[lapchern]

i've taken my kitten to the vet twice for two shots totalling me $50 to treat the mites... i've been cleaning her ears everyday and i keep finding more and more chunks of mites...

i think i'm going to try to resort to the mite drops that they sell at petsmart... any recommendation on which one to get? thnx.

 

[OsnobunnieO]

the first time I took Addison to the vet, they said he had mites (I figured so much, from all the scratching) and cleaned and treated his ears. She also said it looked like he had chronic ear problems for a while (I had just adopted him, don't know about his life before). He seems to be scratching a bit now but I'm not sure if its mites or not. I have some store bought mite treatment, but can't handle him myself and have yet to get help in treating him. I don't know what kind of medicine it is, but I remember something about aloe to 'soothe' and whatnot. If I ever get around to using it, I'll let you know.

 

[brite]

from what i've been thru with 2 kittens who had ear mites (one gave it to the other), the drops from the vet worked well. after the first batch, there were no mites found by the vet, even though a lot of brown stuff would still come out of their ears. i think it just takes a while for the ear to slow down the wax-production, as well as for all the dead mites to come out... perhaps you should call your vet and ask about recommendations about how to keep their ears clear and mite-free... i used mineral oil to clean their ears out twice a week, and then the last time i brought them back (about 4 months later), the ears were cleaner, and she just sold me a type of ear cleanser that would help them with the sensitivity, and thus reduce the "scratching".

 

[lapchern]

i went to the vet exactly 1 week from today (6/22/04) and they gave her a second shot. it's kind of strange to me because it seems that everyone else here seems to get prescription drops. all i get are two solutions: a pink soapy solution and an oily solution. Both are intended to be use as cleansers. I've been using htese solutions to clean out her ear but i still get small flakes of wax/mites everyday... I've run out of the oily solution but i still have the pink soapy one and am applying it everyday. How long should I wait before I head back to the vet? Should I try another vet? thanks. costs of the ears are running me almost $100 soon .

 

[brite]

hmm.

if you've run out of the "oily" stuff, i'd recommend going to your local pharmacy and finding some "mineral oil"... usually can be located in the laxative section (people used to drink it as a laxative supplement), and is relatively inexpensive. I used the mineral oil with cotton balls to help clean out the wax, and would place some drops in their ears to help "smother" any additional mites. If you have the ear wash, I'd recommend still using that too since it will probably help with the ear sensitivity (which one did they give to you? I have Oticalm)

If your local pet stores have visiting groups come in to administer vaccines, etc on the weekends at discounted rates, you may want to look into whether or not they do ear mite treatments too... I know the ones out here do. Or, you could always call another vet to get a second opinion.

Good luck!

 

[lapchern]

argh i just did my daily cleaning of her ears and i just barely noticed that they are horribly dry, red, and irritating...

screw this current vet, i'm going to another animal hospital tomorrow. i dont understand why everyone else gets mite drop treatment and i get this shady shot that does who knows what? mineral oil should help in moisturizing the ear right? how about baby oil?

 

[Ianthe]

Good call! I have dealt with quite a few cases of ear mites, and I have always been given prescription drops. Gaylord had them REALLY bad, he had to have 2 courses of the drops, but yeah, I think you should see another vet 8O

 

[brite]

aww, poor kitty. mineral oil works, i believe baby oil may be okay too, but i just stuck with the mineral oil b/c that's what they had at the vet's office. either way, the oil basically acts as a suffocant of the mites. as for moisturizing, the oil may help a bit, but the irritation of the ears usually come from the way the mites burrow into the ear, and also from the kitty scratching at it all day long.

going to another vet is a good idea. have the administer the drops, and definitely ask about how best to keep the ears clean, since it may take quite a bit of time for the ear wax production to normalize... it's been 6 months for me, and my kitties are almost finally back to normal.

 

[lotocats]

Revolution

I've used Revolution topical which treats fleas as well as ear mites.

 

[lapchern]

well just got back frm the new vet.. he gave me some drops called Tresaderm. hope it works..

 

[Ianthe]

Tresederm should do the trick....that is what I have always been given

 

[lapchern]

For $33 (for medication alone), it better !

 

[Ianthe]

Thats how much mine was. Grrrrr. I can never believe the price of prescriptions :roll: