★★★★★
Garlic in Olive Oil
★★★★★
Vaseline
Mineral Oil
★★★★★
I had a flea issue to deal with and one of my cats had horrible itchy scabs from his reaction to the fleas. Solution? Flowers Of Sulphur! 😃
I mixed 1 part Flowers Of Sulohur to 2 parts corn flour and worked it onto their skin, being careful not to make a dust cloud near their faces. I also treated their ears as I suspected mites too.
Result? Fleas slowing down or dying so it was easy to comb them out of my cats' fur with a flea comb.
Also, within a week the itchy scabs were gone.. the Flowers Of Sulphur is a great skin soother. It also deals with fungal issues.
Now my cats seem much happier and if they're happy I'm happy.
EC: Thank you for your great feedback!
Regarding borax and cats: we have a borax and peroxide feedback section for cats with mange that has posts from readers who had favorable results, so what you read about borax in another post might not be correct.
Here is the page on Earth Clinic with borax feedback: https://www.earthclinic.com/pets/cat-mange-treatment-home-remedies.html
Apple Cider Vinegar
"Even veterinarians routinely prescribe these based on an animal's history. But that could be a tragic mistake with this dangerous chemical. Seizures, tremors, lack of muscle control or death could occur, even if your pet has never had an adverse reaction in the past...."
*FDA-Approved Treatment Causes SERIOUS Reactions in 2/3 of Dogs!* ... https://www.barkandwhiskers.com/2020-10-05-nl-isoxazoline-flea-and-tick-medicine/
Ted's Mange Cure
Which leads to my question. While I haven't bathed her in the borax/peroxide/water solution yet, I'm still planning on it. She is very fluffy, looks like she might have Norwegian Forest Cat in her. My plan is to fill a mop bucket with the solution, then put her in the bucket and literally soak her. Trying to get it to the skin and then have it dry is going to be a challenge because of the under-floof in her coat. And liquid tends to run off. I figured I would then put her in a cat carrier for an hour to give the skin a chance to absorb the solution before she could dry herself. Does this sound like a reasonable plan to anyone else? Would appreciate any input anyone else has.
THANKS!!!!
You will need to bathe your cat in a mild shampoo to break up the oil barrier in her coat - once you do that she can be rinsed and then dipped in the mange remedy. You might also consider following up with a good dusting of food grade diatomaceous earth; I will put some in a pillow case, put the cat in the bag with the head out, and then manipulate the dust in the bag to penetrate the fur. Some folks use DE in the ear for mites so you might consider that also, however IMO the liquid remedy is more effective at penetrating all areas of the ear. Do keep in mind that treatment [bathing/dusting, treating both ears, treating all animals in the house, daily washing of bedding] needs to be continued for 3 weeks to eradicate the mites.
Ted's Mange Cure
EC: Hi Barbie, the poster is referring to Ted's Mange Cure, a combination of borax and peroxide highly diluted in water. It has been tested on thousands of dogs and cats worldwide since 2004 when it was first posted on this site. It is indeed a safe remedy.
Ted's Mange Cure
★★★★★
I noticed my beloved fur ball Violet had gunk around her one ear. Not really scratching at it, but also recalling last year when this happened it was ear mites, which I took her to the vet for. We did that gel, plus Revolution. Right now a $200+ vet bill is out of the question. So I googled. And y'all came up. And I started reading ... and cleaning her ear .. and reading.
I started with colloidal silver in the ear, and internally. Kept reading. Saw the olive oil/garlic. My husband is a naturopathic GP ... so we have lots of remedies around the house. Grabbed the ear drops that had the olive oil and garlic, plus something else. At this point her ear starts to look worse. She's scratching more, and the exterior in front of the ear is looking really irritated. So I keep reading, and reading, and reading. Ted's formula keeps coming up. I had to get to the store to get Borax, but I had peroxide at home. So I started cleaning her ear with straight 3% peroxide. As a rule, I don't like peroxide on an animal's ears. It's very very drying to tender skin. BUT ... I needed to get something going better. I used cotton pads (Shiseido, expensive but worth it. They don't shed, they're strong, and they are SUPER soft.) soaked but not dripping, then q-tips. It hurt. Her ear was bright red and I thought I did some real damage. I left her alone for the night and checked her the next day. Blood crusts, her ear was loaded with them. Which told me something in the right direction was happening. I bathed her using Dawn, paying attention to butt and feet. She has long hair - we think Norwegian Forest cat- so you have to work thoroughly to make sure it gets to the skin.
