Feline Otitis

Otitis means an inflammation of the ear canal. It may involve the outer ear, middle ear, or inner ear. Often more than one part is infected, but otitis externa (infection of the outer ear canal) is the most common form diagnosed.

Ear infections are often very painful for your cat.

Causes Of Otitis:

Causes of ear infections include:

• ear parasites (mites),
• injuries,
• bacterial infections,
• yeast infections,
• matted hair in the ear canals,
• allergies,
• and foreign objects in the ear canal.

Long, floppy ears are more prone to infection because the area inside the ear canal becomes warm, dark, and moist which is the perfect environment for infections to flourish. The major problem is that the normal anatomy of the ear does not allow for drainage of ear discharges.

Symptoms Of Otitis:

Signs of ear infections include scratching at the ears and/or shaking the head. Ears are often very red. A foul, smelly discharge is often present if the infection involves the outer ear.

If ear infections are not properly treated, the infection often becomes “chronic” which means it tends to reoccur. Recurrent infections cause the ear canal tissue to change in appearance becoming thick and rough. This often severely impairs hearing, even causing your cat to become deaf.

Diagnosis Of Otitis:

Diagnosis of otitis involves a thorough examination, not only of your cat's ears but of the entire body.

Allergies are a common cause of otitis and may result in involvement of other organ systems, specifically skin lesions and/or conjunctivitis (inflammation of tissue surrounding the eyeball).

A thorough examination of the ear canal for foreign objects, polyps, or other abnormalities is also necessary.

Microscopic examination of the exudate from the ear (the ear wax) may be necessary to check for parasites (such as ear mites) or yeast.

A culture of the ear exudate may be recommended to identify yeast or bacterial infections.

Treatment Of Otitis:

Treatment varies with the type of infection and length of time the infection has been present.

Chronic infections may require life-long treatment to keep the infection under control. This is why it is so important that you follow your veterinarian's directions and treat the ear for a sufficient length of time!

Cleaning the ears regularly will become an important part of controlling and/or preventing future ear infections.

Cleaning your cat’s ears:

1. Use a cleansing solution designed specifically to aid in cleaning your cat’s ears. (Your cat's veterinarian will be able to recommend the proper cleaning solution to suit your cat's needs.)
2. Fill the ear canal with the cleansing solution.
3. Massage the exterior of the ear canal to break up the dirt and debris located in the lower sections of the ear canal. You should hear a “squishing” sound while doing this.
4. Use a cotton swab and the tip of your finger to gently remove as much debris from your cat’s ear canal as possible. Do not use Q-tips or other long-handled devices to clean your cat's ears. This will only pack debris down inside of your cat's ear and may also injure your cat's eardrum.
5. Repeat steps 2, 3 and 4 as many times as necessary to remove as much debris as possible.
6. Repeat entire process in the opposite ear.

Healthy ears should be routinely cleaned once or twice weekly. Cleaning may have to be performed more frequently, even as often as daily, when your cat is suffering from an ear infection.

Depending on the severity and type of ear infection, your cat may also require medications (in the form of drops or ointments) to be applied directly to the ear canal. These will often be preparations designed to sooth the ear canal and decrease inflammation. These preparations may also include antibiotics and/or anti-fungal medications (which kill yeast).

In some cases, systemic antibiotics (either given by injection or by mouth) may be necessary to control infection in the ear canal.

Anti-inflammatory medications, such as prednisone or dexamethasone, may be necessary to help control the inflammation and irritation within the ear canal.

Pain medication may be necessary in severe cases as well. These may include Metacam, tramadol, buprenorphine or other feline pain medications. (Note: it is generally considered dangerous to use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications such as Metacam concurrently with steroids, such as prednisone or dexamethasone, so you and your cat's veterinarian may need to make a choice as to which medication is likely to be more effective in treating the ears).

If allergies are present, treatment of the ear infection will need to include treatment of the underlying allergy. This may include flea control, antihistimines and/or steroid products to control inflammation, food trials, and/or allergy testing and hyposensitization therapy.

If foreign objects are located within the ear canal, it will be necessary to remove the foreign object.

If polyps, growths, tumors, or other abnormalities of the ear canal are identified, surgical removal/repair may need to be performed.

In severe, non-responsive cases of otitis, your cat's veterinarian may recommend one of several surgical procedures.

• A lateral ear resection effectively opens up the ear canal to create better drainage and makes it easier to keep the ear canals clean.
• If chronic otitis has resulted in irreversible damage to the ear canals, a total ear ablation and ventral bulla osteotomy may be recommended. A total ear ablation and ventral bulla osteotomy basically involves removing all diseased tissue, including the ear canal and bones of the middle ear. In this procedure, the ear is basically removed. This procedure is a last resort effort to relieve the pain and suffering caused by chronic otitis which is untreatable.