When does your pet need a home remedy ear mites treatment? Well, the chances of him having an infestation needing treatment are high - if you notice things like brown ear gunk that comes back after you clean it off, and the fact that he won't stop scratching his ears.

Ear mites are parasites that are passed from one animal to another, and feed off the blood supply, causing pain and irritation to the tissues. Although these annoying pests do affect dogs at times, they are usually found on small rodent pets - like guinea pigs and rats - and the house kitty as well. If not taken care of, the mites will continue to reproduce other blood suckers, which eventually causes more serious damage down the road - like permanent loss of hearing, or worse.

From these things, you know how important it is to have your furry friends treated as soon as possible, yet, making an expensive appointment with a veterinarian isn't always an option for some people. Fortunately, there are effective treatments you can use to rid your pet of mites, that are just as good as the pricey ones you pay for at the vet's office:

Mineral or corn oils - Inexpensive mineral oil can be used to combat mites, by smothering them. Corn oil does the same thing, but also soothes the irritated ear canals and speeds up the healing process, due to certain properties in its make up. To use, place some on a few cotton balls, and get a decent amount in the canals. Clean around the whole ear area. Repeat the process every day, for a total of three days.

Olive oil - Its benefits to one's health endless, killing mites is on the list, as well - although almond oil is equally effective in this case.

To make a solution, take 400 IU of vitamin E oil and mix it with one half ounce of olive oil, and administer through a dropper. You need to be sure the solution is room temperature - and no colder - when you squeeze the dropper into the animal's ear, or he'll probably physically show you his discomfort. Clean the ear area and the canals carefully, with several clean cotton swabs. This treatment needs to be repeated every other day, for a total of 6 six days, then allow the ears to rest for three more. Upon resuming the treatment, repeat the same "every other day" protocol, this time for six weeks - as this breaks the reproduction cycle.

Yellow dock root extract - An effective and safe way to eradicate ear mites, you simply mix 9 drops of extract into one tablespoon of water, and apply the 1/2 ounce of solution - at room temperature - with an ear dropper. Mite eggs aren't easily killed off with one application, so it's important to repeat this protocol every other day for six days, and then let the pet's ears rest for another three, before starting again. On the fourth day, start the "every other day" schedule and keep it going until the end of six weeks. By using this formula for the prescribed length of time, the reproduction cycle of the mites will eventually be broken.

Mite control with shampoo - Since mites don't always stick to the ear and head area of an animal, it's a good idea to shampoo the coat to keep it "mite free". A great way to complete the wash is with a final rinse of yellow dock tea and water.

Shampoo for mite control - Mites can travel to other areas of the animal's skin - in fact, all the way down to the tail. Using an infusion of yellow dock tea with water as a final rinse to "mite proof" the coat after bathing, is another effective way to keep him "mite free".

So even if paying a vet for treatment isn't an option for you, one of the home remedies you've just learned should be able to help. In treating your friend, keep in mind that it won't exactly be a "treat" for him, so you may want to have someone standing by to assist you when you do it.

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