Recurrent ear mites - does OTODEX work?

Question

Kitten has ear mites and the vet prescribed ear drops and 3 monthly doses of stronghold stuff for the back of his neck. After about a week I noticed my poor wee kitty scratching again and the little buggers are back (brown residue, stinky ears - eugh!).

I just wondered, since the last lot of ear drops didn't work will Otodex be better? And does anyone know why the mites would come back after three rounds of stronghold combined with ear drops!??

Otodex certainly smells nicer than the last stuff the vet prescribed which is now done, and is less greasy for my kitty which means he's not compulsively grooming his face and I'm not having to wash him every few days....

Answer 1

I use mineral oil. Clean his ears and put a couple of drops in them. The oil suffocates them and can be used every day.

Answer 2

Confirm its mites not yeast first. They present the same and you need to be sure as treating for the wrong thing can make the condition worse. Some cats also just naturally have dark ear wax. It does not mean they have mites. So confirm it before you try to treat.

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content...

There are only 2 meds that I have found to work and I have tried them all, not to mention I have tried to treat naturally with every solution suggested to me over the years. I have never had Revolution work on mites either.

Sadly, and much to the cats suffering... none of them work and I have learned to just go spend the money and treat the cats/kittens asap. Also... over the counter meds and natural treatments are not as effective and must be continued daily for 6 weeks because a mites life cycle is 3 weeks and then you have to treat at least another 3 weeks for any mites that may have hatched after the initial 3 weeks treatment.

You are going to want to get Accarexx or Milbemite. Don't bother with anything else.

http://www.idexx.com/animalhealth/pharma...

http://www.milbemite.novartis.us/about/e...

Either one of these will stop your cats suffering quickly. They are an ABSOLUTE one time treatment and VERY effective. And neither requires ear cleaning before. However if the ears are really bad and filled with mite p**p gunk... cleaning them can kill the mites quicker, hence stopping the suffering of the cat faster.

Please don't hesitate in the treatment of mites. It's painful and can cause deafness if left untreated.

Good luck! I hope you can get your kitty cured soon!

Answer 3

don't use anything that isnt given to you by the vet

sometimes these things are hard to get rid of and if he goes outside it's gona be even harder to keep them out of his ears...

go back to your vet and let him know the other stuff didnt work and ask what else you can get.

Answer 4

I am not familiar with the "stronghold" product you mention.  I am familiar with Revolution....it is a product that will treat animal for fleas, intestinal parasites and ear mites.  When used to treat ear mites, it usually will take a full 30 days before they are dead.  You may have to treat an addition month to cover any eggs that hatched after the first treatment applied.  Other medication that I am familiar with for tx for ear mites is a product called "Acarexx" a .1% Ivermectin solution.  Kills adult mites, you have to wait for eggs to hatch for complete elimination for mites.

To best of my knowledge, ears infested with ear mites have  dry crusty debris in the ear canals not moist with odor.  You may have another situation brewing.  At least call the vet and tell them what you are seeing.

Bottom line, In my opinion, you have not treated your kitten long enough with anything to say that what was originally given has not treated the problem.....ear mites are tough to eradicate.  You can only kill the adults, you must wait for eggs to hatch to kill them and depending on how many eggs there are, it may take a week to 2 months to take care of the problem.