Cat or Dog Ear Mites and Ear Infections: Apple Cider Vinegar Cure

Plus Bonus Pet Uses for Apple Cider VinegarCure your dog or cat of ear mites and ear infections with apple cider vinegar? Apple cider vinegar is used as a natural remedy for lots of health issues. Even your
cat or dog can benefit from apple cider vinegar’s natural healing qualities. Natural apple cider vinegar is a safe and effective cure for ear mites and ear infections. My daughter uses this cure for her one dogs and five cats.How do I know if my dog or automobile has an ear infection?A dog or cat with an ear infection will continually scratch at it’s ear. they may also seem lethargic or simply not require to play as much. Dogs and cats with ear infections may become irritable toward other pets or humans. on inspection of the animal’s ear you will notice an odor and a visible dark and waxy build up.How do I use apple cider vinegar to treat my pet’s ear infection?You will require assistance with treating a pet ear infection as it will be painful for your pet at first. Have your assistant restrain the cat or dog. tidy the outer ear with a cotton swab dabbed in apple cider vinegar. Remove as much wax as possible without entering the ear canal. Now use an eye dropper to place a few drops of apple cider vinegar in the ear. Repeat daily until all signs of infection are gone.How do I know if my dog or cat has ear mites?A dog or cat with ear mites will also scratch at it’s ears quite a bit. Ear mites are insects which get in to your pet’s ear canal and take up residence. they will bite your cat or dog to feed and leave behind a dark residue which resembles coffee grounds. This is actually the feces and blood of the ear mites. how can i use apple cider vinegar to treat pet ear mites?To treat dog or cat ear mites an assistant will be needed to hold your pet one time again. Remove all the residue left by the ear mites with a tidy apple cider vinegar soaked cotton swab. Now tidy the outer ear with a tidy apple cider vinegar soaked rag. Use an eye dropper to place several drops of apple cider vinegar in each ear. Repeat daily until ear mites are gone.What other uses does apple cider vinegar have for pet care?

No, It"s Not Ear Mites

Does your dog have itchy ears? Does she shake her head a lot and scratch at the ears? Does he have a bad odor and dark “goop” coming from his ears? If this is your first time having a dog with “bad” ears, there is a better than average chance that you’ll think it’s ear mites. And if you think that the problem is due to mites, you might go to your local pet supply store, pick up some over-the-counter ear mite medicine, and start using it. You might then be a bit surprised when the problem keeps going on, despite a few weeks of treatment.

Some of you are nodding a bit sheepishly, as you have done this very thing. And I know it happens commonly, because a couple of weeks ago one of the people in my church asked me about this, and I had two clients on Saturday that thought the same thing. Admittedly, it’s probably a valid mistake, because the average pet owner is more likely to hear about ear mites than ear infections when talking to other pet owners.

Ear mites do happen, and do cause intense itchiness and debris in the ears. However, they are extremely uncommon in dogs. I have been practicing for almost 12 years, and over that time have seen somewhere between 5 and 10 dogs with ear mites. However, I see dogs with ear infections just about every day, and during the warm parts of the year I’ll easily see 5-10 ear infections in one day! In cats the ratio flipped around…itchy ears in cats more commonly indicate mites than infection.

There is no quick, easy way to just look at a dog or cat and tell whether it is mites or an infection. Both problems have identical symptoms, and can have a very similar debris. The ear mites are just barely microscopic, so with good magnification from an otoscope, a vet might be able to see them in the ear canal if there are enough of them. The definitive way to diagnose the problem is to get a swab of the debris from the ears and look under the microscope. Ear mites are very easy to find, and many times you can see the juveniles, adults, and eggs. Infections are just as easy to diagnose, as the bacteria and yeast are obvious with a good stain.

So the next time your dog starts shaking his head, don’t automatically assume that it’s ear mites. Odds are strongly against this diagnosis, and you should take him to your vet. Once there, allow your vet do to proper diagnostics so that the problem can be quickly treated.