Probably the biggest problem of lovers of our smaller brothers are animal diseases. Ear mite, which causes ear scabies, in turn, is one of the most common parasites in animals. Ear mites are tiny organisms that can be seen with the naked eye. Such ticks are like a small white dot. However, in order to diagnose and accurately determine the infectious agent, it is necessary to perform an analysis of earwax. It is examined under a microscope for the presence of ticks in it.
Ears infected with ticks usually have a black coating of the type of crushed coffee beans. The composition of this plaque includes earwax, blood, inflammatory biochemical substances and the mites themselves. And although the raid has a specific appearance, this one sign is not enough to make a diagnosis with confidence, an erroneous diagnosis is possible.
Life cycle of ear mites
The tick lives on the skin of the ear canal, sometimes migrating to the surface of the head of the host. The insect lays eggs that develop for four days. The larva, which emerged from the egg, begins to feed on skin fat and earwax throughout the week, after which it becomes "protonymphus". This is an intermediate stage of the life cycle of ear mites, followed by "deutonympha". The latter passes through puberty and can mate with the male, giving a new generation of ticks. It is surprising that the tick at the stage of deutonymphs is not yet determined with the sex at the time of mating with the male.
After the pairing has taken place, deutonympha turns into either a male or a female. If it is a female, it will have to lay eggs after mating. If this is a male, then after mating, no events will occur, except that he will be ready to mate with deuteronyms.
Adult ticks live for about two months, during which they feed on skin fat and earwax. For comparison, the time period required for development from an egg to an adult mite is three weeks.
Often carriers of ear mites are cats, less often dogs. The latter, although they may get infected with such ticks, are rare, since they suffer from other ear infections.
The infection of a person with ear mites occurs through physical contact with an already infected animal. Please note that all animals in the house must undergo treatment for this infection.
The presence of ticks in the ear often leads to the development of inflammatory processes of the ear, the protective barrier is weakened, the infection easily penetrates farther into the ears. In addition, such mites can cause skin infections.
Treatment of ear mites
A number of drugs have been developed to kill this infection. Most of the drugs of the old generation were created on the basis of insecticides. They do not affect the development of eggs, but only for adults, so these medicines are used throughout the cycle of reproduction of ear mites, that is, more than 21 days.
Tresaderm is a medicine designed to treat domestic animals from ear mites. By its nature, it is an antibiotic, the action of which is directed to secondary bacterial infections. The composition also includes thiabendazole (against fungi and mites) and a derivative of cortisone (against inflammation). Tresaderm is active against adults and eggs, which reduces the course of treatment - 10-14 days. It is also a good tool for cleaning the ears. Approved by veterinarians.
Ivomek is a modern agent based on ivermectin, which has a wide spectrum of action. Form release: ear drops, injections. Injections should be stabbed weekly or 1 time in several weeks throughout the month. The drug is very effective against ear mites, but has some limitations. Described breeds of dogs that do not tolerate the Ivoque because of the sensitivity to its components. The drug is not recommended for use in the treatment of ear mites in small animals, and drops of invertectin are intended only for cats.
Frontline is a medicinal preparation based on fipronil, intended for the elimination of fleas. It is believed that if you drip the frontline on the withers of an animal, it will be effective against ear mites. It is not recommended to instill the drug in the ears of the pet, it is not stipulated by the manufacturer's instructions, the consequences are not studied and can be difficult.