★★★★★
Hand Sanitizer
I have read it takes about a month to rid a pet of these horrible bugs and I used this oil every day, 3 times a day for one month.
Be sure to clean the pet's bedding often.
Good luck.
Ear Mites and People
Boric Acid
★★★★★
I grew up with a lot of ear infections and my grandmother always treated me with a lil boric acid and in no time, I was better. My bestfriend grew up on sweet oil for ear infections; so I figured it couldn't hurt to try it.
I use about a tablespoon of warm water to an 1/4 tsp boric acid; soak a cotton ball and swab out the ear. Then I use an eye dropper and apply 4 or 5 drops of sweet oil to each ear. I usually do this every other day. The washing usually only has to be done once per treatment. Use judgement based on look of ears.
Mineral Oil
★★★★★
Diatomaceous Earth
It is amazing! My daughter and I both drink about 1 Tbs a day with plenty of water, or sprinkled in yogurt. It has helped our digestive systems as we both have issues with constipation and diarrhea depending on the day.
I also made a paste with 1 Tbs DE, 3 Tbs water,1 Tbs olive oil and 1 drop of peppermint oil and used it as a face mask.Rub on gently and let dry for about 5 minutes and wash off-smooth and soft!
For my pets I use DE to get rid of fleas. I brush it into their fur making sure it doesn't get in their eyes or face. I also mix a couple teaspoons in their wet food to get rid of worms. I do this every other day. Also, I put it on my rugs and the bedding and leave it there a few days then vacuum up a couple times a month. This has taken care of a severe infestation that has not returned since started.
This is a product that is worth doing a search on the internet about. DO NOT USE POOL GRADE. ONLY FOOD GRADE.
Medications
Medications
★★★★★
A basic issue is the prevalence of ear mites. While very common in cats, it is virtually nonexistent in dogs under most circumstances. The people posting comments about the pros and cons of various treatment protocols for ear mites in dogs are most likely not even dealing with mites. And treating ear mites in cats these days is extremely simple and not worthy of prolonged discussion; a one-time (two at most) application of feline Revolution or Advantage Multi for cats should eliminate the pests. While a good product for flea control, Frontline is probably completely ineffective against mites.
I would recommend that this site be refereed by a competent veterinarian who embraces integrated (Eastern and Western) responsible practice.
Respectfully,
Tim Krasnansky DVM
Berryessa Veterinary Services
Winters, CA 95694
(530) 795-6090
BerryessaVet.com
★☆☆☆☆
Hydrogen Peroxide
★☆☆☆☆
WARNING!
H2O2 in an animal's (or human's, for that matter) eyes can blind them permanently. My vet told me that, and I also learned that in nursing school, but I'm not certain about the mechanism of action. I would personally try other remedies first, unless you have a very quiet and cooperative kitty.
Just wanted to warn ya!
Hand Sanitizer
★★★★★
Hand Sanitizer
Zoonotic diseases are the ones that CAN be transmitted to humans, the term means "of animal origin". It's also used for diseases we can give to animals. COVID is zoonotic, we can give it to our pets.
Scabies can infest both pets and people. The mite is Sarcoptes scabei. There are variants within the species that prefer different hosts, so you have Sarcoptes scabei var. hominis in people, Sarcoptes scabei var. suis which infests pigs and is used to test human remedies for scabies, and others.
There are also other species of Sarcoptes mites. They're nasty things.
In general, it's unhelpful to tell someone with a skin condition that they are imagining it. Please google "A Filamentous Borrelial Dermatitis" using Google Scholar.
Many people suffering from Morgellons, who were told this was not a real disease and they were imagining things, actually had a Borreliosis that was not Lyme disease but was caused by a related organism. The infection caused skin sores AND interfered with normal skin collagen production so that those sores contained fibers.
So all those people had a real disease. But they were told they were imagining it, some of them were even accused of causing their own wounds, and they were given tranquilizers when they needed antibiotics. And their doctors often refused to look at any fiber samples they tried to bring to the doctor's attention.
Please do not tell people they are imagining things. Please take them seriously. All of those people had wrong diagnoses on their medical records and were labeled as needing psychiatric medications. There was nothing at all wrong with them except that they were infected with a previously unidentified species of Borrelia, and their doctors wouldn't pay proper attention to them.
Ear Mites Vs. Ear Infection
★★★★★
★★★★★
★★★★★
Ivomec
★★★★★
Boric Acid
★★★★★
It's the peroxide that can blind a cat if too much gets into this it's just like the peroxide washes for contacts if you don't give it to 12 hours to break down it burns your eyes like crazy.
Mineral Oil
★★★★★
Neem Oil
★★★★★
With my cats I use neem oil after cleaning the outer ear. Then repeat every three days or so. Because neem oil interrupts the productive cycle of these mites, there is noticeable improvement. I keep checking though. Kittens need the neem oil diluted with another oil because of their delicate skins. Coconut oil is also good for sensitive ears with a touch of turmeric powder if bleeding. Turmeric stops bleeding internally and externally.
