# Groomer told me my dog has ear mites



## barqui (Sep 6, 2011)

I'm not quite sure how ear mites are supposed to look like. She doesn't itch in her ear, it doesn't stink. But groomer said the reddish brown wax in the ear means that she has ear mites.

Does this mean I need to bring her to the vet??


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## Fade (Feb 24, 2012)

Ear mights can only be seen as themselves under a microscope. but in the ear they appear as reddish brown or black oily deposit. which also is easily mistaken as a dirty ear or infected ear. Ears do not normally get that dirty without having a problem, so yes I would recommend seeing the vet cause whichever it is should be taken care of!


ear mites in an ear ( mild case )
 ear infections themselves can have wax buildup and dirt and redness swelling and odor, at all levels depending on the severity of the infection.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Ear mites aren't very common in dogs and they're usually extremely itchy. You can't tell the difference between different causes of ear infections just by looking in the ear, in any case - as the previous poster mentioned you really need a microscopic exam of the debris from the ear canals.


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## Toshi (Sep 7, 2012)

Your dog really should see a vet. The groomer may be correct that your dog has ear mites but there could also be other issues, like an infection, that can look quite similarly. The only way to know for sure is to take a sample from your dog's eat and look at it under a microscope. Sometimes the vet can also see them by just looking in the ear with an otoscope. Ear mites are small, white creatures but they cause a substance in the dog's eat that often looks like coffee ground. 
Ear mites are not always itchy and you often see no symptoms until it's gotten pretty bad. It can lead to secondary issues, such an infection so you do want to get it diagnosed and treated properly.

There are OTC treatments for ear mites but that are usually not very effective and normally require several treatments. The best thing to do is to get a drug called Acarexx from the vet (if you get a paper prescription you can get it cheaper online and some major human pharmacies also carry it). Acarexx is very effective and usually just require one application. Revolution is also supposed to treat ear mites but I don't think it does a very good job at it. 

Ear mites are contagious so if you have other pets you may want to check them too. If they don't have it a dose of Revolution may be good to prevent it. Also wash dog beds and stuff like that.

Good luck!


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

If she's not itching at her ears, it's not ear mites. Dogs with ear mites will spend all day really digging at their ears. 

She needs to see a vet. Poodles have two problems with their ears, a) hair growth within the ear that needs to be pulled out or it leads to infections, and b) the ear shape itself cuts off air flow and that can cause ear infections. I'd talk to the vet about ear cleaning and maintenance. I'm now cleaning Kabota's ears 3x per week with Epi-Otic to ward off future infections.


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## barqui (Sep 6, 2011)

Thanks for the advice!! She's not itching <YET> .. but I'll bring her to a vet just to make sure. She used to have yeast infection, hope that's not the problem... Does this ear mites problem spread to humans? My mum thinks it will spread...

Oh and there are some other issues that I want to ask the vet too... like her eyes. There's always a little bit of dark coloured debris a the inner corners of her eyes, just a little everyday... is that normal? I read somewhere that tear ducts in toy breeds are not well developed... is that true?

And I keep worrying that she swallows somethign she's not supposed to, what are the typical symptoms of a dog eating something that is not supposed to be eaten?


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

1. It could be Yeast, bacteria, or ear mites. People say mites, but it is regional (mites seem to be rare in Texas). 
2. Dog ears usually have a 'balance' of good and bad bacteria/yeast that are kept in check by the immune system.
3. Scrubbing a dog's ears can disrupt beneficial bacteria, resulting in Yeast overgrowth (infection). Ask the Vet about this!!!
4. Washing the ears, especailly with epi-otic, as Amaryllis said, is helpful.
5. Allergies can exacerbate the tendency for ear infections... I learned this only recently.... Ask the Vet about this!!!
6. Sometimes you can smell a Yeasty infection or a pungent bacterial infection before it really bothers the dog.
7. You cannot easily catch these infections from your dog.
8. If the dog has an infection in one ear, you may want to treat both ears for prevention. Ask the Vet about this!!!


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## Toshi (Sep 7, 2012)

The dark debris in the corner of her eyes is normal. Many dogs have that. It's just a bit of eye discharge that dries. It's typical in poodles. You can just wipe it off with a wet wash cloth. There is no harm in it unless a lot of it builds up and gets stuck in the hair around the eyes in which case the hair can get pulled out when you try to remove it causing wounds and irritation. So just clean it off ever so often. There are products like Angel Eyes that is supposed to get rid of the dark stains around the eyes, especially in light colored dogs, but that's just cosmetic and I wouldn't put the dog through it unless it's absolutely necessary like if he's going to be showed or something. 

Dogs will unfortunately eat things they shouldn't and for the most part it just passes through and nothing happens. But things can also go bad so the best way to avoid it is the prevent it from happening to begin with. Supervise on walks and make sure things that LuLu may want to eat are not on the floor especially things like strings, bones, small toys, etc. Keep her away from puddles outside, especially where cars are, since these could contain antifreeze which is very tasty and very dangerous for dogs (if you suspect antifreeze ingestion she needs to get to the vet right away because there is an antidote but it has to be given quickly).
There are are a bunch of bad things that can be eaten and a bunch of different symptoms depending on what it is. But a few thing you want to watch for is vomiting more than once, not wanting to eat,drinking a lot, swollen belly, lethargy, diarrhea, etc. Of course these could be signs of other things too. If something is wrong you will usually know it. As long as you take precautions and use common sense she'll be fine. Also keep in mind that dogs are very resilient and can handle a little junk in their bellies. My dogs have eaten all sorts of junk through the years, goose poop being a big favorite, and so far they have never gotten sick from anything (they're 10 and 12). 

Ear mites do not spread to humans so tell your mom that she doesn't have to worry about that.


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