Ear mites themselves don't smell, but they can cause a smelly discharge to form within your dog's ears.
Ear Mites in Your Cat's Ears
Ear mites are the most common cause of foul odor in feline ears. These are tiny parasites that feed on the oil and ear wax in your cat's ears. These mites produce a foul-smelling brown discharge in your cat's ears.
So how can you tell the difference? Cats that aren't suffering an ear mite infection have a lighter brown earwax color that does not smell. The darkly colored earwax caused by an ear mite infection will often have ear discharge resembling coffee grounds.
Ear wax is normal in healthy dogs, but regular ear wax is light brown and doesn't have an odor. The wax in dogs with ear mites is usually darker brown or black, resembles coffee grounds, and can give off a foul odor.
Ear mites feasting on your dog's ears will likely develop a foul-smelling odor because of the accumulation of dead skin cells, blood, and other fluids. The dark discharge, which looks like coffee grounds, will produce an odor. Some other conditions that cause your pup's ears to smell include: Ear wax buildup.
Yeast infections occur when there is an overproduction of Candida in your dog's body. In many cases, a yeast infection causes what is described as a sweet or musty smell. There can also be redness and discharge from the ear that's generally brown in color.
Itching: The first sign of an ear mite infestation may be your dog scratching his head. Dark, crumbly reddish-brown discharge: This is often composed of dried blood and will resemble coffee grounds.
Ear mites and yeast infections have some similar symptoms, so sometimes, it's hard to decipher between them. Puppies are usually more prone to ear mites than adult dogs. Yeast infections, on the other hand, happen in both puppies and adult dogs.
A diagnosis is made by observing the mite. This is usually straightforward and may be done either by examination of the pet's ears with an otoscope or by microscopic examination of discharge from the ear. If the ears are very sore, the pet may need to be sedated to allow the ears to be properly examined and treated.
It can affect one or both ears, and your ear may become red and inflamed. The skin can become itchy and dry, and you might also notice a smelly, discoloured discharge coming from your ear. But there's no need to worry. While fungal ear infections are unpleasant, they can be treated quite easily.
Earwax: Earwax may have an odor due to a chemical in it that repels insects. Some people have more of this chemical in their wax than others. Dead skin cells and bacteria in the wax may also cause a smell. Cancer of the Ear: This is rare but may cause a bad odor to come from the ear.
Several drops of the ear cleaning solution or warm oil should be put into the ear canal and gently massaged. Massaging will dislodge the impacted debris and bring it up to the outer part of the ear where it can be wiped away with a cotton ball or tissue. Using cotton swabs (Q-tips) should be avoided.
Speaking of washing bedding …
You'll want to do a thorough cleaning to avoid those trouble makers from coming back and setting up shop in your pet's precious ears … AGAIN! Ear mites can live 4-6 days without feeding on a host. Since they're microscopic they can be living in your carpet or on your couch.
Green tea is a natural antiseptic that will get rid of mites. It'll also help remove the “coffee grounds” debris. Massage your dog's ears gently (she should love this!)
Ear mites are tiny mites that live on the surface of ear canal skin of cats (or dogs). They are barely visible to the human eye. An infestation produces brownish ear wax, similar in appearance to coffee grounds. Ear mites are contagious and can travel from the ears of an infected cat to any other cats in close contact.
“Ear mites tend to cause dry, dark discharge, which may resemble coffee grounds,” explains Dr. Wilde. If you examine the discharge under a microscope or magnifying glass, you may see tiny white specks moving about in the debris. These are live ear mites.
Once again, ear mites are parasites that feed off a human host's skin cells, oils, and wax. They are transmitted by jumping from one host to another, or even though the use of shared damp linens. Symptoms like ear itchiness, redness, and discomfort may prompt a visit to a physician.
Unfortunately you will always need to treat ear mites in your cat because they will not go away on their own. If treating ear mites in cats is delayed for too long you run the risk of chronic ear infections.
While ear mites are fairly easy to treat, if left untreated they can lead to severe skin and ear infections.
They are most active at night, so clean and treat the ears each evening at bedtime.
Ear infections are the most common cause of foul smelling ears in canines. These infections can come from: Various bacterial organisms which are common to the skin and ear canal of the canine can take advantage of opportunities created by abrasions, cuts and other wounds allow the bacteria to cause an infection.
Some dogs that have healthy, clean ears may never need to have their ears cleaned. However, it is recommended to clean your dog's ears if you notice discharge or an odor when examining the ear. Your veterinarian can help you decide how often your dog's ears should be cleaned.
If your dog has a yeast ear infection you may notice one or more of the following symptoms: Red or brown waxy discharge in the ear. Itching, scratching & pawing at the ear. A cheesy or musty smell coming from the ear.