My kitten has ear mites. Why are his ears dry and cracked? Treatment?

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You may want to consider treating the ear mites with a different medication which is applied to the base of the neck instead of inside the ears. This product is called Revolution and is a prescription medication you can get from your veterinarian that can be used to treat ear mites in cats. Might be a better alternative in Muffin's case. I hope this helps!

Place an e-collar (cone) on him to prevent further trauma. Have him examined by your veterinarian or at the nearest veterinary ER. He may need antibiotics for infection as well as pain management. Once the infection is under control, an ear mite medication can be administered. Acarexx is a mite specific medication that will kill most mites with a single treatment. Severe cases may need multiple treatment. Topicals such as Revolution or Advantage Multi may also be used to treat mite infection.

If you are noticing redness after the treatment, stop using it. Duchess could be having a reaction to the medication. Revolution applied to the back of the neck will kill ear mites but the treatment must continue for 2-3 months. Use a routine ear cleaner during this time to help clean out the ear wax. Other treatments are also available for ear mite treatment. I recommend to talk with your veterinarian about alternative treatments. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Cute kitty! It may take 3-4 weeks for the revolution to completely rid the infection. You can purchase Eradimite or Otomite without a prescription and this may help rid the infection more quickly. Not sure if the Zymox you’re using is the treatment drops (which are great) or the cleanser (also a great product) but if it’s not the cleanser you are using already, then get some type of ear cleanser to help break up the “gunk” and get them out of there. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

You can buy Frontline spray and wipe your kitten with this. Wet a q-tip with the spray and just gently insert it into the kittens ear to wet the ear canal. Do not push it hard, do not twist it and do not try to clean the ear. If this does not work within the next few days, you will need to take your kitten to a vet for ear cleaning and treatment.

It is difficult to diagnose an ear infection without examining the discharge under a microscope to see if there are any bacteria, yeast, or mites. Based on the pictures, it does not appear to be a large amount of discharge. There aren't any OTC ear medications for infections but you could clean the ear with just an ear cleaner labeled for cats and see if that helps. Clean three times a week for now and then once weekly and see if that gets rid of all the discharge. If not, he really needs to go to a vet for treatment.

You could try contacting your local vets office or pet store for an ear cleanser suitable for use in cats (alcohol free only) to see if this will remove the mites, wax and oil. Gently fill the ear with the solution, rub the side of the ear for 1minute then allow her to shake out excess, wipe outer ear with cotton wool if she will allow this and is not too painful. Do not force liquid into ear as this can irritate or even burst the ear drum causing pain. You should contact your vet to discuss options of pain relief, your local humane society may have information on subsidized clinics in your area