Pets communicating with their relatives can catch various diseases from them. If the pet began to scratch his ears, then you need to show him to the veterinarian to establish a diagnosis. Treatment of otodectosis in dogs often does not take a lot of time. After recovery, precautionary measures will be required, since immunity to the disease in animals does not occur.
Causative agent of the disease
Most often, ear mites are detected in stray animals. There is no one to carry out treatment of otodectosis in dogs in this case, so the disease goes into neglected form. Animals suffer greatly. The carriers of the disease infect all dogs that have come into close contact with them.
The causative agent of otodectosis is a microscopic tick. It parasitizes in the outer ear of the animal. Dogs are not as susceptible to illness as cats. But the disease in canids can be diagnosed already in a neglected form due to the fact that not all owners pay attention to their pets. If the dog lives on the street and sits on a chain, then the owners often understand that the pet is sick only after she begins to refuse to eat.
You can see the ear tick only under a microscope. It is a microscopic transparent oval with limbs. One leg of a tick is always underdeveloped. It has a very small size, so it is impossible to examine it without a microscope. The ear mites feed on the epidermis located in the ear. Periodically, the parasites defecate; their excretion causes severe itching in the animal.
Distribution paths
The disease does not have a pronounced seasonality. Most often carriers are stray animals. If a domestic dog communicated with a street flock, then it may well become infected with otodectosis. If there are several dogs in the family and one has an ear tick, then most likely everyone is sick. After treatment and recovery of immunity to otodectosis, animals do not develop, they can become infected many times during their life.
But a dog can pick up an ear tick not only in personal contact with other dogs. Contact with objects affected by sick animals is dangerous. For example, cats can become infected through a common carrier. In dogs, sunbeds, combs, and towels are most dangerous.
Sometimes the disease is brought into the house by the owner. He can just pat a stray dog by the ear or pet a street cat. Sometimes this is enough to infect your own pet. In any case, the treatment of otodectosis in the dog should be urgently started.
Symptoms
The parasite causes severe anxiety in the dog. The animal suffers from an itch caused by a tick. The parasite nibbles on the ear, eating particles of the dermis. Because of this, the dog becomes nervous and can be aggressive. The tick lays eggs, and the disease begins to progress.
Dog otodectosis, the symptoms and treatment of which can frighten an inexperienced owner, requires the intervention of a veterinarian. The sooner the doctor examines the pet, the faster the therapy will be prescribed. Without treatment, the dog can have dangerous complications.
Ticks bother the dog, day and night. The pet can practically stop sleeping, his quality of life will noticeably decrease. Ticks quickly create a colony in the dog’s ears; they constantly lay eggs and breed. The animal constantly shakes its ears, rubs against objects, itches. In addition, hosts may notice strange discharge from the ear canal. It is impossible to clean the ears of the dog before going to the veterinarian, this will complicate his task. It will be difficult for the doctor to determine at what stage of development the infection is.
Diagnostics
Indirect signs of the disease, experts consider scratching and ear itching in an animal. The doctor visually examines the dog, interviews the owner. Then he takes the contents of the auricles for examination. For diagnosis, it is best to use a microscope. The doctor examines the contents of the auricles and sees ticks.
If the disease is very neglected and the animal has otitis media, then the diagnosis will be complicated. Due to the acidic environment in the ears caused by a secondary disease, ticks can die. This fact sometimes interferes with the correct diagnosis.
Veterinarian treatment
The doctor first examines the dog and takes the contents from its ears for examination. If the diagnosis is confirmed, then treatment is prescribed. Currently, ointments or drops are most often used. The treatment method is selected individually depending on the neglect of the disease and the individual characteristics of the animal. No need to listen to neighbors and acquaintances, a tool that helped their pet can be useless.
Otodectosis in dogs, the treatment methods and symptoms of which may be different, is very contagious. If the owner has many animals, then all of them must be quarantined. The longer the owner hesitates to go to the veterinarian, the more difficult it will be to cure the pet.
Before applying drops against otodectosis, the auricle is cleaned of scabs and crusts. This can be done with a bandage soaked in hydrogen peroxide. Only then can the wearer drip drops into the ear. If the purification procedure is not carried out, then the preparations will most likely not work.
Home treatment
Folk remedies are very popular with owners, but they are usually ineffective. Treatment of otodectosis in dogs at home is undesirable, as the suffering of the animal is prolonged. The best way out is to go to a veterinary clinic to a qualified doctor.
But if the owner decided to try to cure the ear tick in the pet yourself, then traditional medicine recommends using camphor oil. Bandages are wetted with liquid to remove scabs and crusts. Some owners use oily baby cream for these purposes. Another alternative veterinary medicine is green tea. With his help, the owners can also independently remove scabs and soften the crusts.
But folk remedies are more suitable for prevention than for getting rid of an ailment. Therefore, you should consult a doctor, he will prescribe drugs for the treatment of otodectosis in a dog. If you strictly follow all the recommendations of a doctor, then soon the pet will recover.
Overview of Dog Treatments for Otodectosis
Medicines for animals can only be recommended by a veterinarian, it is undesirable to pick them up. Do not self-medicate, even if the dog has symptoms of ear scabies. Otodectosis can only be diagnosed with a microscope.
For treatment of an ear tick, Amit drops are used. The drug has 2 active substances - amitraz and prednisone. Before applying the drops, the ears are cleaned of scabs. The drug is contraindicated in pregnant and lactating dogs. Drops "Otovedin" used in cats and dogs. The tool is instilled immediately in two ears, even if ticks were found in only one. Drops of "Dekt" contain propolis. Treatment with the drug is carried out 1 time in 5 days, several courses may be required.
To treat otodectosis in dogs, veterinarians prescribe not only drops. Aversectin ointment is used after removing dried crusts with hydrogen peroxide. The tool moistens the swab and puts it in the ear. The drug is not used in pregnant and lactating bitches. It is also undesirable to apply ointment in young puppies.
Complications
There will be no consequences if the pet is cured of otodectosis. An ear mite in dogs can cause complications if the owner does not pay attention to it. In this case, otodectosis often causes otitis media. A bacterial infection spreads, and the owner begins to notice pus in the ears of the pet. If otodectosis is complicated by otitis media, then the treatment will be longer. The veterinarian must prescribe antibiotics.
Another complication of otodectosis is lymphoextravasate. The disease affects the dog due to the fact that she constantly combes her ears. Due to persistent mechanical action, lymphatic vessels burst under the skin. In this case, only surgical treatment is possible, conservative therapy is ineffective.
Doctors often diagnose other complications of otodectosis - meningitis, perforation of the eardrum. The consequences that appear if untreated are much more serious than the ear scabies themselves.
Prevention
If the owner wants his pet to be healthy, then he should regularly examine him. Any alarming symptoms should not be ignored. If the dog scratches the ears or it has uncharacteristic outflow from the ear canal, then you need to visit a veterinarian. Better to prevent a problem than to deal with dangerous complications later.
You must not allow your pet to communicate with homeless animals. From them, the pet can pick up not only otodectosis, they tolerate many viral infections. Also limit your dog’s contact with free range owners. It is highly likely that such dogs communicate closely with street flocks and are already infected with something.
It is also not advisable for the owner to pet stray cats and scrub unfamiliar dogs by the ear. Part of the disease in the house is brought by the owners themselves on their hands, clothes and shoes. If the pet still picked up otodectosis somewhere, then you need to take him to the doctor.