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Clean your dog's ears Recognize the symptoms of ear mites. Know how difficult it is to spot the mites. Realize that all dogs in the house may need to be treated.

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regularly. Regular ear cleaning with a ceruminolytic agent (meaning a solution that softens earwax) will help reduce the levels of wax the ear mites feed on. This makes the ear canal a less attractive environment for the mites. The frequency of cleaning will depend on how waxy your dog's ears usually get. As a general rule, clean the ear and if the cotton wool comes away soiled, clean again the following day, and so on until the cotton wool comes away clean. Then, clean weekly (or more frequently, if necessary). Keep an eye out for symptoms so that you can catch a re-emergence early. Watch for signs of irritation around the head and neck such as:  Shaking and/or scratching his ears Itchiness centered around the head and neck A thick, dark brown waxy discharge in one or both ear canals Irritation of the skin around the temples The dog holding its head to one side Thick, brown wax in the ear canals, especially in multiple dogs in the same household. If you do spot any of these symptoms and/or behaviors, go to your vet as soon as possible. They will be able to ascertain the cause of these symptoms and make sure the culprit is ear mites. Ear mites are tiny parasites, measuring less than .5 millimetres (0.020 in), and only just visible to naked eye. Mites are also photophobic (afraid of light) and tend to live deep within the ear canal, so you need a special instrument, called an auroscope, to see them. Alternatively, your vet may smear a sample of wax from the affected ear onto a slide and examine this under the microscope to look for adult mites, larvae or eggs. Ear mites are easily transferred between animals. To stop a dog becoming re-infected, be sure to treat all animals that come in contact with your pet, or they may re-infect the clean animal. Launder all bedding used and shared by the dogs in your house. Use detergent and hot water.