History

• Home treatments, such as over-the-counter medications and pouring wax into an animal's ears, frequently fail to kill incubating mites in the ears of cats, dogs and rabbits.
  
  

Significance

• Newer over-the-counter medications might require daily administration for up to 30 days. Newer prescription treatments might contain miticides in combination with other agents.
  
  

Over-the-Counter Treatments

• Mild cases might respond to home treatments and over-the-counter products.Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of John Haslam
  
  Very mild cases of ear mites might respond to products containing pyrethrin and to some preparations used for treating ticks and fleas.
  
  

Prescription Medication

• Untreated ear mites may lead to hearing problems in the animal.Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Amazon CARES Amazon Community Animal Rescue, Education and Safety
  
  Tresaderm, a thiabendazole preparation given for 10 days, effectively targets the mite infestation and relieves secondary complications with a combination of antibiotics, cortisone and anti-itch agents.
  
  

Injectable Medications

• Non-FDA-approved medications include two to four injections of ivermectin, a useful therapy for compatible breeds who cannot tolerate conventional methods of treatment.
  
  

• Some animals will not let you put medicine into their ears.Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Mikul