Causes of cat otitis interna

Otitis interna is a kind of ear inflammation in cats, which often occurs together with otitis externa. This disease has a serious impact on the health of cats, and if not treated in time, the cat may die.

The cause of this disease is mostly severe spread of otitis externa or tympanic membrane infection with slight perforation. Pathogenic bacteria (such as Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Pseudomonas, etc.) spread to the tympanic membrane through the external auditory canal and Eustachian tube, and the pathogenic bacteria are infected through the blood route.

Otitis interna in cats is mostly caused by otitis externa, which is mainly caused by bacteria, ear itch mites and fungal infections. Bath water entering the ears is a common cause, and it can also be caused by blood-borne infection. Generally, middle ear and otitis interna occur simultaneously.

If otitis interna is caused, it will affect its hearing and sense of balance, causing the cat's movements to be abnormal and its head to tilt to the infected side. You must seek medical treatment as soon as possible, otherwise permanent hearing loss may occur. When it causes meningitis, it can cause death in cats.

What are the symptoms of cat otitis interna

Dark brown mucus discharge from the ears with a smell; the cat is restless, shaking its head and scratching the ears; spinning in circles, with poor balance ability; anorexia, and increased body temperature; when it causes meningitis, it can cause death of the cat.

The symptoms of sick cats are depression, droopy ears, head twisting to the side with ear disease, fever and pain, discharge in the external auditory canal, and obvious inflammation in the ear canal.

If you suffer from otitis interna, your head will turn more obviously to the affected side, and you may fall to the same side, causing instability in standing, ataxia, and worsening pain. Most cats suffering from otitis media and otitis interna often suffer from deafness due to perforation of their tympanic membrane.

Severe inflammation can also invade the facial nerve and parasympathetic nerve, causing facial paralysis and dryness of the nasal mucosa. Eventually, it may even lead to death due to meningitis. Otoscopy may show perforation of the tympanic membrane. If the disease is infected through the Eustachian tube or blood infection, tympanic membrane protrusion or discoloration may also be seen.

Treatment of cat otitis interna

The treatment of this disease must use antibiotics, tetracycline or chloramphenicol and other drugs. For sick cats whose tympanic membrane has been ruptured, it is necessary to observe with an otoscope and carefully remove the earwax in the tympanum with alligator forceps, and then rinse it with 37-38°C physiological saline. Irrigation fluid is injected into the middle ear through the tympanic membrane hole through a middle ear catheter with a length of 10 cm and a diameter of 1 mm. After flushing, the flushing fluid is sucked out. It needs to be flushed repeatedly until the sucked out flushing fluid is clean. Then instill neomycin and polymyxin, or use "Ear Shuang" or enrofloxacin ear drops, the effect is very good.

For cases where the tympanic membrane is not ruptured but the tympanic cavity is swollen and congested, tympanotomy can be used to facilitate cleaning, reduce pressure, relieve pain, and eliminateInflammation, preventing permanent hearing defects. In cases of chronic otitis media or tympanic membrane rupture, the cure rate is low.