What is earache (or the ear stingray)?
Earache is a type of extremely small parasite known as Otodectes cynotis, which can infect cats’ ears.
What does the auricle look like?
If one day, while scratching your cat’s ears, you notice something unusual inside – a brown substance that resembles coffee, then you should know that it is very likely that your cat has earaches. This parasite lives and reproduces in the ear canals, feeding on skin debris and cellular fluids.
What are the causes of earache?
Being highly contagious, auricular ray is often transmitted from animal to animal, in occasional contact at home, or outside. Although parasites can infect both cats and dogs, they are more common in cats and are responsible for more than 50% of ear infections.
Humans are generally immune to this parasite.
What are the symptoms that the cat feels?
- excessive scratching and rubbing of the ears
- shaking his head
- hair loss around the ear and dermatitis
- brown secretion
- unpleasant odor in the ear area
- inflammation of the ears scabs and wounds from scratching
Diagnosis and Treatment
The diagnosis is confirmed by microscopic examination of an ear sample. Sometimes the parasite can be seen even in the form of white drops that move around the ears, when a magnifying glass is used for examination. The presence of the parasite must be confirmed to distinguish the infection from other possible conditions
- Earache can be treated with products that your veterinarian will recommend. Drops or ointments are often used, which are applied directly to the ear.
- If the ears are infected or the accumulation of secretion is high, a light, regular cleaning will be necessary. In this case, the doctor may also prescribe an antibiotic to fight the infection.
- The improvement of the cat’s condition can appear immediately after starting the treatment, but keep in mind that you must continue it for the entire period indicated by the veterinarian, for healing.
Prevention
To prevent earache, it is important, first of all, to treat carefully all previous cases and all animals in the household, if one of them has an infection.It is also advisable to use antiparasitic solutions. In addition, periodically examine the cat’s ears and watch for the symptoms described above to quickly identify a possible outbreak.
Earache is not a serious danger to your cat’s health, moreover, once identified, it can be easily treated. However, if left untreated, it can lead to secondary ear infections, and complications can have more unpleasant effects.
Careful! You should always go to the vet for diagnosis and treatment!*
