My cats have black, itchy ears. Is Sentry HC ear mite medicine safe?

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.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Sweetie. Unfortunately Zymox Otic HC contains enzymes and some hydrocortisone. It will help with itching, inflammation, and pain but will not treat ear mites. I would advise letting your vet take a look at Sweetie after getting a thorough history. They can then advise some diagnostic tests to evaluate what is going on with the ears. They can do an ear smear where they take some of the ear discharge, put it on a slide, and examine it under the microscope. Ear mites, bacteria, yeast, and foreign bodies can all cause ear infections/ear problems. Ear mites are contagious to all pets in the household so it's important to diagnose and treat that appropriately. There are topical flea/tick products that also treat ear mites and there are topical ear medicines which can address a variety of ear problems. Good luck with Sweetie.

Ear infections in cats can also be caused by yeast or bacteria, and are more common causes of ear infections in adult cats. Ear mites are more common in kittens. In order to treat Belle properly, she does have to see a vet, and vets will see pets for sickness. This counts, as leaving it untreated can lead to hearing loss. Give her vet a call to make her an appointment.

I would caution against using Hartz to treat ear mites. That's because it's an OTC medication, and it will not be as effective as medication you can get from the vet. I would recommend getting Revolution. It's a spot on flea treatment that also kill ear mites. You don't put it into their ears, but apply it on the back of the head where they can't lick it. I recommend using that on Benji.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The treatment will depend on what exactly is causing the itchiness. For example, if it turns out to be ear mites then the treatment would be to treat the mites. I recommend you have Stellet evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Mites for example are very easy to treat. Good luck and have a good night.

Most likely this won't hurt her because there is very limited absorption to the system from medications applied into the ear. Just wipe out the excess with a cotton ball or paper towel and flush the eyes with sterile eye wash if you suspect any could have gotten in there. She should be fine.

Because all of them are affected, ear mites would still be my first suspicion, even though your vet did not find any under the microscope (the fact that you just cleaned the ear before that might have something to do with that indeed). it can take 4-7 days for the cats to stop scratching their ears after the treatment has been started. other reasons for these symptoms include fungal or bacterial ear infections.