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]