>From:    alisplace <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: ear mite question and a story
>We took Fidgit to the vet...earmites with a tiny bit of bacteria and yeast
>also showing up.  He prescribed Tresaderm...mentioned giving an injection
>of Ivermectin but then added that it wasn't approved for ferrets and could
>cause side effects or reactions...Tresaderm for 10 days stop for a week and
>remedicate for another 10 days.
>Alicia, Skot and Fidgit
 
Alicia-
 
I am sure that a million others have responded by now, but sometimes I have
actually learned something and can answer a question...so I do.  My wife
and I had a similar problem with one of our little fuzzbutts (Cedar) -
cruddy ears, the works.  Our local vet basically kept Cedar on Tresaderm
(thiabendazole, dexamethasone, and neomycin) for about 6 months.  The
infestation/infection/inflammation would quiet down and then flare back up
and we would retreat with Tresaderm.  Cedar wasn't happy and his ears were
gross.
 
Then I actually took my parasitology course, did some extra reading (like I
should have done in the beginning, *see reference below*) and realized that
with my ferrets, the Tresaderm wasn't going to cut it.  I (we - one of my
professors wrote the prescription) treated Cedar with Ivermectin (0.2-0.4
mg/kg injected subcutaneously once with repeated dosing every 2 weeks for 3
doses - some vets recommend 4 doses to make extra sure you break the
life-cycle of the mites).  Once the mites were gone, the inflammation
decreased (microenvironment changed) and he seemed to fight off any
bacterial infection (if there was one) on his own.  In addition, we treated
all of our other ferrets (other animals too, if you have them) with
Ivermectin because ear mites are spread via direct contact with other
infected animals (so everyone probably has them even if they aren't
symptomatic).
 
The Ivermectin is only going to treat the ear mites, so your vet may have to
treat the rest of the problem with an antifungal (eg.  thiabendazole) and an
antibiotic (eg.  neomycin), but getting rid of the mites first will probably
help the most.  If you and your vet are really ambitious/courageous, I heard
in pharmacology class that some vets are treating dog and cats with fungal
infections with daily doses of Lufenuron (Program).  It is usually given to
pets on a monthly schedule to treat (prevent) flea infestations, but some
vets have indicated good results with it in fungal infections (fungus and
fleas both have chitin - that's the common denominator if you are
interested).  I don't have the reference that my professor used, but I
believe she indicated that it had been published, so your vet should be
able to find the info.
 
According to what I've read (Connie Orcutt, DVM. Dermatological Diseases.
In: Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery. Eds.
Hillyer and Quesenberry, 1997), the ferret ear canal is too narrow for many
topical medications to penetrate (especially with all of the inflammation
and exudate); mites can recolonize the ear from untreated areas of the body
or from other animals; and ferrets don't like having medications rubbed into
their ears a couple of times a day for several weeks (personal experience).
I don't think that I will ever use a topical for ear mites in ferrets again
(n=3).  If your new/temp.  vet is interested in ferrets, my friends
(professors, too) and I have found the above mentioned book very useful.
Good luck.
 
-Sean
 
******************************
Sean Sawyer V'00
University of Pennsylvania
School of Veterinary Medicine
 
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[Posted in FML issue 2274]