Any bad reactions from DE?

I'm wanting to put DE (food grade only) into my cats ears for ear mites. I've read that some of you have used it in the past with good results, but I'm wanting to know from those of you that have used it for ear mites if you feel it harmed your cat/cats ears in any way? I read on another forum that one cat died from taking it internally, one had to be put down for breathing problems (those 2 won't apply to me) and one person said that because DE is basically Silica, he would never use it in the ears for fear of the silica mixing with oils/waxes in the cats ears that could become like cement.

I'd really appreciate input about the slightest reactions from DE in any way, especially about it being put in the ears, Thanks[emoji]128570[/emoji]

I'm no expert, but I don't think you should put powder in your cat's ears. It sounds dangerous to me. There are some once a month flea treatments that you put on the back of the cat's neck between the shoulder blades that also treat ear mites. Ear mites are very hard to kill. None of the natural stuff I tried worked for me. I tried olive oil and coconut oil. What finally worked for me was Frontline, once a month on the back of the cat's neck. I had read online that it also will kill ear mites. It worked. On the cat's neck though, not in the ears.

Thank you.[emoji]128522[/emoji]
I think I might try just making a liquid solution and applying it to surface parts of the ear and not let it get down inside. I've read that is what some people do. I'm personally leary of the insecticides that go into the bloodstream, revolution worked for less than a month and she did have side effects. I hate these darn things!! Thx again

DE doesn't work like most people think.  It's extremely slow at killing adult fleas.  If you keep your cat dusted with it 24/7 for a month AND in a place where no new fleas can get on the cat?  Yeah, that'll eventually do the trick.
The greatest benefit of DE is for the stages of fleas before adulthood.
It's a bad environment for eggs and will help keep them from ever hatching, but, most of the eggs fall off of the cat, so, for this to work the DE has to be everywhere else, and the eggs have to fall into it.
It will wreak havoc on flea larvae as the eggs hatch. If the larvae get DE on them, they are done.
DE will hurt the pupal stage also. But, mostly it will get rid of newly emerging "soft" fleas as they come of the pupal stage.

As for the adult fleas you see on your cat?  They will probably die of old age faster than DE will kill them.
Best to dust the environment, not the cat.

And a word of caution.  Food Grade DE is environmentally friendly.  It's main use is to be mixed with grain in a silo or huge storage for extended periods of time.  (thus "food grade").  Most people eat A-LOT of this stuff and never know it.
Some ranchers/farmers feed it to their livestock, INTENTIONALLY.  (it's packaged, labeled, and sold for that reason).
I don't see a cat or any animal eating enough of that to hurt them.

Inhaling it?  That's a different story.
If you dust your house or the environment with enough DE to make a difference (which really isn't very much DE)?  You cannot fathom the mess you're going to make. Nor will your realize how much you inhale until your boogies turn red.
Imagine a handful of flour thrown into a fan inside your house.  Just a good thin dusting of DE on the floors will coat your walls, ceilings, and everything in between.   And it's DUST.

There's a fine line between non toxic and nuclear waste when it comes to killing fleas.
If you're going to use DE.  Use it in advance as a Preventative to an infestation.  Accept that you may have some fleas (just not a full blown infestation). And, use it SPARINGLY if using it inside of a home.
 

Thank you for a ll this great info. I read that the cat who died a few days or week later after eating it was dehydrated and the lady felt because the cat already had issues that the DE just dehydrated the cat too much[emoji]128559[/emoji].
Yeah, I personally wouldn't want to spread it all around my house unless I absolutely had to because of it being bad for the lungs. Still on the fence on whether to put in her ears, but I've read that it did work well to rid them of ear mites. Maybe I'll just try a teensy bit on inner flap.

​I don't think it's going to work because the ear mites are so deep in the ear canal. I wish that all the natural things I tried had worked, but they just didn't. If you use a once a month flea treatment on the neck, try Frontline next time, it worked for me. Or if you have a vet clinic, they can probably get this cleared up for not too much money. Look for a Clinic, they are usually cheaper.

I'm 100% sure that if I had ear mites?  DE would not be the treatment.  If you forced me to a home remedy, I might try vinegar.
But an ear full of mites would be like an ear full of chiggers.  And all natural would probably be at the bottom of my list of treatments considering what I think an earful of chiggers might feel like.

You know, if your cats have ear mites, I would just consult a vet about the ear mites. Take your cat to a vet and have the vet take a look. They have plenty of things that can clear these up for the cat.

Ears are very important -- you don't want ear mites to "settle in" on a permanent basis! :catguy:

Thanks guys. I saw a you tube video of a vet who was saying you could put just a bit into the cat's ear for mites. Apparently it's a very fine dust. Ive also read that if mixed with a teensy bit of water in can get into the canal, but will dry to a light film. From what I've read from people onine who've done this, they've been doing it for several years. Hoping someone would comment who has tried it, but I really do appreciate all of your input.