Miticides

[CMorrow]

Anyone ever used the miticides that you can get from Petco and the like? I think the one I saw said it was for cats, but I know the one that comes from the vet is the same they use for kittys. Would it work well for the ferrets and get rid of mites if they're there? I'd like to get little Bucky a treatment, but I don't have time over the next couple days to take her into the kids' vet.

[Nancy]

The over-the-counter mite remedies don't work very well. I've tried them in the past and they were a waste of money. If you want ones that work, you'll need to get meds through your vet. I know, it's a pain, but if you want effective treatment, that's where you have to go. The meds that work for clearing up ear mites really well in ferrets are injectable ivermectin(what I've used--injected subq), Revolution, and the newest one, Milbemite(not labeled for use in ferrets, but what med is really?). I've heard a lot of positive things about the Milbemite; I've had no personal experience with it though. It runs between $12 and $20. The ivermectin is injectible, revolution is topical(applied to skin), and Milbemite is drops you put in the ears. If you choose the Revolution, you may notice that they have one for dogs and cats. You can use either. The *amount* of meds in them is the same, only the size of the tubes is different(and of course the amount used depending on animal weight). There is no difference in ingredients. One more thing...when you do treat for ear mites, you need to treat all of your ferrets at the same time, regardless of whether they are the one with ear mites or not. Ear mites can turn into a vicious cycle if you only treat one ferret at a time. You'll cure one, then another will have them, and so on.

Here's some links to info on the meds I mentioned:

Ivermectin
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/ivermectin.html

Revolution
http://www.petalia.com.au/templates/...75&specie=Cats

Milbebite
http://www.petwellness.com/cat_milbemite_home.asp