I got the borax, and read more. I needed to know if I could use it directly in the ear. Yay Ted!! YES I COULD. I mixed up a 1/2 batch, storing it in a glass jar in a drawer. For the last 3 nights I've soaked cotton pads and worked them inside her ear to loosen everything, then used q-tips. Violet has a "pocket" in her ear that was holding a lot of crust. The first night she wouldn't let me get anywhere near this pocket. The next night I started on the pocket with a q-tip before cleaning the ear with the pads. Success!!! She was in less pain, so I had more time to work with it. I pulled out a lot of crust. After cleaning it as thoroughly as I could, I took a dropper and put in 3 or 4 drops in the ear directly -- 2 into that pocket -- and massaged the ear then let her shake. Last night, very little crust, pocket still pretty clean. We're in the right direction.
My husband is going to fashion me a "cone of shame" so we can make sure she stays wet long enough for the solution to dry into the skin (which is what Revolution does). Then the dog will get done. I plan on keeping this up for at least a month, and treating the carpet.
I just noticed behind the ear she had matted hair "dred locks" and she's scratching behind that ear .. so it's going to be a Ted bath tonight. At least I know this is the right direction. If it happens again .. and it probably will .. I will go straight for Ted's solution. I don't think the oil etc did what was needed. So thank you one and all for all of your comments!!! Your comments gave me the direction I needed to go in!!!
Dont' use q-tips - most cause the infection to go deeper into the canal. The skin tissue in the ear is thin, delicate and easily damaged. Use cotton balls soaked with what ever you use, then soft tissue to wipe out the ear (or cotton balls).
Please don't fashion a "cone of shame" - just watch for scratching - like YOU having something in your eye or eat and you can't get at it. Their symptoms of scratching means something is wrong - terribly wrong. A product should soothe this reaction, not aggravate it.
I wrap my cat in a towel while treating then let him bask in the sun (window). It's pretty traumatic for them. He does not scratch after his treatment.
Mineral Oil
Mineral Oil
Mineral Oil
Mineral Oil
Seizures
1. Panting
2. Stumbling
3. Mild head jerking
4. Confusion
After each one of these 30-minute events, she would go the kitchen and clean out any left over dog or cat food. Then she would appear fine. Vet visits showed she was in good health...with her thyroid a bit low. We tried prozac, thinking it might be anxiety attacks, with no relief so we weaned her off. We started her on thyroid meds and her general overall well being improved, but the attacks came regularly throughout the day. I gave her 12.5 benedryl and it helped...but it kept her sleepy, and she was getting weaker. I was at my wits end!!! It looked like I was going to have to put my sweet Tuffie down. I noted one day, she was occasionally shaking her head...not often, but I did notice it. It occurred to me she could have ear mites.
I treated her for ear mites and she literally stopped the attacks overnight! Am I crazy? Have you all heard of such a thing?
What you describe sounds *exactly* like seizures. It is possible there are mites as well, but some seizures show up as head shaking.
Is there a reason your vet has not prescribed seizure meds? I understand that some folks would like to avoid any kind of drug, but you do have a senior with creeping up on high miles; a seizure medication from the vet may quite improve his quality of life.
As you saw, after a seizure your dog is very hungry; some sugar will help after a seizure - either sugar water, honey water, corn syrup or vanilla ice cream in a pinch.
In my limited experience, seizures that crop up in an older animal tend to just get worse. If this were my dog I would see the vet and discuss medications - and take a look/see for ear mites. I would also look at the environment to check for contaminants, and avoid feeding any food that contains rosemary, along with any type of food dye, or grains.
If seeing the vet is out of the question at this time and you find 'coffee grounds' in your dog's ears, then check out EC's remedies for ear mites:
Seizures
Thornit ear powder is really good and has been around for many years.
Yellow Dock
You can use the mixture for the ears on the skin, however if your cats lick it there could be complications if they have an undiagnosed underlying liver or kidney disease.
It doesn't sound right for the ear mites to be migrating all over your cat's body; it it just affecting the back of his ears?
Diatomaceous Earth
Unfortunately, I'm still fighting the war and now I'm desperate!
Any advice from anyone here is more than welcome!
This is their diet: Free-feed Orijen kibble, canned Organix grain free, fresh meats like chicken and beef, canned salmon, but they also get "junk" food like Whiskers treats, Meow-mix treats or Pounce treats. I'd created three cookie-monsters by giving them too many junk-food cat treats that the Bengal is totally obsessed with! I hate to admit I went overboard with giving them cookies too many times a day. But those sneaky little cats totally took advantage of me and trained me to their benefit! Now I have gotten a grip and although they still get cookies, it's in moderation. I've also switched their litter to Dr. Elsey's dust-free, hypoallergenic litter.
