Can you imagine 1000's of little mites crawling around inside your ear canals? Just the movement of these mites in this sensitive area can drive a cat or dog mad! Is your dog rubbing his ears vigorously? And are you finding it a bit weird? Just observe him for the following symptoms closely:

• Constant scratching around the ears,
• Ears are sensitive or hurt when touched,
• Dark brown to black debris in the ears,
• Rubbing the head and ears against objects,
• Head-shaking,
• Foul smelling odor coming from the ears.

If you feel these symptoms exist, then its time for an ear inspection. Dog ear mites are very small, but you may be able to see them with a magnifying glass. Look for small moving white specks on the dark debris in your dog’s ears. If you’re not sure whether you’re dealing with an ear mite infestation or an ear infection it’s best to bring your dog to the vet immediately.

So, what are ear-mites? Basically, a dog’s ears are normally warm, dark and moist. This is also a perfect environment for bacteria to thrive. Ear-mites are tiny external parasites that live in the ear-canal of the dogs. They have tiny tentacles that aggravate the ear canal, making your dog susceptible to bacterial or fungi infection. They cause pain and discomfort as they actually bite through a dog's skin to feed.

Ear mites can be transmitted to other pets also. Mites have a life cycle of about 3 weeks. And like fleas they can survive away from an animal for a period of time. If you have any other pets in your household you should treat each of them along with your infected pet. Make sure to give a good cleaning to any area where your dog spends significant time - like the couch, carpets, or his dog beds. Also, ear mites are the most common reason for an ear infection getting transferred from a mum to a pup.

As in every disease, early treatment of ear mites is crucial to prevent a more serious ear infection. 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. The treatment primarily includes washing out the debris with an insecticidal formula that will kill the mites. It’s usually necessary to treat your pet for three to four weeks to kill the mites and any eggs that may hatch in that period of time. It’s also better to sprinkle some flea powder on the dog’s skin. Remember, if a bacterial ear infection is left untreated it can result in loss of hearing. And do not stop the treatment mid-way; else he may get infected again, as mites lay eggs.

So, prevention is better than cure, isn’t it?