Ear Mite Remedies

Hi, Nimueh back again. Still working with this situation. Since previous notes, have done three rounds with the vet, separated by 2-3 weeks, of: 1) fogging the house with a pyrethins-based fogger to stop mite cycle of mites scattered around the place. [Took all 6 cats out of the house for 3 hours each time; also plants; covered kitchen surfaces. Didn't mind the fogging too much as it dissipates afterwards quickly and left no discernible residue.]; 2) simultaneous to the house fogging, treated 3 cats with Acarex topical treatment in ears - these 3 were doing pretty well and do not have much symptoms, and 3 cats with my vet doing "off-label" transdermal shots of Iverectin (same stuff as Acarex - I think it's the same as Milbemite)as these 3 haven't yet shaken all the symptoms.sigh; 3) the first time, I also flea-shampooed the cats too. This has been quite costly and a hardship for me. (I am trying to set up another job to help us through this.)

In the last few days I am trying one more natural approach. Like I said, we may have tough mites here in the desert. My vet is trying hard to help us, but it's not gone yet. In the time between treatments, it gets almost all better, but then starts up again when the cycle starts over in about 2-3 weeks.

In the intervals between treatments, for relief, I have used: -- Diatomaceous Earth (DE) - but prefer not to, because it's so drying on all our feet and the surfaces in the house; -- also flea shampoo in their ears - very toxic! done in desperation! - not perfectly effective either. --Now I thought of ENZYMES. I found a human shampoo and mousse formerly called "Not Nice To Lice"- totally natural, not harmful - from Walgreen's, then re-ordered online. Now it seems to be selling at the same website www.notnicetolice.com but with with the new name "Lice R Gone", plus Enzyme Cleaner with Peppermint that can be used as a pet shampoo. I have been putting my remaining Not Nice To Lice shampoo in their ears, first cleaning with Qtips with this solution, then squeezing a dipped cottonball in the ear and rubbing the ear base while attempting to keep it shut. (Yes, I'm covered with it from their shaking afterwards.) It's a very thin shampoo solution that doesn't leave much residue, and in the last few days I think it's helping. The 3 cats who need it most, their skin is not as irritated as with the poison flea shampoo (duh!), and in fact, all is healing up well, AND they aren't shaking and scratching. It is so much better for these 3, that tonight I used it also in the ears of the 3 who don't need it too badly, and now no one is scratching. It is peaceful. Aaaahhhhhh.

Enzymes digest anything and everything. Enzymes are how we digest our food and do any chemical function in the body. So I am picturing this solution dissolving the critters and their eggs. Thus, no matter what immunities the little mite-monsters have managed to develop, the enzymes have the potential to just dissolve these invaders regardless. Enzymes don't hurt the cats or me or my hands or feet, or the household surfaces. I am once again hopeful.

Though the Lice R Gone shampoo, 8 oz., is $22, and the Enzyme Cleaner - Peppermint, 32 oz., is $35 ( - there is a smaller one too), plus $8 shipping, if it works, this will be much cheaper than what I have been doing. I will keep you posted. I appreciate you all and Earth Clinic. Good luck.

Friends, I don't know why but the wet application of DE failed to help my 6 cats, even as much as the dry DE application. I am back to applying the DE, dry, on a cotton ball to ears - pressing a good amount into the ear, paws, tails' tips and privates, and anywhere else they are scratching. At least they have immediate relief, and it surely minimizes the mite excrement and ear wax that is in the ear. I will research getting the Milbemite from my vet. I will keep this DE up until I can arrange for the vet treatment, hopefully it will start to end this as it has been going on so long (3 months). I will let you know. Many thanks for all the sharing.

Hi! Checking back in, after a few more weeks of trying remedies!

As of when I wrote last, I tried Diatomaceous Earth (DE) with pyretherins (chrysanthemum extract). I used it dry, applying with a cotton ball, like I had the plain DE. The plain DE worked nicely to provide the cats immediate relief from the mites sensations. But it needed re-application daily or so.

Trying the DE + pyretherins, the result stirred up sensation and symptoms at first for a couple hours, but then seemed to last longer - I was able to go up to 3-4 days without the cats scratching, shaking heads and so on. But over a couple weeks, the relief lasted shorter and shorter for the cats.

All this, plus I have still been using the vet's Revolution for them, now about every two weeks (which I read online somewhere). I think it helped, as one cat with very long hair apparently hadn't really been getting the Revolution on her skin and she had the worst case. Finally I realized this and was very careful to apply it to her skin, and immediately her condition came "up" to the level that the other 5 cats were at. So, all 6 have very little "coffee grounds" stuff and wax in their ears, yet displayed itching and head-shaking after some time with the topically applied products used, as said above.

I was discouraged and alarmed after 3 months of this - trying something which seems to give relief, then finding the relief waning in effectiveness. I had this "waning" result with alkaline mineralized water, and with the DE with pyretherins. This was while using Revolution at 4-week intervals, then at 2-week intervals. The mineral oil didn't work for us at all. The plain DE didn't have a "waning" effect but it just never got the job all done. I came back to this site and somehow read what I missed before - about Ted's Borax, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide formula. I almost went out at midnight to get the stuff but decided to wait till the next day.

