Can Chickens Get Ear Mites (Otodectes Cynotis)

[CluckyJay]

I ask this because my husband is training a dog and it started shaking its head today when it barks. He JUST went to the vet a few days ago and they said NO MITES.

He swears my chickens gave it mites, along with my cats being the only way apparently his COON HUNTING dogs can get worms.

My chickens show NO signs of mites. I check them twice a week or so and I have never seen a flea, tick or even a tiny mite on a single one of them.

This dog has been diagnosed with some sort of blood parasite from a Louisiana tick and allergies (not from our place, he already had them). He is off his allergy medication but still on medicine for the tick stuff and I figured that is the cause of the head shaking.

Anyway, what mites and worms do chickens get that they can transfer to a dog.

 

[tellynpeep]

No. Chickens don't get ear mites. Dogs, cats, and humans can get bird mites however. They can't reproduce on mammals, so the infestation is short-lived, but can be very itchy. Most likely the dog has an ear infection, possibly related to his other allergies.

 

[Bleenie]

If you're worried you can just dust them. Chickens can get mites in their ears and I saw a post on here a while back where a hen had them so bad her ear was swollen up and looked like a cheerio and had some drainage. I imagine you could use the dust in your dogs ears too and see if it gives some relief? They sell garden & pet dust at some feed stores. a lot of people use Sevin Dust, I use Poultry & Garden Dust, works great on everything!

If he/she has floppy ears you might check for an "off" smell, may be a yeast infection of sorts. Our lab gets them constantly & Mometamax is the only thing that works for him.

 

[CluckyJay]

That is what I figured. He is set on it being my chickens though. Husbands can be a real pain in the you know what sometimes.

Thank you. I found a good article on them.

http://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/eng/Health_standards/tahm/2.09.08_MANGE.pdf

 

[CluckyJay]

Thanks Bleenie. I'm pretty sure my chickens are clean. They dust bathe in wood ash and neem oil daily. Hubby is just being a pain because the dog isn't "panning out" like he should. I hope he steps in chicken poo tonight. :|

 

[cmom]

I know this is an old thread, but thought I'd share. My neighbor called me about one of her chickens ears were funny. I went over and looked and discovered it has ear mites. I have never had it with any of my birds but have seen it before. I told her to get some ear mite lotion which can be purchased at places like Tractor Supply Company, and put it on the area to soften the mite debris buildup in it's ear. Also she can use something like olive oil or even warm water to soften the ear mite debris. Really anything to soften it. After she has put either the ear mite lotion or whatever to soften the debris then she should pick as much of it as she can get out of his ears. When she has picked out as much as possible then put more ear mite lotion in his ears. To make it easier to handle my birds, I wrap them up in a towel folded lengthwise and wrap the bird up like a burrito with it's head sticking out of the towel on one end and legs and feet out the other end. I wrap the bird tight enough so it can't get it's feet into the towel to get out of it and do whatever I have to do..