Help Ear Mites!

[Ravette]

My has ear mites and the medication does not seem to be killing them? Its been over a month and his ear is just getting worse. I talk to me vet and he said it was normal and if in 2months its not gone we will change to a different type of mite killer well this new one is 35$ a bottle and each dog needs a bottle(3 dogs). I can't afford that I don't think my vet is right Jared seems to be getting a puss filled bubble on the ear and I saw a friends cat that once had that and it deformed the year for life.

Any ideas?

[VTJess03]

If you don't trust your vet's decision, I would go and get a second opinion from another one. (especially if it will save you $35/dog). Vets make mistakes, too; they're only human. Also, make sure you are exactly following the directions on the bottle. If you are told by another vet to switch to the expensive ear drops, I would suggest getting the prescription from him/her and then mail-ordering from a reputable pet pharmacy (i.e. 1800PetMeds or petshed.com, which I have seen mentioned on PT before). This can save you some money on the meds and on refills, etc. I mailorder my Frontline Plus and Interceptor and am happy with the prices I get in comparison to the prices at the vet's office.

Good luck with the mites!

[Ravette]

Thanks I'll check around. I can borrow some money from my dad to take my dog to another vet and get a second opinion. *sighes* I'm kinda of worried that it might be too late and his ear will scare from that stupid puss type bubble like that cat did. :/

[dab_20]

Thanks I'll check around. I can borrow some money from my dad to take my dog to another vet and get a second opinion. *sighes* I'm kinda of worried that it might be too late and his ear will scare from that stupid puss type bubble like that cat did. :/

Glad you're getting a second opinion. Please update us.

[lv4dogs]

I agree with the others, a second opinion shounds like a great idea. Most ear mite meds will kill the mites in about 10 days, with some of them you may need to repeat the dose again 10 days later for another 10 days but no matter what type of meds you use (as long as they are decent meds from a vet not pet store bought) you should be seeing a big improvement within just a few days.

Are you cleaning the ears too and not just treating them? That needs to be done as well.

Let us know how the other vet works out. Good luck!

[Ravette]

Well I talked to a second vet at a different clinic and needless to say she said my vet was a quack! She said the meds I am using are find but my golden might have ear damage because the vet was having me use the meds every other day. She explained that by doing this it was possible that he would be able to talk me into buying the more expensive stuff and he would make a profit. She also gave me a home remedy to help. 1/4 backing soda and water using an eyedropper put it in the ears. It helps kill the mites and clean the ear and losen any dirt. So I hope it gets better with out any damage :/

[lv4dogs]

Wow, I'm so sorry you had to go through that experience with your previous vet, thank god you got some help before it got much worse. Hope your pup (what the pups name?) gets better & soon with no long term affects.

[Ravette]

Thank you His name is Jared. Luckly none of the other dogs have signs of mites but they are being treated too. *sighes* just keeping my fingers crossed and praying that everything will work out.

[VTJess03]

So glad that the other vet seems to know better!

We have run into similar situations here; the two vets in the county are only about 1/2 mile apart and have a very bad relationship with one another. One is like your first one; they'll try to sell you anything to make an extra buck (but they do diagnose problems accurately, so far) and the other is the kind that will give you home remedies, etc. and not charge as much, but the other vet has filed medical reviews against him (meaning he thinks pets have been hurt rather than helped by that vet and he was reported to the state vet board as such). It's very frustrating...I never tell the other if I'm looking for a second opinion, because they will almost always say that the other one was wrong. I find that I can research whatever disease they diagnose on my own using the internet and have a pretty good idea of whether they were right or wrong.

[beyond_me]

I have used Ivermec to kill ear mites. My cat had them and they were gone in one treatment. It is bad to use for a long time but a couple of treatments isn't bad. It is meant for cattle to treat mites but I worked at a pet store and we use to use it all the time and it did work for my cats. I do not remeber how much to give but you can get it from revival. Heartguard has a little ivermec in it. When you use it though it does kinda burn under the skin for a couple of seconds. But it works.

[VTJess03]

Just to caution about using meds for off-label uses; they might work, but it's against federal law to use pesticides for anything that is not on the label (and let's face it, wormers and external parasite treatments are pesticides). Be careful in publicizing if you do it...please.

Usually there's not been enough research to determine side effects, dosages, etc. for creatures not on the label...my parents use ivermec for their goats and for their cow (when they had one) and get the vet to prescribe a different dosage for the goats because of differences in size/metabolism, etc. Bottom line, if you are going to use pesticides for off-label animals, please have a vet's recommendation to back it up if you get caught or if you OD your animals and do harm (not likely, I'll admit, but it could happen).

[beyond_me]

Very true. We had the recomondation from our vet to use it for the puppies at the store. The vet uses ivermec for ear mites still on his regular customers. It was just an idea. Something I know has worked. Also since I moved my vet will usually help me with things like that. She will look it up and check on it to make sure it is okay and then help me with the dosage.

[T-Ice]

Find a new vet. Ivermetcin has seemed to be the most effective way to get rid of mites and worms.