trying to get the facts.
one vet tells me there is no such thing as actual ear mites, that these bugs are a body mange mite and when they find the ear they are incorrectly called ear mites.
I have searched the internet but have not found a reputable site that states any facts.
Well they can live outside of the ear to an extent yes - head and upper neck. If you look at an ear mite under a microscope it looks quite different from demodex and sarcoptic mange. If they were the same as any other body mange mite they would be classified as the same and be named the same - they aren't. The ear mite lives in and lays eggs in the ear. The ear is the host environment not the body.
Ear mites and sarcoptic mange are picked up from the environment of the animal. Demodex is always present on the skin - in times of immune system immaturity or dysfunction the body doesn't respond to normal levels of the mite properly and it flourishes.