The next evening after work, I was too tired to . (as I understood the procedure) clean the house with a borax/ water solution and leave it on the floors, etc.; do laundry with borax of all 6 cats' beddings; and give a Ted's borax solution bath to each of the 6 cats. (His stories and the testimonials talked about dogs and baths; I didn't find any about cats but I was prepared to bathe the cats, though I haven't ever before bathed all the cats at once.) So, tired, instead, I made up a small glass bottle of Ted's borax solution to apply to ears, paws, privates and tail's ends, just to see if I could see the effect for the cats.

Reading Ted's approach, I had begun to understand the importance of getting the biologically active material into a solution that penetrates skin somewhat. Another person had talked to me also about putting the DE into solution; when I had tried that person's suggestion which had not been tried on a pet's body but only in the garden, it clearly made their situation worse over a couple of hours, and I reversed tacts. Using Ted's formula the night before last and yesterday, I also found that it didn't do the job. Here in the Arizona desert, we may have some truly genetically deviant mites, very hardy.

However, this morning, before I could do all the cleaning steps that Ted's approach asks (not that my house wouldn't benefit from that, anyway!), I thought about what had worked the best. The best remedy was the plain DE - available at HomeDepot here, or where swimming pool supplies are sold, for use in pool filters. But DE didn't last, didn't quite get the job done. DE is known to be an effective natural pesticide, as it is fossilized, ground seashells, inert calcium carbonate, etc., and its pieces are very sharp microscopically, so it cuts the micro-bugs; it is also very drying, so it lethally dehydrates the micro-critters too. It is used here by savvy natural gardeners to get rid of garden pests. As I wrote earlier, if you use it, you'll find it is very drying to your hands and nails, so wash your hands well after touching it. (And, again, avoid the expensive brand that states it is "Flour Grade," as I found that it gets into the air and is breathed - very damaging if anyone has respiratory conditions - and is quite difficult to clean up as it only floats in air and doesn't stay on surfaces to get wiped up easily. I had to clean and clean again. One of the most challenging and dangerous experiences in this whole tough time, as one here has a respiratory problem.)

So, this morning, I added DE to my bottle of Ted's formula and again drenched my 6 cats' ears, paws, privates and tails' ends. This provides an active solution and a hopefully effective biologically active agent - DE. And the Borax is there too. I am currently delighted that I have seen no more head shaking, itching, etc., for hours. I will report in a couple days if the effect continues, and I will take steps to apply it very thoroughly to all the cats and the environment too.

Thank you for this site. It has helped me and my beloved felines. Hopefully some of this experience will help others.

Re: my earlier submission. I have found it to be vitally important that I use only regular grade DE, i.e., NOT a certain brand and kind that calls itself "flour grade" - very fine. The "very fine" was so fine that it got in the air, and I had to wash everything that I possibly could, linens, floors, tabletops, etc., over & over, because we were breathing it, and it wouldn't stay DOWN on surfaces. It was much more expensive than regular grade (about $20, 1 lb.)

I have used DE for years and never had that problem until I used this certain "flour grade" type. So, please do use DE, but please get a regular type such as at HomeDepot for swimming pools - about $15 for 25 lbs.(life time supply for our urpose here - Also can use along edge of garden to eliminate pests, etc.)

Today searching for that product that I mentioned but couldn't get a hold of, I found online that pyrethrins (from chrysanthemum flowers thus natural) can be used like I've been using DE. Local to Arizona, I found a place that sells DE with pyrethrins (about $20, 1 lb. bag). I got some and have been applying to the cats now with the cotton ball to ears, neck, paws, tail tip and privates. So far, I can see that they are scratching less. Hopefully, this will help them. The pyrethrins may actually kill all stages of the mites, and so I may have reached the end of this tough challenge. I will let you know.

After trying Revolution monthly, I am now trying it twice monthly as I read online somewhere. Still, with various cleaners from the vet and from online, my beloved cats are still shaking their heads and scratching.I have also been using DE powder whenever they display these symptoms. I grab a cotton ball and dip it in the DE powder and press it firmly into each ear, also to their paws front and back - just dust the top of the paw, to the tip of their tails - as the paws and tail tip contact the ears, and their private parts - just dust there with the DE-coated cotton ball. Plus any place else that they are scratching. These are places where the parasites, eggs and such may be, so the DE will just stop them from developing. DE microscopically is very sharp shards as well as very dehydrating, so it wipes out all kinds of parasites and pests, in the garden too, etc. However, I am tired of them having more problems with this coming up still day after day. I am glad that the DE gives them immediate relief. I will continue for a month, as one writer suggests here, though I may have already done that. DE is very drying, so wash your hands thoroughly as it will dry your nails; also floors, etc. Still I would do anything to have their suffering end. I will try Milbo-Mite, as the oil didn't work for me & wasn't manageable - oil everywhere! Thank you!