In many cases diagnosis is easy: Just take a peek with an otoscope and you can see the little, white mites scurrying about. In other cases, you may see the characteristic, black, crusty wax in the ear canals and on the ear flaps, but not see the mites.  In these suspect cases, it is always wise to take a Q-tip full of the wax and smear it into a drop of mineral oil and examine it under a microscope. The presence of the mites or eggs confirms the diagnosis.

One of the biggest causes of treatment failure is not removing the exudate BEFORE applying the medication. Every bit of the black, crusty exudate must be removed from the ear canal before any medication will work.  This is best accomplished by gently flushing the ear canal using an ear bulb (available from drug stores). Mix up a solution of warm water and liquid dishwashing detergent (just enough detergent to slightly color the water) and fill the ear bulb. The tip of the bulb is held loosely in the ear and the water/soap solution is gently squeezed in allowing it to bubble out carrying the debris (Never block the free passage of the solution out of the ear or you could rupture the ear drum). This process is repeated three or four times until the ears are clean. The ears are then rinsed with warm, clear water and dried. Q-tips are not recommended because they carry the dirtiest contamination deeper into the canal making the infection worse.  If you do not feel comfortable cleaning the ear, you should consult your veterinarian.

Ear mite medications commonly contain a pyrethrin insecticide and vehicle such as mineral oil.  These medications can be purchased across-the-counter from many pet stores or veterinary hospitals.

Since ear mites are easily passed from one pet to another by close contact, ALL animals in the household must be treated at the same time to ensure success.

A second reason for treatment failure is not treating long enough. The treatment schedule that has worked for me over the years is as follows:

The reason for this schedule is to interrupt the entire life-cycle.  Each week more eggs will hatch and new mites will colonize the ear. By the end of the third week we have killed all stages of the ear mite life-cycle and we should see no more problems. Occasionally, if bacterial or fungal infections have caused damage to the ear canal, an antibiotic or antifungal cream or ointment may need to be used.