Ear scabies in dogs
Ear scabies is a disease caused by a tiny parasite that plagues the health of dogs and cats.
If your pooch is scratching his ears frantically, has a strong odor in his ears, or has black earwax in his ear canal, he is potentially infected with mange. To understand how he could have caught this parasite and how he will be able to get rid of it, I propose you a small overview on ear scabies in dogs, its causes, its symptoms and its prognosis.
What is ear mites in dogs?
Ear mange is a skin condition located on the dog's ears and caused by the proliferation of a small mite called Otodectes Cynotis. The contamination is done by contact, that's why breeding dogs - and, a fortiori, puppies - are more often affected than other specimens.
Very fragile, the parasite cannot survive outside your dog's ears, at least just barely enough to have time to run from one of his ears to the second to enlarge his colony. It can therefore only be transmitted when dogs sleep on top of each other, rub each other or groom each other.
It is important to distinguish between ear scabies, which affects our carnivorous friends - and, more rarely, rabbits - and scabies, which attacks humans. For all the owners who would not dare to go near their dog's ears after seeing him scratching himself, here is something to reassure you: dog ear scabies cannot be transmitted to humans.
Symptoms of ear infections in dogs
Very quickly, the parasites that pupate in your dog's ears will cause itching that is often very intense, which may even lead the animal to injure itself by scratching compulsively. The ear is inflamed, red, swollen, often purulent, and the dog's ear canal is covered with a dark and abundant earwax.
Both ears of the dog are often affected, especially when the mange is already well established and the parasites have had time to pass from one ear to the other. A symptom that some owners have difficulty identifying is the very unpleasant odor that the pet's ears give off once the ear infection from scabies has developed.
Treatment of ear mange in dogs
locally with an antiparasitic pipette or an ear spray. Ear mange can only be treated with a suitable acaricide prescribed by a veterinarian, so a medical consultation is necessary, and it is useless and dangerous to try to cure your dog with an anti-flea pipette or other medication that has not been prescribed for this specific case.
In general, treatment of the dog's environment (basket, toys, etc.) is not useful, but the other animals in the household (cat, dog, rabbits, ferret, etc.) will also have to be treated, even if they do not - yet - show any symptoms. If the dog has been badly injured by scratching its ears, the veterinarian can start an anti-inflammatory, healing or antibiotic treatment to avoid superinfections.
The dog's ear canal will also need to be cleaned regularly until the dirty earwax is completely gone. Ear scabies is not a serious disease, but it can cause unbearable itching, sometimes leading to severe ear injuries.
When in doubt, the best thing to do is to consult your veterinarian who will prescribe a treatment to eliminate the parasite if necessary or look for another cause of your dog's itchy ears if mange is not the reason.
