EVEN DEATH. Tea tree oil is especially dangerous. DO NOT USE ***ANY*** ESSENTIAL OIL on a cat. CAts cannot metabolize EOs, because they don't have the "wiring" in their livers to do so.

I would also like to recommend that people see their vets about ear mites BEFORE treating them. There are several other conditions that APPEAR to be ear mites to the untrained eye (that means "us" :-)) but are something else entirely. Ear mites are microscopic; identification is important so that the right condition is treated. I notice that some people write that "x" remedy isn't working "yet", and asking how long does it take, etc. If it were the right thing for the right condition, it WOULD be working. Please be sure your cat has ear mites instead of an infection or injury before treating her/him. Deafness and/or nerve damage are permanent conditions.

Thank you :-)

Part of the introduction to the Ear Mite Remedy page says:

"In order to actually kill the mites, there are a couple of natural remedies that you can make at home.

The first one is a mixture of 9 drops of Yellow Dock Root Extract and 1 tablespoon of water.

Use an eyedropper to insert the treatment into the pet's ear, being sure to massage it well prior to the animal having the opportunity to shake it out. Administer the treatment once every three days for a period of six weeks.

The second treatment mixes 1/2 an ounce of Almond Oil with 400 IU's of Vitamin E. Warm up the mixture to body temperature and apply 1/2 an eyedropper into each affected ear. Massage the mixture around in the ear and remove the excess with cotton balls. Administer the treatment for a period of six days, leave it for three days and then repeat."

However, according to http://www.healthynewage.com/ear-mites.htm (which claims to have gathered their information from William Pollak D.V.M. and the Fairfield Animal Hospital), the treatment regimen listed above is inaccurate in some ways: It explains these treatments as two separate remedies (whereas the following info describes them as two steps of the same remedy), and the administration differs slightly.

I am not sure which is more or less accurate, but seeing as the following information was provided by medical professionals, I personally trust it a bit more. The following info is also more specific and gives reason for each application of treatment. Of course, you have the final say in what you end up using for your pet, so I can only recommend that you do extensive research and become educated on anything you may be considering before deciding on any one remedy.

www.healthynewage.com's remedy is as follows:

Step 1: Make a mixture of 1/2 ounce of almond or olive oil and 400 IU vitamin E in a dropper bottle. Warm to body temperature and put about 1/2 dropperful in the ear, massaging the ear canal well for a minute or so. Let your pet shake its head and then gently clean out the opening with cotton swabs. Q-tip type applicators many times compact material already in the ear canal. Apply the oil every other day for six days. Then let the ears rest for 3 days. (The oil mixture will smother many of the mites and start a healing process.)

Step 2: Using Yellow Dock Root Extract, dilute it with water, 9 drops to 1 Tbsp of water. Treat the ears with this mixture once every 3 days for 6 weeks. Ear mite eggs are quite resistant to just about anything after they have already hardened, that is why a 6 week period of treatment is recommended. The eggs will continue to hatch out in cycles and if medicine is present for 6 continuous weeks (medicine administered will last for four days) there will be no more eggs present.

I also found this tip very helpful: Instead of trying to place the drops directly in the ear, lay the dropper across the entrance of the ear so that the liquid first goes onto the outside and then drains in.

Can Canine Ear Mites Get under Human Skin?

My friend's Rottweiller has ear mites and 3 vets tried to treat her but she wouldn't let them -- (this is what I'm told?) but she's such a sweet dog and I roughhouse with her almost every day and I've broke out in a rash and I feel a crawling sensation and tunnels on my hands AND my ears are being bitten-up. OF COURSE NO DOCTOR WILL EVEN LOOK but only gave me topical medication for scabies - AND I DO NOT HAVE SCABIES.

My question is: is it possible I got infected by canine ear mites? All this stuff sounds crazy to me but it's the only thing that makes any sense. I'd appreciate whatever help I can get and thanks so much! Artie G.

i would love the chart also. can you use the paste and if so can you mix it with water or somthing else?
joanna

i have used both VCO and olive oil and garlic oil (from capsules - the smelly kind not the deodorized). i have pet rats and sometimes they will get ear mites. at first i tried putting VCO in their ears for several days and then also rubbing it all over their fur til it reaches their skin. while this seemed to work you have to do it again in a few days to make sure you get the new ones that hatch. i have also used olive oil for this and what i think worked the fastest was squeezing a garlic capsule in either VCO or EVOO and using the garlic flavored oil on their ears and around their ears. just don't get the garlic oil in their eyes! you must re-apply in 3 days and then in 3 more days to be sure. good luck!

For those who use water to clean ear mites on cats/dogs...please be careful. Water will worsen the problem-- it will add bacteria to the canal. The main problems with ear mites are "us" humans (me included). Ear mites are hard to get rid off, but, if you follow the Vet's instruction, these little creatures will go away. We are very impatient and will try anything to get rid of the pesky ear mites. Animals cannot talk, therefore they cannot tell whether it hurts or not. We just keep adding stuff to their canal until we see a "clean ear". Would you like to be treated that way? If not, then, please stop.

Also, you can always tell if a Vet is a good one or not. Just ask: "How many animals do you have?". They usually have few dogs and cats in the house. They will tell you stories of previous animals, and they will also treat your animals with respect. If you do not see these qualities, then, you need to find a new Vet.

