Persistant earmites

Hi there, this is my first post here so be gentle

One of my two cats has had earmites and/or infection for about 8 weeks now. I've been to the vet twice so far. I am treating the cat with Canaural which works for a short time only.
I think I may have beaten it over the weekend as the cat seemed to be a lot better but the problem is that through scratching, she has a scab on the bottom inner edge of her ear which almost heals but she then scratches it off again! Its a viscious circle.
I am debating about returning her to the vet but since she gets so wound up and scared I am reluctant as I think the only problem now is this scab. Anyone have experience in these matters?

Do you have an e-collar that you can put around her for a couple of days to stop her scratching?!

Milo had ear mites so bad when he was brought to me that we finally gassed him down (anesthetic) and thoroughly cleaned out his ears and then put the medicine in and made sure it got all the way down. When we looked down into his ears with an otoscope there was litterally a thick black layer of ear mites and wax covering his eardrums.

Thanks for your comments folks. I've decided to bite the bullet and take her to the vets today to get a definitive answer to wether there are still mites or if the problem now is just scratching open old wounds. I find the vets to be a bit vague with things so I will persist!
The coller thing is a good idea but she goes wild with it so that will be last resort after drugging (Just joking)

Blake and Jasmine continue to have ear mites, but I just found a website containing some info. Before I paste the info here, let me inform you of what mistakes, and what things have worked in the past for me. Just to let you know before you spend your money on a vet visit and purchasing Acarexx, I did this, and it seemed to work, but after two months the little buggers were back. I have been using Qtips to clean the ear, but I found out that I am actually pushing the mites down further into the ear.
When Blake begins to scratch his ears, Sometimes they bleed. I get some hydrogen peroxide (the solution that you use to clean cuts with) and place some on a cotton ball. I gently apply it to the cuts, and allow the peroxide to bubble for a little bit, then I gently dry it. Then, I apply some anti-boitic ointment (Neosporin, or the generic which I prefer because they do the same thing), and then I have to hold him at least two minutes, to allow the ointment to be absorbed. Then, I pat dry the remaining ointment off because I found out that when he cleans himself, he will lick his paws, then his ear, and back again, and Neosporin is really not good for his tummy. Here is the info from that website I found. Good luck, and if you find out anything that works, please let me know at [email protected].
----The following information was taken from the following website: http://www.dr-dan.com/earmites.htm----------------

The Ear Mite's proper name is "Otodectes cyanotis" ( Latin for "Picker of the Ear" ). This name tells it all. Ear mites are extremely common. Greater than 50% of dogs, cats and fox are carriers of ear mites. Most infestations are subclinical and inapparent, but secondary bacterial and fungal infections can cause a nasty external ear canal infection and much irritation and discomfort for your pet.
One of the biggest causes of treatment failure is not removing the exudate BEFORE applying the medication. Every bit of the black, crusty exudate must be removed from the ear canal before any medication will work. This is best accomplished by gently flushing the ear canal using an ear bulb (available from drug stores). Mix up a solution of warm water and liquid dishwashing detergent (just enough detergent to slightly color the water) and fill the ear bulb. The tip of the bulb is held loosely in the ear and the water/soap solution is gently squeezed in allowing it to bubble out carrying the debris (Never block the free passage of the solution out of the ear or you could rupture the ear drum). This process is repeated three or four times until the ears are clean. The ears are then rinsed with warm, clear water and dried. Q-tips are not recommended because they carry the dirtiest contamination deeper into the canal making the infection worse. If you do not feel comfortable cleaning the ear, you should consult your veterinarian.
Ear mite medications commonly contain a pyrethrin insecticide and vehicle such as mineral oil. These medications can be purchased across-the-counter from many pet stores or veterinary hospitals.
Since ear mites are easily passed from one pet to another by close contact, ALL animals in the household must be treated at the same time to ensure success.
A second reason for treatment failure is not treating long enough. The treatment schedule that has worked for me over the years is as follows:

All ear exudate is cleaned from the ear canal.

Ear mite medication is instilled deeply into the ear canal and massaged thoroughly to disperse. As you massage, a "gooshy" sound should be heard as the medication is dispersed. The medication is applied once a day for three days in a row.

A week is allowed to pass without treatment.

The ears are cleaned again and the medication is applied once a day for three more days.

Another week is allowed to pass without treatment.

