Our club has two vet talks per year which are open to the public.
 
Our fall '97 speaker was Dr. Allen Edwards, DVM, of Brockport Animal
hospital, Brockport, NY.
 
The talks are loosely formatted for a two hour session.  The first hour
is a discussion on a topic chosen by the speaker and the remaining time
is used for questions and answers.
 
At this talk Dr. Edwards relayed a true story of a vet who had, with
intent, infected himself with ear mites to find out first hand exactly what
their effect was.  Talk about dedication!  If I remember correctly, they
were left untreated for four weeks.  The vet stated that they were very
uncomfortable, and itched like the dickens, but caused no pain.  He even
described that, at night, when it was very quiet, he could even hear them
moving (are anyone's ears itching yet?).
 
I'm not a vet.  If I remember correctly, ear mites themselves, pose no
medical risk.  They won't cause any permanent damage.  Despite this, I'd
still strongly urge treatment.  They are stressful and irritating to the
animal.  Constant scratching at the ears could also lead to sores and a
possible infection.  Anyone who might have information to the contrary,
please post.
 
SP
[Posted in FML issue 2570]