Ear mites transferred to people???

[Island dog]

Molly visits the Alzheimer Unit of a seniors facility every Monday. This morning I got a call from the Recreation Director (she decides which dogs are suitable) stating there has been a rash on the residents of the 300 unit (Alz) and the skin doctor has concluded the rash is caused by ear mites from dogs.

I called my vet who stated 'from what I told him' it would be worth publishing as he thinks it would be almost impossible for the mites to leave a dogs ear and take up residence on a human. He said there is a cat mite that can transfer to a human but I got the impression it's not that common. There is a resident cat at the facility.

Molly has always had gunky ears until recently. When I had her to the vets for her annual shots (which I will not do again as she had an allergic reaction) and discussed the problem with her ears, he said he would just treat her for mites which he did. Her ears were pretty good for a few weeks and then they started getting gunky again. I started her on raw and started cleaning her ears with apple cider vinegar and water. Her ears are soooo much better now. I don't know if it's the raw diet or the acv/water cleanser. Whatever it is - it's really working.

I told the vet what I was using and his response was a lot of 'um' 'oh' 'well' and then he said 'okay'. He said he'd be shocked if she had ear mites after being treated in Oct. Plus, she never ever scratches her ears!

Anyone else ever hear of ear mites being transferred to humans?

 

[elegy]

ear mites are EXTREMELY uncommon in adult dogs. gunky ears are almost always the result of infections (often yeast).

also, ear mites wouldn't cause a skin rash in a human. they'd infest the ear. i know it can be done intentionally (whackjob vet infected himself out of curiosity) but i've never ever heard of it happening by chance.

scabies, which is a skin mite, is transmissible to humans.

 

[Island dog]

I'm so stupid! The vet just called back after talking to the rec director. It is a mite - not an ear mite - that is on the dogs skin and can be transferred to humans. He advised the rec director that any dogs going into the facility should be on Revolution and be dewormed once a month. So I imagine the rules will change now as there are quite a number of dogs entering the facility that are not therapy dogs. Residents that had pets prior to being moved to the facility have friends/relatives bring in their pets. Friends/relatives and staff also bring in their pets for visits.

Molly is already on Revolution and she was being dewormed every 3 months (which I thought was overkill). I have to decide whether I am willing to give her deworming chemicals that often OR stop taking her there. I purchased DE and have been giving her that.

 

[MafiaPrincess]

Smudge came with ear mites. Breeder has indoor/ outdoor cats. Cats get them more commonly. Cider got them from Smudge. Was a back and forth battle to rid them both of them, but it was doable. Took a few months, and no person in this house was affected at all. Breeder has put her cats on revolution so it shouldn't be an issue ever again for her.

 

[Island dog]

Smudge came with ear mites. Breeder has indoor/ outdoor cats. Cats get them more commonly. Cider got them from Smudge. Was a back and forth battle to rid them both of them, but it was doable. Took a few months, and no person in this house was affected at all. Breeder has put her cats on revolution so it shouldn't be an issue ever again for her.

I'll apply the Revolution monthly as I have been, but I really have a problem with the idea of loading her up every month with chemicals "just in case" like the dewormer. Ever since her reaction to the annual shots I have been giving a lot of thought to what she is being exposed to. That's why I switched from kibble to raw and have decided to have titers done next year instead of automatically giving her shots that might not be required.

I enjoy taking her to the seniors lodge, and the residents love her, but I'm going to have to make a choice. Deworm her every month or stop taking her. Any opinions regarding the risks would be greatly appreciated. I can't decide whether I'm over reacting.

 

[MafiaPrincess]

What are they requiring as proof that you are deworming and using revolution every month?

 

[Island dog]

I don't know how they will be able to enforce it. I think it would be impossible. But if they implement these rules, I will abide by them or will stop taking Molly. It must be so hard to keep facilities like this as clean as possible and yet allow the residents to have the benefits of life. The staff at this facility is amazing. They are so kind and loving to the residents. They have to weigh the risks of having animals in for visits compared to the benefits. It will be a hard decision for them.