Chronic Otitis in Cats: Clinical management of primary, predisposing and perpetuating factors

Abstract

Practical relevance: Chronic otitis can be one of the most frustrating diseases to manage for a small animal practitioner. While it occurs less commonly in the cat than the dog, it is no less challenging. The purpose of this review is to discuss the common and uncommon causes of chronic otitis in the cat within the clinical framework used for diagnosis and treatment. The focus is on diseases that affect the ear canal, rather than those restricted to the pinnae. Clinical challenges: Otitis is multifactorial, which complicates management. A common clinical mistake is to focus solely on treating the infection present. Only by addressing all factors will a clinician successfully control chronic otitis. For the purposes of this review, the authors have adopted the established model of separating primary, predisposing and perpetuating causes of otitis. Primary factors are those that directly cause otitis (inflammation); predisposing factors are those that put the patient at risk for development of otitis; and perpetuating factors are those that result in ongoing clinical signs of otitis or that prevent clinical resolution. Audience: This review is aimed at veterinarians who treat cats and particularly those with an interest in feline dermatology and otology. Equipment: While many practitioners rely on a hand-held otoscope, a video-otoscope can be very helpful for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic otitis. Evidence base: This review presents up-to-date information regarding the diagnosis and treatment of chronic otitis in cats, with emphasis on the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

A Pandora’s box in feline medicine: presenting signs and surgical outcomes in 58 previously hoarded cats with chronic otitis media-interna

“…OE is generally uncommon in cats compared with dogs, 25 – 27 but was common in cats with OMI in our study and others. 13 OE is likely to be secondary to OMI in cats, while the opposite is the case in dogs.…”

“…Therapeutic myringotomy, flushing and topical therapy have been recommended. 1 , 2 , 26 Despite cautions to the contrary, 3 myringotomy may be feasible without specialized equipment, but requires skill and can result in complications. There is no primary peer-reviewed literature to support the effectiveness of therapeutic myringotomy and flushing in chronic feline OMI.…”

Differenzialdiagnose zur malignen Neoplasie: Nasopharyngeale Masse bei einer Katze mit nasaler Kryptokokkose in Deutschland

“…Das Mittelohr der Katze besteht aus einem dorsolateralen (Epitympanum) und ventromedialem Kompartiment (Hypotym panum), welche durch eine dünne Knochenlamelle bis auf eine klei ne Verbindungsstelle (Mesotympanum) voneinander getrennt sind [27,28]. Die Eustachische Röhre verbindet das dorsolaterale Kom partiment mit dem Nasenrachen [27,28]. Der hier beschriebene Patient wies eine einseitige Mittelohrfüllung (Füllung beider Kom partimente) auf.…”

Efficacy of Felpreva®, a new spot-on formulation containing tigolaner, emodepside and praziquantel, applied as a single application to cats artificially infested with ear mites (Otodectes cynotis)

“…Affected cats can present anything from apparently healthy ( Sotiraki et al., 2001 ) to severe otitis externa ( Yang and Huang, 2016 ). Ear mite infestations are the most common cause for feline otitis externa, accounting for approximately 50–85% of all clinical cases ( Wall and Shearer, 2001 ; Jacobson, 2002 ; Brame and Cain, 2021 ). The disease is highly contagious and affects all types of cats ( Noli, 2020 ).…”