# Ear Mite Med. Help, Please



## CrystalandMoose (Sep 14, 2010)

Hi, I am really hoping some of you more experiened cat owners can help me out. My two cats are only 2 and a half and for the past few weeks I noticed my girl, Crystal, really digging into her ear so much it made her cry . I thought it could be ear mites although I am still so baffled as to how an indoor cat who hasn't been outside since I adopted her when she was 8 weeks old has ear mites. 
But I took them to the vet and, sure enough, my poor girl had ear mites. Now my two cats are the first pets I've had and I tend to be overprotective so I had read quite a bit about the problem before I took them to the vet. I had mostly heard that with ear mites, they clean the ear and give them drops or they can use the medicine Revolutionary (I think it was called, I'm sure you know what I mean) and rub it on the cats skin causing ear mites, fleas etc. to die. My vet decided to use the Revolutionary med. (on both cats just in case) and this is where I got confused. I had thought that the medicine needed to be applied more than once but I asked my vet multiple times and he assured me one dosage was enough. 
Does this sound correct? The reason I ask is that crystal still messes with her ears a little. Not as much as before, where she would dig into them several times a day. But maybe every other day and she still does it until she cries out. Does this mean she may still have mites? Or is it just a cat (who is not declawed) thing to scratch their ears once in a while? Or does it just merit a good ear cleaning? I guess the reason I am wanting some advice here is because if my vet misinformed me about the medication, I would obviously not want to see that particular vet again. Also, if anyone could inform me of how indoor cats get ear mites so I can further protect against them that would be greatly appreciated.


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## love.my.cats (Jan 29, 2009)

Did the vet recommend going back in a few weeks so they can do another check up to ensure there are no mites present? I know that Revolution treats ear mites in cats but I was personally unsure if one dosage would be enough.. I found the following info on a website:

"
As for topical products that go behind the pet's shoulders, there are presently two that control ear mites (as well as fleas and intestinal worms: Revolution®, which uses selamectin as an active ingredient, and Advantage Multi® (called "Advocate®" outside of the U.S.), which uses moxidectin as an active ingredient. Both selamectin and moxidectin are ivermectin derivatives. With either product, a single application is used on the skin, the product is absorbed into the body where it kills numerous other parasites and then returns to be concentrated in the skin. When these products are used as regular flea control they have the added benefit of on-going ear mite prevention. Revolution® is primarily a flea control product but is approved for both dogs and cats for the treatment of ear mite infection. Advantage Multi® only has approval against ear mites in cats. Both products are available by prescription only. In some cases a final ear cleaning is needed a month or so after the product has been applied to remove any dried or old ear wax still left in the ear."

However, here in Australia Revolution can be bought over the counter and if it were my cats, I would buy a 6 pack and treat each cat once a month for three months and just monitor them to see if the scratching is reducing.


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## OsnobunnieO (Jun 28, 2004)

do you know how the mites were diagnosed? They are easy to see with an otoscope or when a sample is looked at under a microscope. You can usually see them with the naked eye if you look closely enough - a swab of ear gunk will usually have very small specks you can see moving.

It is unusual for a strictly indoor cat who has not been in contact with any new cats to suddenly come down with ear mites. It is possible she's had them all along, but I would expect she would have shown signs much earlier than just now.

If it really is ear mites, the medications generally require a second application. The label may say one dose is all that is needed, but often it is not. 

Its also possible that there is a secondary bacterial and/or yeast infection in the ears. This may be the entire cause of problems that was wrongly diagnosed as ear mites, or a problem in addition to the ear mites. A sample under the microscope would diagnose either. That would require additional medications to treat the bacteria, yeast, or both. Some of the medications also have ingredients to help with the itch and inflammation.

I read your post and skimmed a second time but unless I missed it don't know when your cats were treated. If it has only been a few days, she may just have residual itching from all of the irritation in her ears. If its been longer, I'd have her rechecked.


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## ibbica (Jul 28, 2010)

Revolution (selamectin) is great stuff for ear mites :thumb Here's the manufacturer's website for all the detailed info:
https://www.revolution4cats.com/default.aspx?sec=Product Overview

It's meant to be used as a once-a-month preventative against fleas, certain ticks, some worms (including heartworm!), and of course ear mites.

Usually one dose is enough to see improvement (sounds like that's the case for you), although I'd personally repeat it at least once, one month later to make sure any residual nasties are toasted. In REALLY bad infestations, it's advised to give a second dose after 2 weeks to really hammer the little beasties. It's typically recommended to treat all other cats in the house, too, as ear mites are fairly easily transferred between animals and you don't want them ping-ponging the mites back and forth between them.

For best results, do continue gently cleaning out her ears, daily or every other day until you're not getting any more black gunk out. Dead mites and all the grossness that's accumulated already can cause some residual irritation and itching if they're not cleared out. Your vet can supply you with an appropriate ear-wash solution and show you how to use it so you don't hurt kitty's ears.

As OsnosunnieO indicated, there may be secondary bacterial or fungal infections as well. Revolution won't do anything to help with those (aside from getting rid of the mites). Keep an eye on her over the next couple weeks and if you're worried take her back in to the vet to check for other problems.

Good luck!


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## CrystalandMoose (Sep 14, 2010)

Well they were treated about a month ago. And to answer the question, they did have to be seen under the microscope. In fact, just by looking at them you could never tell there was a problem. Their ears have always looked great, very clean. Which is another reason I was so confused about her having ear mites since I had read that, typically, its easy to see since they cause black gunk to form in the kitties ears.
The vet swapped her ear pretty deep to clean and it out and I was absoulty shocked by how much gunk was in there. I can't believe how that happened since they look so good on the outside. But he put it under the microscope and that's how they found the mites. Is this typical? That ear mites are hidden so deep inside what seems to be a very healthy ear? Its baffling me all-around. After I took them and they got the treatment, i could tell it worked right away since they hardly itch at all now. I was thinking that maybe the ears needed a further cleaning however I am pretty afraid of hurting them. They hate having their ears touched and refuse to sit still. Do you have suggestions?


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