Beware - Pfizers Revolution For Ear Mites Bites - Phil P

Phil, You are by no means an "average" cat owner. Of all the cat owners
I know, none of them have an otoscope.


---MIKE---
In the White Mountains of New Hampshire
(44=B0 15' N - Elevation 1580')

"---MIKE---" wrote in message
...
Phil, You are by no means an "average" cat owner. Of all the cat owners
I know, none of them have an otoscope.

Perhaps you need to get out more, Mike. ;-)

Seriously, Mike, you can pick up a good otoscope/ophthalmoscope on eBay for
$100. Your vet can show you in 10 mins. how to check your cat's ears.
Its great for between-vet visits exams at home.

Phil

---MIKE--- wrote:

Phil, You are by no means an "average" cat owner. Of all the cat owners
I know, none of them have an otoscope.



Right this very moment I'm wishing I had one, as I'm looking at an
excessive buildup of brown gunk in one ear. Is it nothing or should I panic
before it spreads to 10 ears? The question of the day...

"5cats" wrote in message
...
---MIKE--- wrote:

Phil, You are by no means an "average" cat owner. Of all the cat owners
I know, none of them have an otoscope.



Right this very moment I'm wishing I had one, as I'm looking at an
excessive buildup of brown gunk in one ear. Is it nothing or should I
panic
before it spreads to 10 ears? The question of the day...

There are a few very good units on eBay for $50. Some also have
interchangeable Otoscope & Ophthalmoscope heads.

http://tinyurl.com/dwjwu

Phil P. wrote:


Right this very moment I'm wishing I had one, as I'm looking at an
excessive buildup of brown gunk in one ear. Is it nothing or should I
panic
before it spreads to 10 ears? The question of the day...

There are a few very good units on eBay for $50. Some also have
interchangeable Otoscope & Ophthalmoscope heads.

http://tinyurl.com/dwjwu



Is a human model OK, or is a veterinary one required?

"5cats" wrote in message
...
Phil P. wrote:


Right this very moment I'm wishing I had one, as I'm looking at an
excessive buildup of brown gunk in one ear. Is it nothing or should I
panic
before it spreads to 10 ears? The question of the day...

There are a few very good units on eBay for $50. Some also have
interchangeable Otoscope & Ophthalmoscope heads.

http://tinyurl.com/dwjwu



Is a human model OK, or is a veterinary one required?


They're the same unit. The only difference is the
interchangeable/disposable little black plastic specula sizes (4 and 5mm),
but most units come with an assortment of sizes. You can also buy assortment
or one size
packs of speculas for about $8-$10 or even less.

Try to get a unit that has interchangeable otoscope & ophthalmoscope heads.

Phil

"5cats" wrote in message
...
---MIKE--- wrote:

Phil, You are by no means an "average" cat owner. Of all the cat owners
I know, none of them have an otoscope.



Right this very moment I'm wishing I had one, as I'm looking at an
excessive buildup of brown gunk in one ear. Is it nothing or should I
panic
before it spreads to 10 ears? The question of the day...


I'd go to the pet store and pick up some ear wash. Make sure you have some
cotton balls and q-tips. Squirt some ear wash into one ear and rub gently
for a few at the base of the ear (you may have to burrito the cat to do
this). Then take cotton balls and wipe out the majority of the gunk and ear
wash. You can use the q-tip to get gunk out of the folds in the ear but
don't go digging anywhere in there that you can't see. Get the ear clean and
then keep an eye on it to see if the gunk returns. Some cats just seem to
have waxier ears than others. OTOH if what you clean out of there resembles
coffee grounds it could be mites. My observation with fosters has been the
lighter brown stuff is usually just ear wax.

W

Wendy wrote:


"5cats" wrote in message
...
---MIKE--- wrote:

Phil, You are by no means an "average" cat owner. Of all the cat
owners I know, none of them have an otoscope.



Right this very moment I'm wishing I had one, as I'm looking at an
excessive buildup of brown gunk in one ear. Is it nothing or should I
panic
before it spreads to 10 ears? The question of the day...


I'd go to the pet store and pick up some ear wash. Make sure you have
some cotton balls and q-tips. Squirt some ear wash into one ear and
rub gently for a few at the base of the ear (you may have to burrito
the cat to do this). Then take cotton balls and wipe out the majority
of the gunk and ear wash. You can use the q-tip to get gunk out of the
folds in the ear but don't go digging anywhere in there that you can't
see. Get the ear clean and then keep an eye on it to see if the gunk
returns. Some cats just seem to have waxier ears than others. OTOH if
what you clean out of there resembles coffee grounds it could be
mites. My observation with fosters has been the lighter brown stuff is
usually just ear wax.

W




Yeah, I've been through this many times before, especially years ago when
the cats still were outside fairly often. Right now, I don't think this
is mites, but there were a some flecks of crusty stuff. And there's a lot
more wax than the last time I looked at her ears, which was, I think, at
most 2 or 3 weeks ago. I will keep very close watch to see if it worsens
or starts to spread to the other cats.

I don't really trust the ear mite stuff from the pet store, I've always
gotten the stuff (tressaderm??) from the vet.

"5cats" wrote in message
...

Yeah, I've been through this many times before, especially years ago when
the cats still were outside fairly often. Right now, I don't think this
is mites, but there were a some flecks of crusty stuff.

Crusts or scabs usually form when an infection is healing in the ear. Your
cat might have scratched her ear while playing or scratched herself while
scratching her ear (you know what I mean). A simple scratch can easily cause
an ear infection because it allows the resident bacteria in the ear to
invade the thin skin. Wax (cerumen) can form even if the ear is only
irritated. Too much or too vigorous cleaning can also irritate the lining of
the ear cause wax production.