I used the oil (olive+vitamin E) in Trouble's ears (he's my Maine Coon with the hair loss around his neck) and got the last of the larger particles of "dirt" out of his ears. There might be some deep in his canals, but there's nothing visible. When I wipe out excess oil, pinhead-sized brown particles are on the cotton-ball. Of the three cats, his ears have the least amount of "dirt" and they actually look completely clean. The Snowshoe's and Bengal's ears both have a little visible dark-colored "wax" and it returns a couple days after putting the oil into their ears. Those two have intense reactions when treating their ears-- they cry and scratch their ears like crazy! Trouble does that a little, but not like the other two.
I didn't give them a bath. Trouble has had a couple "sponge" baths. Putting the oil in their ears once a day caused too many reactions that concerned me, so I didn't use oil as often as suggested.
Trouble is suffering the worst since he's still itching and shaking his head, twitching his ears, holding them sideways, and looking quite forlorn. The balding areas around his "collar" have widened, but the skin isn't red, isn't crusted, and is just regular-looking skin. If I'm not mistaken, it looks like the fur is coming back. It's peach-fuzz-like and there's only a couple dime-sized totally bald spots. The area is still itchy and I scratch it for him using my knuckle and he enters a state of nirvana! He has never had skin problems before this, ever!
I've read all the remedies on EC for ear mites, ear problems, and skin problems as well as info from other resources. I have the following products on hand: DE; pure organic Neem oil; H2O2; 100% organic pure coconut oil; Vitamin E oil; pure virgin olive oil; colloidal silver (gel) ; Borax powder; organic ACV; Dr. Bronner's baby shampoo; purified H2O.
Besides the oil, here's the remedies since the last post: I tried watered-down ACV but that stung Trouble's ears so I only tried that once (on his outer ear skin.) Then I tried Neem oil, warming it and applying it into their ears with a dropper. So, that seemed to help all of them at first: the next day their ears were considerably less itchy. Before I used it, Trouble's ears had become irritated and the inside skin on the ear-flap was almost red. Two days after applying the Neem oil his ears were almost light-pink again. I waited another day then re-applied the Neem oil to the Snowshoe and Trouble. I couldn't catch the very elusive Bengal. (Another story.)
When I applied the Neem oil the second time, both cats had bouts of crazy itching inside their ears, unlike the first time. Trouble's ears turned bright red, his ears really bothered him! Snowshoe's ears also bothered her and she sort of hid out for the day. Then I noticed two scratching-wounds on her cheek area! I applied colloidal silver to those patches and they heal up quickly, but then she scratches the scab off and we have to start over.
Since their reaction to the Neem oil was so intense, and it didn't seem to help them like it seemed to the first time, I let their ears rest for a few days. Since Neem oil is supposed to kill mites along with being an anti-inflammatory, anti-biotic, anti-viral and anti-fungal oil, I don't know why they had this reaction.
I don't treat everyday with these cats due to behavioral and physical reactions -maybe I should.
So, after a couple days I went to the next concoction: coconut oil mixed with colloidal silver applied with a dropper into their ears. Again, negative reactions at first. Then it seemed as if Trouble's incessant ear twitching, tilting, scratching, head shaking and misery subsided a little, but then the next day (yesterday) he was totally miserable! I've never seen him like that! His ears were/are making him totally miserable. He couldn't sleep because his ears kept twitching and itching, and he's holding them sideways, shaking his head. His eyes were squinting. His ears turned very red and tender. He even hid under the bed which he's never done before. The other two cats are not having these issues. I am just having other difficulties with treating them which is another story.
Tonight he is in better shape: he has more energy, his ears still twitch but he's not constantly shaking his head and looking as miserable as he looked yesterday. His ears still bother him but are more upright, they itch but aren't as red and his eyes are not squinty.
Of all the treatments, the least "harsh" seemed like it'd be the coconut oil/colloidal silver mix, so I was surprised at the reaction. Both have anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, anti-mite, anti-everything properties, so I don't get it.
Maybe the treatments were too close together when I transitioned from the Neem oil to the coconut/silver one. Or do I need to treat more often?
I gave Trouble a good brushing, shedding out his winter coat, and found some tiny white particles of dandruff on his back. I looked at it under a high-powered jewelry loupe and I don't think they are bugs since they didn't move. I also saw some dandruff on the Bengal's coat but it didn't move either.
Again, the only hair loss is on Trouble and it's only on his neck. The only itchy parts are Trouble's neck, and ears on all cats. No one's ears have any bad smells coming from them.