The ears are cleaned and the medication is applied once a day for a final three days.
The reason for this schedule is to interrupt the entire life-cycle. Each week more eggs will hatch and new mites will colonize the ear. By the end of the third week we have killed all stages of the ear mite life-cycle and we should see no more problems. Occasionally, if bacterial or fungal infections have caused damage to the ear canal, an antibiotic or antifungal cream or ointment may need to be used.
Can people get Ear Mites?
No, and thank God for that. Can you imagine trying to sleep with bugs crawling around inside your head? Just remember to clean the ears thoroughly BEFORE treatment and treat long enough and it should be easy to rid your pet of these common pests.

Have you tried revolution? It's applied similarly to advantage or frontline. My vet suspected ear mites in my cat, gave me some revolution, and his ears have cleaned up nicely.

I am a nurse, and have cleaned wax out of my Mom's ears using a similar technique of warm water mixed with peroxide to flush. However, I would not want to do that to a cat for two reasons-one that any cat I have ever known would fillet me, and second that you could injure their eardrum. I would bet that the vet techs could teach how to do it safely, but wouldn't suggest trying it on your own.

The rest of the info is fabulous. Thanks! And welcome to TCS.

Thank you all for the advice. I took her to the vets and I was told that I have to use the Canaural in both ears for 3 weeks due to the egg cycle. Now why wasn't I told that information the last two visits to the vet? I also have a treatement similiar to Frontline to use on both cats to not only prevent fleas but to treat the other cat for mites just in case she has some but they are not bothering her.

Now why wasn't I told that information the last two visits to the vet?

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Yeah, seriously. You've now made 3 visits instead of 1 and paid them 3 times as much. I'd start going to another vet.
Good luck on the treatment, hope your cats get sorted.

would not want to do that to a cat for two reasons-one that any cat I have ever known would fillet me, and second that you could injure their eardrum.

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You're more likely to rupture your mom's ear drum than that of a cat. The ear canal in a cat is long, and it goes out, and then down. That is why the meds they give you have long heads to go down into the ear canal. Just pointing it out.

Canaural is not an ear mite medication--that is your biggest problem!!! The most common meds used for ear mites are revolution or ivermectin--canaural will not get rid of mites, although it will sooth the ears.
Get a new vet!!!!!!!

Is one dose of revolution enough to effectively treat ear mites? Both my kitties had it. I cleaned their ears as well as I could, gave them the revolution treatment and then cleaned their ears again a week or two later. Is that all that is needed or do they need more than one dose? The package insert says once should do it...dogs may need two treatments. Just wanted someones opinion from here on this........

Originally Posted by mellanie

Canaural is not an ear mite medication--that is your biggest problem!!! The most common meds used for ear mites are revolution or ivermectin--canaural will not get rid of mites, although it will sooth the ears.
Get a new vet!!!!!!!

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Interesting Mellanie! I shall check the literature that came with drug. I will be changing vets anyhow I think

When Grizzly was much younger say only 1 yr o two old (she's 9) she had a persistant case of ear mites. In addition to whatever the vet gave me they had a ear cleaning solution similar to described above. I would squirt in ear and massage bottom of ear for as long as she would allow and then let her go and shake her head. i treated outside due to "mess" I would take paper towel to wipe out any debris. She was so bad I had blood stains on the walls if she shook/scratched ears inside house. This went on for a long time I but a yr.
Then all of a sudden it cleared up and haven't been a problem since. The only sad thing is if you reach to pet her face she flinches-I guess she has a really good memory.

I've checked the literature that came with Canaural and it specifically states that it is a treatement for earmites. My guess is that the company sells a slightly different product under the same name in different countries. She is improving but there is stilll two and a half weeks left of treatement!

I just treated my cats with Acarexx last night... I'm crossing my fingers hoping it's fast and effective. How long should it take to work? Like I said, I treated last night and my boy is still shaking his head and scratching today.

I was told to treat my cat for 3 weeks due to the life cycle of the mites. Any shorter and you could end up killing off the current live ones and then the new eggs will hatch later after you've stopped the treatement.
After 4 days my cat still occasionally scatches and shakes her head but it is more calmly now. The ears look cleaner too. No blood!

Originally Posted by smokiethecat

Is one dose of revolution enough to effectively treat ear mites? Both my kitties had it. I cleaned their ears as well as I could, gave them the revolution treatment and then cleaned their ears again a week or two later. Is that all that is needed or do they need more than one dose? The package insert says once should do it...dogs may need two treatments. Just wanted someones opinion from here on this........

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The best thing to do would be to have your kitties vet recheck them.

My goodness, three weeks? We use Tresaderm with ivermectin added, twice a day, and clean the ears daily. We also use Revolution at the same time. Revolution CAN cure them by itself, but we like to be thorough, and have had better results with both. Our treatment lasts usually 7-10 days.