For the bleeding I use turmeric powder in small amounts as it also is a natural antibiotic. For fluid in the ear I use turmeric powder and alum in 1 - 20 ratio to dry out the ear, later following up with coconut oil. This will prevent inflammation and provide cooling for red hot ears. Hope this helps.
Namaste, Om
★★★★☆
★★★★★
The Maine Coon is the one that has been affected by them with the worst symptoms-- ear scratching, ear tilting, head tilting and shaking, and looking plain miserable. Of the 3, his ears showed the least amount of the telltale coffee ground ear wax. In fact, his ears were almost free of anything at all. The other 2 had some of the brown stuff, but I've seen worse. Fortunately, he has been the easiest to treat, holding still for us when we doctor his ears. The Bengal is a whole different story!
I've treated all of them with Food Grade Diatomaceous earth. I've put it directly into their ears, onto their ears, into their fur, onto and rubbed into their bedding, I've spread it all over the house and furniture... in fact, I've followed all the things recommended on this site as well as on various Diatomaceous earth sites.
The Maine Coon seemed to get quick relief from the DE whenever he started the cycle of itching and head shaking. This all began about 6-8 weeks ago, and the battle hasn't let up.
Due to the Maine Coon showing the most irritation and been the easiest to treat, I began applying the DE to him on a daily or every-other day basis for about a week to ten days in a row. I'd put a pinch into each ear, then rub a fair amount into his fur, especially around his neck area and outer ears.
Then one day we noticed his fur suddenly appeared to be thinning on each side of his neck, below his ears. Within a couple days, they became obvious bald spots. He loses his winter coat every year, but not like this!
That started about 7-10 days ago, and now he's rapidly losing hair down to bald skin in a pattern around his neck, as if he had been wearing a 2" wide collar and it had rubbed all his fur off (except he doesn't wear a collar! ) The skin is baby-smooth, no redness, bumps, welts, or discoloration of any kind. It does itch him though! 2 weeks ago I was admiring how beautiful his coat was looking- now he's starting to look like Bill the Cat.
I brush him daily to help with the winter coat shedding, and it might be my imagination, but it seems like his coat is starting to thin in other areas too. He seems to be itchy all over, not just in the ear and neck areas, but also along his sides. His winter coat is naturally thick, shiny, long and fluffy and he still has most of that except he is going bald in that 2" wide "collar" area, and also a little in front of his ears (between his eyes and ears), and on the backs of his ears too.
I applied DE pretty heavily in these areas (except for between the eyes and ears.) Could the DE have rubbed his fur off? I can't find anything about side effects.
I stopped using the DE when I noticed the rapid balding, and increased itching. I treated his ears with an ear wash last night, followed by Vitamin E oil mixed with Olive oil to see if that would help sooth his ears. Now he's back to shaking his head and scratching at his ears and surrounding areas. I don't want to use DE in case that's the problem, so I might try a little ACV and water.
Any ideas? I am at a loss and am trying to find a way to stop this rapidly expanding balding thing before it gets worse. He is a very healthy, energetic, inquisitive, loving and playful cat. His personality, eating habits, energy level etc have remained the same.
I would love to hear any suggestion or maybe thoughts on what this might be and/or why it's happening. Thank you for any suggestions, advice or opinions!
The bald behind the ears/at the base of the ears sounds like it could be from scratching due to the ear mite infection. That you are still dealing with a mite infestation after treating for 8 weeks with DE tells me that the DE is not working - its not the right remedy in this case.
Read up on EC for ear mite remedies: https://www.earthclinic.com/pets/ear_mites.html
Ear mites spread from animal to animal, and do not typically spread from surfaces to animals. So while a thorough cleaning is in order - wash bedding and the like - you shouldn't have to sterilize the entire house - whew!
It may help to bathe the cats using Ted's mange remedy - scroll down as it was posted very recently.
Treat the ears with an oil remedy, use the oils to flush out particulates and debris as the gunk in the ear will cause to itch also. Keep at the ears on all cats am and pm, for at least 5 days to start. The life cycle of the mite is 21 days, so you should really plan on treating for 27 days to ensure you have eliminated all the mites.
Hair loss does seem related to the mites, but you report naked skin and not scratched up and bleeding skin. The mange baths will help determine if its another mite that is the problem. Barring external parasites diet should be considered - what are you feeding?
Many questions but do start with the ear oil remedy and see what results that brings.
Diatomaceous Earth
Hand Sanitizer
You are replying to a post that is 2 years old, so the original poster may not be around to respond to you - so I will give it a shot!
It appears the hand-sanitizer remedy is used once a day for two days.
A couple of caveats, however.
This remedy should not be used on ears that have been scratched raw as the alcohol in the hand-sanitizer will cause painful burning and stinging.
Next, you should be certain that your pet has ear mites and not another ear condition as the wrong diagnosis will result in a painful ear condition prolonged and untreated.
And lastly, all the pets [hosts! ] in the family need to be treated at the same time. If all pets were not treated, begin again this time including all pets in the protocol. If all pets are not treated, they will simply re-infect each other.
Read all about ear mites:
Hand Sanitizer
★★★★★
