My blue tic hound has earmites and the stuff we got from the vet and even the OTC stuff is causing a rash. Does anyone know a natural treatment for this?

-- Jay Blair (jayblair678@yahoo.com), August 25, 2000

Answers

Hi Jay ~ My sources tell me that earmites are a cat problem, but will move to dogs that live with an infested cat. I mention this because if you don't have a cat, it might not really be ear mites. Did your vet look in the ears, take swabs, and examine them under a microscope. I'm not trying to impugn your vet -- I just don't know the background. And if you do have a cat, you will probably need to treat him/her simultaneously. I have recent experience with ear mites -- I adopted a cat from the local humane society and had to treat him. I used the vet's medicine because of the low success rate with natural methods, and I was lucky, because kitty did not have a bad reaction and now the mites are gone. But you don't have that option.

I have read (in my natural health books for dogs & cats) that ear mites are very difficult to eliminate with "natural" treatments. They also state that an animal in good health usually will not become infested, so that is something to consider. One book recommends adding garlic and brewer's yeast to the diet. They all recommend natural diets, which I can't detail here, rather than the horrible canned and dry foods that are "standard" for pet food.

From Dr. Bruce Fogle's book, NATURAL CAT CARE, I found this section:

"Cider vinegar is a repellent to some insects. Because ear mites are most active at night, treat infested ears just before your bedtime. A few drops of a solution of 50% benzyl benzoate and 50% water is massaged into the ear canal three times weekly for 8 weeks or until there is no further discharge. Alternatively, dilute 9 drops of yellow dock tincture (Rumex crispus)in 15ml water and instil in affected ears every three days for 6 weeks. Olive oil instilled alternate days for 6 weeks is also recommended. Six weeks are necessary because mite eggs hatch over this period."

From Dr. Richard Pitcairn's book, DR. PITCAIRN'S COMPLETE GUIDE TO NATURAL HEALTH FOR DOGS & CATS:

"A mixture of 1/2 oz of almond or olive oil and 400 IU vitamin E (from a capsule) make a mild healing treatment for either cats or dogs. Blend them in a dropper bottle and warm the mixture to body temperature by immersing it in hot water. Holding the ear flap up, put aoubt 1/2 dropperful in the ear. Massage the ear canal well so that you hear a fluid sound. After a minute of this. let the animal shake its head. Then gently clean out the opening (not deep into the ear) with cotton swabs to remove debris and excess oil. The oil mixture will smother many of the mites and start a healing process that will make the ear less hospitable for them. Apply the oil every other day for six days (three treatments in total). Between treatments, cap the mixture tightly and store at room temperature. After the last oil treatment let the ear rest for three more days. Meanwhile, prepare the next, medicine, an herbal extract which is used to directly inhibit or kill the mites.

Herbal--Once the ears are cleaned out, one of the simplest ways to kill mites is with the herb Yellow Dock (Rumex Crispus) [formula below]and apply it in the same way as the oil, above. Treat the ears once every three days for 3-4 weeks. Usually, this is enough to clear up the problem. If you observe irritation or inflammation during the treatment process, then also use the treatment for allergy ears.

In a very stubborn case you may need to thoroughly shampoo the head and ears as well. The mites can hang out around the outside of the ears and crawl back in later. Also shampoo the tip of the tail, which may harbor a few mites from when it is curled near the head. Use a tea infusion of yellow dock as a final rinse. Remeber also that toning up the skin with a nutritious diet is absolutely necessary for the pet with a stubborn mite problem.

If there is no improvement, the problem may not be mites at all. It's just as likely to be an expression of an allergy. Here's how to tell the difference: Ears with mites have a dry, crumbly 'coffee ground' discharge seen only (with a light) down in the ear canal; allergy ears exude an oily, waxy, dark brown fluidlike discharge that comes up out of the ear canal and is also seen around the outside of the ear." Well, this turned out to be quite a long post, didn't it? If this sounds like the kind of info you are looking for, Jay, both books are in print. Another book that I recommend is by Martin Goldstein, DVM, called THE NATURE OF ANIMAL HEALING.

-- Joy Froelich (dragnfly@chorus.net), August 25, 2000.

Oops, I forgot to post the recipe for the Pitcairn treatment. It gives different ways to make the herbal preparation, but for now I am going to assume you can buy a tincture (go to a health store) of yellow dock.

Dilute it, three drops to 1 teaspoon (9 drops to 1 tablespoon) -- 1 teaspoon is for medium dogs (under 40 pounds) and 1 tablespoon is for larger dogs (over 40 pounds). I am not sure if that is per ear or divided between both ears.

-- Joy Froelich (dragnfly@chorus.net), August 25, 2000.

sweet oil works on rabbits

-- Grant Eversoll (thegrange@earthlink.net), August 25, 2000.

If the above treatments don't work, try syrup of ipicac. Ipicac is listed as a vermifuge in some of my books and it worked wonders when my dogs'ears were full of ticks.

-- Laura (gsend@hotmail.com), August 26, 2000.

I have used this for years with no rashes. 1 tablespoon white vinegar to 5 tablespoons alcolol. Put this in something with a dropper and lable it. Shake before using. A couple drops in dogs ears once a month keeps them clean and dry. If the dog goes swimming allot then check ears often. This works for rabbits too, and goats. It will clear up yucky ears in a few days, just put in a couple of drops and squish around and then clean it out. Do it every day till it is gone.

-- Cindy In KY (solidrockranch@msn.com), August 26, 2000.

This may sound strange to some, but my dog and cats cured each other. My cats all had earmites constantly. We went to the vet time after time for meds. One cold winter week, all pets were inside and I noticed dog and cats giving each other baths particularly around the ears. No more mites since.

-- Linda Al-Sangar (alsangal@brentwood-tn.org), August 26, 2000.

Thanks to all. Yes we have two cats, I'll check em both.

-- Jay Blair (jayblair678@yahoo.com), August 26, 2000.

This worked on my cat, we just put a few drops of baby oil in his ears, closed the ear and massaged this in. I heard that it would smoother the mites. We did this every week for about a month...worked great! good Luck!

-- Carrie W. (carriew@ticon.net), August 26, 2000.

Probably isn't natural, don't really know--but, we buy syringes of med at local farmers store {Rural King] used to treat mastitus [sp?] in cattle. Inject without needle, about 1/2 in each ear and massage in. Works every time and cheap--.50 cents a syringe. Matt. 24:44

-- hoot (hoot@pcinetwork.com), August 26, 2000.

Jay It is VERY rare for dogs to get mites and it does need to be diagnosed by microscopic examination. Hounds do tend to get yeast infections due to their long floppy ears which creates a [perfect enviroment. Also, this time of year we see a lot of atopy, or allergy. This can be airborne, enviromental or diet. Many dogs exhibit allergy by enflamed ears. Sometime you will also see paw licking along with it. Don't know of an effective herbal remedy, but ivermectin kills earmites as does REVOLUTION a Pfizer topical that also repels fleas and prevents heartworm. Revolution can be purchased from veterinarians. Good Luck

-- Dianne (yankeeterrier@hotmail.com), August 27, 2000.

I've used plain old vegetable oil on my rabbits, and it cleared it up. Supposedly, the oil suffocates the varmints and they just die off. The plan is to put a few drops in each ear once a day for three or four days and then once a week. You should start seeing the little crusty bits falling out and then clean pink ears when the critters are gone. Cheapest remedy I know....

Hope it helps! Karen

-- Karen Raymond (KRWizWork@yahoo.com), August 29, 2000.