The DE has not caused any negative reactions on the other two cats, but to be honest I have been concentrating on Trouble more than them since he's the one with the most pressing problems.
Anyone have any ideas about what's going on, or if I need to do things differently?
Diatomaceous Earth
I was giving them an abundance of junk food cookies, and thought maybe that had something to do with his hair loss. But the ear thing is being passed around, and it began prior to my OD'ing them with cookies. His hair loss may just be from scratching. He doesn't use his claws when scratching, therefore his skin isn't broken/scratched or bleeding. The other two use their claws and that's why when the Bengal is scratching his ears he cries.... and that's why the Snowshoe has ripped those scabs off when she's itching.
The Big Question is: What is contagious, causes intense ear itching, head shaking, back legs thumping when I scratch their ears for them, dark brown wax, no odors, etc., that can be contracted by an indoors- only cat and passed to the other two?
Trouble is looking much less distressed this morning. Ears are still itchy but he is back to acting like himself... same shenanigans and same little troublemaker as usual. I haven't put anything into his ears since the coconut oil/colloidal silver stuff. By tomorrow I will guess he'll be miserable from itching again because that's the pattern, with one ear being worse than the other, holding it horizontally and then giving me that "meow" letting me know he's miserable.
I am so grateful for this website and the help I have received because I don't know if I'm treating this problem correctly since I've never personally dealt with an ear mite problem. The only ear problems I can remember dealing with on my own animals was a GSD's ear infection due to those big donkey ears getting stuff blowing in and another GSD had a foxtail in his ear. With all my dogs over the last 4+ decades being swimmers, not one even got a bacterial or a yeast infection! Have had lots of cats in the past and just lucked out I guess because no ear problems with any of them either!
Now it's three cats getting this thing all at the same time and each one is hard to treat in their own way so I guess my luck temporarily went on hold!
I will look up the meds and order some today. I hope it works, then I hope they never have to go through this again.
Thanks again!
Hand Sanitizer
Hand Sanitizer
Hand Sanitizer
Hand Sanitizer
How to Restrain Cats for Treatment
★★★★★
Cut the corner off of an old pillow case so it is just the size of the cat's neck. (Reinforce the neck with some quick stitches so the cat can't rip the pillowcase open if he gets a paw out. )
Make a drawstring for the bottom of the pillow case that can be drawn closed quickly.
Sneak up on the cat when he is sleeping.
Despite my monster cat hating this procedure (I'm 70 years old) he seems to understand that I am trying to help him doesn't seem to hold any grudge.
Garlic in Olive Oil
Yellow Dock
Thank You.
Yellow Dock
1 tablespoon of water with 9 drops of yellow dock is the dilution- mix up as many batches as you need to treat the ears. Maybe you only need 1 batch per ear, maybe you need 2 batches per ear to really get the solution worked down deep - and it needs to get worked down deep to reach all the mites.
IMHO it will be helpful to clean the ears of gunk before you do the yellow dock treatment.
Castor Oil
Multiple Remedies
★☆☆☆☆
Rubbing Alcohol
★★★★★
★☆☆☆☆
WARNING!
Rubbing Alcohol
Homeopathic Remedies
I have a question. You reccomend yellow dock tincture and water to kill ear mite which is applied directly into the ear. The latin name for yellow dock is rumex crispus which comes in a homeopathic pellet remedy made by Boiron. If the homeopathic remedy of yellow dock (rumex crispus) is taken orally via homeopathic pellet, will this kill ear mites as well?
Yellow Dock
Hand Sanitizer
Hand Sanitizer
Namaste, Om
Hand Sanitizer
Tea Tree Oil
Washing your hands or wearing gloves and changing inbetween patients is critical to prevent cross contaimination. My vet also said it was excellent to use tea tree oil for it's anti viral property. I'm glad to find this web site and am excited to go research the essential oil toxicity and the Diatmaceous earth cutting action from "glass" byproduct. Meanwhile I'll be hitting the pantry!. Jacque
Tea Tree Oil
Warning:
Using Tea Tree Oil topically on a cat.
Tea tree oil, which contains phenols (as does its neighbor, turpentine! ) is very toxic to cats because they do not possess the enzymes to metabolize it, so it is stored in the liver and can cause irreparable damage over time.
Most veterinarian medicines are prohibitively expensive, harmful or outright poisons. If health is a business, let the buyer beware. However, I would see a vet just to determine if the cat has also an ear infection as well as ear mites. Antibiotics have a long-term damaging effect on the body and some cats do not recover well at all.
