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The Life Cycle Of The Dog Ear Mites

The common ear mite is a tiny organism that resembles a tick. They can infect many species of animals, but are prevalent in the feline population. Infestation causes the animal to scratch at the ears. When dealing with ear mites, it can be helpful to understand their life cycle.

Adult mites are almost microscopic. They are white in color, with live and breed within the ears, surviving by eating tissue, wax, skin oils and debris from the ear and ear lining. They usually stay in the ears, but may migrate to the fur around the ears and onto the face. The females lay their eggs in the lining of the ears, approximately five eggs each day.

Ear mite eggs hatch after approximately four days of incubation, appearing as larvae. These larvae then feed on the same material as the adults for several days before molting into the first stage of nymphs. There are two nymph stages of the ear mite. One is the protonymph, which soon turns into a deutonymph.

The deutonymph, which has yet to establish a gender, then mates with the adult male ear mite. Following this, it develops into either a male or female mite. If it is a female, it is gravid, or with eggs, from mating with the male and will begin the cycle again. If a male, it will mate with deutonymphs, and keep the life cycle going. Ear mites have a lifespan of approximately two months. The entire life cycle of these irritating pests takes about three weeks from beginning to end.

The appearance of a dark and waxy or crumbly substance within the ear can be a positive indication of ear mite infestation. An animal can pick up these pests from close contact with another animal that has mites. It can wreak havoc in homes with many pets. Boarding kennels and shelters can see large breakouts due to large animal populations.

Ear mites, once positively identified by a veterinarian, can be treated and eradicated fairly easily. Topical and oral medications are available that can kill the mites and stop the life cycle. If left without treatment, secondary problems like yeast and bacterial infections can present themselves and complicate ear issues. Pets can also scratch so much that their nails rip the skin in and surrounding the ears, and these open areas can lead to infection.

All pets in the household must be checked and treated if infested with ear mites to prevent the likelihood of cross contamination. Avoiding another infestation can be as simple as keeping pets, particularly cats, inside where they are unlikely to come in contact with strays.

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