[brite]

while i was cleaning tyson's ear tonight, i noticed that there was a bit of blood on the q-tip. i've been cleaning them every other day with mineral oil to rid him of ear mites, and this is the first time i saw blood. should i take him to the vet? is this something i should be severely concerned about? or should i just clean as normal and be more gentle?

 

[Sol]

I think you should thake him to the vet. Most likely he has scratched his ear so it has started to bleed.

 

[meowmix]

I don't think that you should be using a q-tip. if the kitten makes a wrong move (such as moving it's head up) there's a chance you could pop his ear drum. i heard you should use cotton balls i think.

 

[drjean]

Has he not been professionally treated for mites? Trying to pick them out at home like you're doing will not work, and you can damage his ears inadvertently if he jumps while you're in there. Get an anti-mite medication like ivermectin or selamectin from your vet. Once the buggers are dead you can go to work cleaning out the, er, remainders.

Listen, I had ear mites once (I think I must have flicked a chunk of debris at my face while cleaning and they got in my hair and wandered into my ear...) Anyway I would hear these disgusting chewing noises at 4 am -- the point being that mites are not fun and you want to kill, Kill, KILL THEM ALL immediately! :wink: (Since I only had a few I killed them by drowning them in sesame oil...it did seem to work, no more excavation sounds after that!) But in a heavy infestation, mineral oil is penny ante, go for the drugs baby. I am holistic about most things but when it comes to these buggers, I just love modern chemstry!

Cheers,
Dr. Jean

 

[brite]

i've actually taken both my kittens in for ivermectin at least once each.the last time, the doc didn't find anymore mites in their ears -- that was january. we're just doing the final cleanup since there's still a bit of gunk in their ear -- and i hear that you should keep cleaning until it's all gone.

unless... there shouldn't be any more brown stuff in their ears. it's not as bad as when they had the mites, but their ears are still a tiny bit dirty, so i've been trying to clean it out.

 

[Superkitties]

I'd also like to add my 2 cents for not using QTips in your cat's ears. One member of another board cleaned her cat's ears with them for several years, but it only took one time when he jerked his head to puncture his eardrum. He was in incredible pain, and after some serious involved surgury, he had permanent damage that I can't recall at the moment. She was so distraught, he'd never jerked before. It's really not worth the risk.

How about cotton balls instead? It may take longer to get all the crevices, you'll have to twist the balls a bit to maneuver around, but you won't run any risks.

I used Revolution (selamectin) on mine for ear mites.

 

[brite]

ok, will quit the q-tip's and stick to cotton balls -- currently, i'm using both, but don't dig past where i can see.

after ivermectin drops have been administered, what's the average amount of time that elapses before all of the mite "remains" disappear? their ears are definitely not as dirty as they were with the mites, but i just see some brown stuff appear every two days or so, and so i just clean gently every day to wipe the excess away.