My Dog has Ears That Smell – Ear Mites

Ear mites can cause a rancid odor that emanates from your dog’s ears. They will also cause your dog to scratch at his ears more than usual and shake his head. Ear mites are extremely contagious so your dog could have gotten them from anywhere. They burrow in the ear canal and cause an itchy sensation for your dog. If they have been present for a while, when you look in your dog’s ears you will see dried blood that resembles coffee grounds in texture and color.

Once the symptoms of the dried blood resembling the coffee grounds and the pungent smell are present, you will know the dog has had ear mites for a while. When the dog firsts contracts them they are not visible to the naked eye. The excess scratching and shaking of the head are your first indications that ear mites might be on board.

Ear mites can cause an infection in your dog’s ear canal. If left untreated it can lead to irreversible hearing problems for them . Mites can spread to other areas of your dog’s body if not caught in time. Humans will not get ear mites.

You can treat ear mites at home with mineral oil. It is a safe and easy way to rid the little critters from your dogs ears. Mineral oil needs to be dropped into your dog’s ears with an eye dropper or and ear dropper. You want an instrument that will let you put only a few drops in the ear. You do not want to pour it in. After putting the mineral oil in the ear, close the ear and gently massage the area. You want the mineral oil to coat the mites, this suffocates them. Clean the dog’s ears out gently with a soft cloth. Never stick a Q-tip or other implement down your dog’s ear canal, this could cause a puncture to the ear drum.

You can repeat this once a day for a month. Pet Education.com reports that the life cycle for mite eggs is three weeks. You want to continue until the eggs are hatched. The vet can give you medication that kills both, but like any other parasite killer this has toxins in it. The mineral oil is a natural non toxic alternative.

If the dog persists with the scratching, head shaking, and the smell remains strong, he might have an infection and in this case get him to the vet. By keeping your dogs ear’s clean regularly you can prevent a recurrence of ear mite infestation.

You can clean your dog’s ears regularly with mineral oil or just a damp soft cloth. Remember prevention is the
best cure for ear mites.

References:Pet Education.com article on ear mites in dogs.