How to make your pet healthy and clean

Has your dog been scratching his ears and shaking his head more than usual? Are your dog抯 ears inflamed and bleeding? Does he have sores and other wounds around his ears? If so, it might be caused by parasites called ear mites infesting your dog抯 ears.

Ear mites are contagious, and can even be caught by humans. It is common to almost all house pets, like hamsters, cats, gerbils, and dogs. It is very itchy, and can cause a lot of discomfort. It causes inflammation in the ears, because of the many germs and bacteria it might carry. In severe cases, when the ear mites have infested the ear canal, you will be able to see build-up of dried blood in the ears. It can also spread to other parts of your dog抯 body, such as the tail. When not treated properly, ear mites can cause serious damage to the eardrum and permanent hearing loss is a real danger. If you begin to see any of the symptoms, you should take your dog to the vet immediately. He will visually inspect the ears, as the mites can be seen through closer examination. To see if your dog抯 ear has been infected because of the ear mites, he will swab the ears and examine the specimen on a microscope.

It is very easy to treat ear mites; ear drops are used, and they are the most effective. Each drop contains some insecticide, to eliminate the mites. An insecticide called Pyrethrin is usually used in ear drops, ask your vet if the drops he prescribed your dog have some part of insecticide. If it doesn抰, your dog won抰 lose the mites. Medicine used for ear mites are Ivermectin, Fipronil, Selamectin, or Milbemycin. If the mites have spread to any other part of the body, your vet might prescribe a special shampoo.

There are certain things you can do for your dog so that he doesn抰 get ear mites. By simply drying your dog well after every bath, you will have decreased his susceptibility to ear mites. Make sure that there is no debris left in his body. If you suspect your dog does have ear mites, it抯 best to take him to your doctor immediately. He will know how to properly treat and care for your dog. Don抰 try home remedies at home, as you don抰 know how severe the ear mite infestation is. It is also important that you clean your house regularly. If your dog is infected, make sure that you inspect the house as well. There might be ear mites all over the place; use an insecticide to get rid of them.

The vet will prescribe the proper treatment for your dog and make sure that you follow the vet抯 instructions carefully. Administer the eardrops regularly, at the right time as it could take as long as four weeks for your dog to get better. The faster you get rid of the mites, the happier your dog will be.