Otodecosis (ear tick) is an invasive disease of cats, dogs and some other animals. Most often, the disease occurs in young cats aged one and a half months to a year, but adult animals can also suffer from it. Cats become infected with an ear tick from sick animals, sometimes from humans. For people, an ear tick is not dangerous, but they can carry parasites on clothing.
What is dangerous ear tick
It is easy to detect the disease - an ear mite peels off the upper layer of the epidermis, brown liquid is released from the damaged areas, which, when dried, forms crusts - they are clearly visible in the ear. Also, a sick animal becomes nervous, combing its ears - this should alert. Subsequently, the crusts form a plug in the ear canal. If the disease is not treated, the eardrum ruptures, the inflammatory process goes into the middle and inner ear. Then the inflammation affects the brain, as a result of which the animal dies. Therefore, treatment of cats for ear mites should begin immediately after the detection of symptoms of the disease.
Treatment of otodecosis
First of all, it is necessary to thoroughly clean the ears of the animal with an antiseptic, such as chlorhexidine.
It is possible to rid a cat of ticks with liquid medicines that need to be injected with a syringe with a rubber tube. After the auricle is bent in half, it is necessary to massage it with light movements. Such funds include drops such as Amatrizin, Aurikan.
You can also use ointments, for their application to the inner surface of the ear, cotton swabs should be used.
In veterinary medicine, aerosol preparations are also used for the treatment of ear mites: Prosoptol, Tsiodrin, Dermatozol, and Acrodex. They need to be sprayed for a couple of seconds at a distance of 5cm from the ear. The lack of aerosol preparations is that they are difficult to find in pet stores.
If an ear tick was found in kittens, then preparations should be selected that are not contraindicated in young animals - for example, Ivomek. The medicine must be administered subcutaneously with the calculation of 200 ฮผg per 1 kg of weight.
Most cats are not suitable for pregnant cats. Veterinarians advise in this situation to regularly clean the cat's ears and drip camphor oil into them. You can use the drops applied to the withers - for example, โLawyerโ, โPromerisโ. Front Spot drops are also effective. They are also dripped at the withers, but they are contraindicated in kittens for up to eight weeks.
Regardless of what type of treatment was chosen, it must be carried out in three stages, the interval between which should be five days - this is due to the life cycle of the ear tick.
In order to prevent the disease, it is necessary to protect cats from contact with stray animals, periodically clean their ears with special means, such as Otifri.
If you had to encounter an ear tick for the first time, it is better to contact a veterinarian - you should not risk the health of your pet.