Happy days with your pets!
Iris

I'm currently using virgin coconut oil on my pup, pooch. She's like been scratching a lot especially at behind the ears and she keeps shaking her head. i also looked inside her ears and found red-black debris in there. so i think it might be ear mites. she's also been scratching her legs and biting herself which resulted in dandruff like substances in those areas she scratches. a friend of mine suggested applying virgin coconut oil on the needed areas and put some in her ears while massaging it after. im currently trying it now. hopefully it works. she has been scratching less but we'll see what happens. 1 month is it for ear mites??

this is site is great. :P i'm learning so much.

i would love to have the chart. i tried almost everything on my dog but is taking a long time. i clean his ears with mineral oil and yes it leaves the ears so clean.

I have a 16 month old 13 lb.terrier pup whose one ear is now inflamed, from little hard bumps to more scab like today, smelly and clearly hurting her (the vet was booked when I went in, till Sat.)

Emily is a spunky sweetheart damaged in her back, legs & spine from puppy mill abuse (leaving no bowel control and little bladder control): she so doesn't deserve more pain in her short life.

I've so far used olive oil, vit.E, hydrogen peroxide, aloe juice -- so far E and Aloe seem to soothe her the most, but it has gotten worse.

She has been shaking her head, and whole body, a LOT. When I first checked her ear I saw nothing but thinner fur near her one ear, with a black dot which I thought might be emotional or have been a bug bite from rolling around 'love noshing' with her puppy friend. What is the difference between what mites and a yeast infection look like?

I was just wondering if anyone has used coconut oil for ear mites instead of mineral or vegetable oil? Since coconut oil has so many healing properties, it seems like a good choice, but I haven't seen any posts about it. Does anyone have any thoughts or personal experience with this?

Thanks everybody for sharing your stories and thanks EC for bringing this wonderful site to us!!

Of course if you pour H2O2 - or acid vinegar, or any of many standard vet medicines in your pet'eyes when they are supposed to go into their ears - it *WILL* blind them !!!!

As I mentioned a couple years ago I used the Ted's Mange cure (slighlty modified) with success on my cat - and so far, there has been only one small resurgence last year, immediately snuffed.

For reference, again this is what I posted

09/29/2007: Andre from New York, USA writes: "I tried the oil based treatments, actually using coconut oil since I heard it has antiseptic properties, and hydrogen peroxide. This only slowed down the ear mites. After a couple of weeks of this, I started with a mix of Borax (20 Mule Team), hydrogen peroxide, vinegar and a little Dr Bronner soap. After just two days the mites are disappearing. To prevent my cat from lcking off his wet fur, that I allow to dry naturally as indicated, I got him a collar. See his picture on Fickr, tag: ear.mite.cure.for.cats, or go directly to the page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/nycandre/1459080973/

Thanks a lot, Ted and everyone else here! nycandre

My male cat had scratched his ears so much that the ear developed a huge bubble and separated the ear skin/flesh. I had to take him to the vet for expensive treatment and surgery. It was due to ear mites. The ear is now permanently disfigured and ruined his appearance. I used diatomacious earth (food grade) mixed with a little water for transport, and and eye dropper, and put it in his ears when the mites came back. The water will evaporate and leaves the DE in the ear for ongoing treatment, as it is a powder and coats the inside of the ear a little. You don't need much. He stopped scratching by that night, and he hasn't had a problem since. That was a couple of years ago. My other cats are having problems though, and I am going to use it on them. I HATE ear mites and see how my cats can suffer with them. You can buy it (food grade) online or sometimes in a plant nursery (they use it to kill insects). It pays to remember that there may be an infection in the ears as well, and without a proper examination, you can't know. As much as I don't like vets offices, checking for an infection is worth it, especially in severe cases. One of my cats had mites and an infection. Her energy picked up after treatment for the infection, and I felt guilty that maybe she'd had it all along and it was painful. It's important to find a vet you like. Talk to people and get a referral for one you trust. Treatment can utilize both natural and standard treatment when appropriate.

A friend of mine, an animal breeder, gave me a remedy for ear mites: gentian violet and rubbing alcohol, I don't remember the proportions. She recently died and I took one of her rescued, feral kittens. He had ear mites, and it looked as though my older, beloved Oscar kitty had gotten them from the kitten. I found the mixture, had a friend helping me and things got crazy; I ended up accidentally getting a whole dropperful of the stuff in Oscars ear. The next day he lost his voice, it was down to a rasp. I am killing myself with guilt. This was 4 days ago and his voice has gotten only a little better. He is otherwise fine, playing and purring, and the mites are gone from both cats, with a second, vastly smaller treatment 3 days later. Does anyone know about this? I'm really worried that I might have done more harm and don't feel I can afford the vet right now. Thanks, eLissa

My Cat has suffered with ear mites forever and I have tried everything my local vet has recommended and nothing has worked. So..I recently started using a wash of boric acid & warm water swabed out with cotton ball then a few drops in each ear of sweet oil! Seems to be working so far. However, I discovered through reading everyone eles's posts that I probably should continue treatment for approximately 1 month in order to kill the mites.

I grew up with a lot of ear infections and my grandmother always treated me with a lil boric acid and in no time, I was better. My bestfriend grew up on sweet oil for ear infections; so I figured it couldn't hurt to try it.

I use about a tablespoon of warm water to an 1/4 tsp boric acid; soak a cotton ball and swab out the ear. Then I use an eye dropper and apply 4 or 5 drops of sweet oil to each ear. I usually do this every other day. The washing usually only has to be done once per treatment. Use judgement based on look of ears.

pine tar soap also works very well on mites as well as fleas. lather it up very well and let it sit a few minutes. it will be necessary to do it a few days later. i would use this in addition to VCO or garlic oil.