However, tiny white flecks could be ear mites:
http://www.maxshouse.com/Parasitology/earmite.jpg
http://www.maxshouse.com/Parasitolog..._ear_mites.jpg

Did you find a otoscope, yet? These are the ones I have:

http://www.maxshouse.com/instruments...t/oto-opth.jpg

The CompacSet is nice- Its a pocketsize, folding otoscope and
ophthalmoscope:

http://www.maxshouse.com/instruments...th-compact.jpg


And there's a lot
more wax than the last time I looked at her ears, which was, I think, at
most 2 or 3 weeks ago. I will keep very close watch to see if it worsens


If there's a lot more wax now than 2-3 weeks ago, it has worsened. I think
you should have it looked at.


or starts to spread to the other cats.


If your cat does have mites, with 5 cats, I don't think I'd want to wait to
see if they spread. I wouldn't want to put my other cats through the
discomfort if I could prevent it. I'm also lazy, I'd rather treat one now
than 5 later.



I don't really trust the ear mite stuff from the pet store, I've always
gotten the stuff (tressaderm??) from the vet.

Tresaderm is pretty good stuff- it contains an antibiotic for infections, a
corticosteroid for inflammation, and an antifungal that kills mites- it
covers all the bases. I like Acarexx- especially for ferals because it
usually takes only one dose to kill the mites and the ears don't have to be
cleaned first- not a pleasant job with ferals- although I prefer to clean
the ears first if I can. If you clean your cats' ears yourself, its
important to dry the ears thoroughly- damp ears can irritate the lining of
the ear which leads to inflammation and even more wax production.

Another precaution- before putting any cleaners in your cats' ear, put a
little warm normal saline in the ear first. If she swallows, gags, or
coughs, that's a pretty good sign that the eardrum (tympanic membrane) is
ruptured. It means the saline has flowed through the ruptured eardrum to
the middle ear, and through the eustachian tube (connects the middle ear
with the nasopharynx) and into the pharynx. So if she coughs or swallows,
take her to vet right away.

Good luck,

Phil

Phil P. wrote:

"5cats" wrote in message
...

Yeah, I've been through this many times before, especially years ago
when the cats still were outside fairly often. Right now, I don't
think this is mites, but there were a some flecks of crusty stuff.

Crusts or scabs usually form when an infection is healing in the ear.
Your cat might have scratched her ear while playing or scratched
herself while scratching her ear (you know what I mean). A simple
scratch can easily cause an ear infection because it allows the
resident bacteria in the ear to invade the thin skin. Wax (cerumen)
can form even if the ear is only irritated. Too much or too vigorous
cleaning can also irritate the lining of the ear cause wax production.

Irritation and excessive wax is a very possible scenario, she's been
rough-housing with the boys quite a bit lately.

I used a moist cotton ball to clean the top part of her ear, the stuff
does not turn red when in contact with water, so I think it's more likely
to be clumps of wax than a scab.


However, tiny white flecks could be ear mites:
http://www.maxshouse.com/Parasitology/earmite.jpg
http://www.maxshouse.com/Parasitolog..._ear_mites.jpg

Did you find a otoscope, yet? These are the ones I have:

http://www.maxshouse.com/instruments...t/oto-opth.jpg

The CompacSet is nice- Its a pocketsize, folding otoscope and
ophthalmoscope:

http://www.maxshouse.com/instruments...th-compact.jpg

A good set would be a stretch right now so I will probably have to settle
for an otoscope alone.

And there's a lot
more wax than the last time I looked at her ears, which was, I think,
at most 2 or 3 weeks ago. I will keep very close watch to see if it
worsens


If there's a lot more wax now than 2-3 weeks ago, it has worsened. I
think you should have it looked at.

Last time I looked, she had wax, but it was a clean and smooth layer, so
any build up is "worse" but it's still a minor amount.


or starts to spread to the other cats.


If your cat does have mites, with 5 cats, I don't think I'd want to
wait to see if they spread. I wouldn't want to put my other cats
through the discomfort if I could prevent it. I'm also lazy, I'd
rather treat one now than 5 later.

Right, treating all 5 at once is not a fun experience.
These cats are always playing, grooming or sleeping together. I'd think
that if one has mites it's already had a good chance to spread and I'd be
seeing some signs. The others are all clean and pink eared right now. In
theory, they shouldn't have a chance to pick up mites indoors, but it has
happened before.


I don't really trust the ear mite stuff from the pet store, I've
always gotten the stuff (tressaderm??) from the vet.

Tresaderm is pretty good stuff- it contains an antibiotic for
infections, a corticosteroid for inflammation, and an antifungal that
kills mites- it covers all the bases. I like Acarexx- especially for
ferals because it usually takes only one dose to kill the mites and
the ears don't have to be cleaned first- not a pleasant job with
ferals- although I prefer to clean the ears first if I can. If you
clean your cats' ears yourself, its important to dry the ears
thoroughly- damp ears can irritate the lining of the ear which leads
to inflammation and even more wax production.

Another precaution- before putting any cleaners in your cats' ear, put
a little warm normal saline in the ear first. If she swallows, gags,
or coughs, that's a pretty good sign that the eardrum (tympanic
membrane) is ruptured. It means the saline has flowed through the
ruptured eardrum to the middle ear, and through the eustachian tube
(connects the middle ear with the nasopharynx) and into the pharynx.
So if she coughs or swallows, take her to vet right away.

Good luck,

Phil

Thanks!