Anyone can answcer this if they know but Fer since you're a vet tech hopefully you will know if no one else does. I *think* my cat has ear mites again....he has had them a couple times in the past and had the obvious signs.....lots of build up and the abnormal strong oder in the ear.....plus scratching & head shaking. Well yesterday I noticed that he is doing alot of scratching in one ear and the head shaking but I checked his ear out and their was a *tiny tiny* amount of build up (didn't seem all that abnormal) and no real smell. So I am wondering if this is just maybe the very begining stages of mites or maybe it could be something else? I'm asking here because if I am sure it's mites then I can just pick up the meds at the vet w/o having to bring him in. Bringing him in for a check up first will cost more and stress him out - so I'm trying to avoid that if it's not needed. So basically to sum it up in one sentence...does there always need to be ALOT of build up and a very strong oder for it to be mites?
Take your friend to a Veteranerian. They have drops to take care of mites. Next to a Urinary infection, Ear Mites are a Feline's worst enemy.
These are probably just the beginning stages. If she's had it twice before, that means that her immune system can't protect her from parasites well, and she will probably just continue to get them. I'd take her to the vet, but if you would rather not pay for a checkup, then I'd get the meds and see if you notice any improvement. There doesn't have to be alot of buildup for there to be mites. What brand of food are you feeding her? There is a very strong connection between the quality of food and the strength of the immune system. A very healthy animal will not get parasites because it's immune system protects them from parasites. The only time I've ever dealth with parasites in my rats was with one rat whenever he got sick -- the other rat was healthy, so even in close proximity he would not get the lice. You might want to try feeding her a good, human-grade or high quality feed-grade food. Good luck!
I'm going tommorrow to pick up the ear medicine.......the vet doesn't require that I bring him in if its ear mites....I can just get the meds for him myself to treat it. I'm just wondering if it could be anything else besides the mites since there was no strong odor & heavy build up....I wouldn't want to give him ear mite meds when there is another problem...I'm aware of a certain ear disease that causes inflamation, but it is highly uncommon...and there is no inflamation that I can see so far. He is scratching and shaking his head alot so I'm almost positive it's mites I'm just wondering why the other signs are not there?
I didn't know that his immune system had anything to do with it....I thought they only contacted mites strictly from interaction with another animal who is infected....but that is good to know. He's had lots of build up (and smell)both times in the past so that's why I a little unsure because it's not there now but as long as those signs don't need to be present then I'm pretty sure it's just mites then.....probably the begining stages like you said. He's getting his meds tommorrow *yay* Right now I am feeding him dry food which is what he's always eaten and it's pretty much just store bought brand.....whiskas.....friskies.....whatever. I usually switch it up each time so he isn't stuck with the same exact food day after day. I guess it really isn't a *high* quality....but now that you've mentioned it I am going look into something else of better quality for him. Thanks for both your replies Beaker thanks you. (my cat)
Glad to hear you'll be looking into something higher quality! It can be more expensive, but I guess you know now that in the end it's worth it when you're not paying all of those medical bills! Lol. Whiska and Friskies, as well as other "grocery store" foods are very low quality. You might want to check a pet supply store (not a big one like Petsmart or Petcetera). Here are some brands that I reccomend. If you need any tips on what to look for as far as ingredients, let me know, I'm happy to help! Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul Innova (especially EVO -- it's a kibble imitation of the BARF diet) Wellness Healthwise California Natural Fromm's Foundations Go! Natural
Hello Elle... Sorry my reply is a bit late but you got some awsome advice!!! (this is a great community for sure!) I'm assuming you called ur vet. Because sometimes we give meds without seen the pet ONLY if the pet had a history of ear mites (you said your cat did so I don't think that is a problem at this point) Now if the scratching and shaking head continues it may be an ear infection. And your cat will need more meds and you def. have to bring him to the vet for an antibiotic injection. I hope I was help (as well as the other replies) Let me know how it goes Fer
If you haven't already gotten ear mite meds, an alternative, natural method would be to use mineral oil. It drowns the mites safely and effective. And I just wanted to say that I disagree on a previous post about Grocery store brand foods being poor quality. I was taught by my instructor to make sure that the first 2 ingredients in cat foods are meat based. Also make sure to keep your cat on the SAME food at all times. You don't need to keep switching it to change flavor variety. You don't need to spend a lot of money on foods to keep your pets healthy. Usually the cheapy cheap foods aren't quality because they skimp on the meat which isn't good for cats because they are carnivores. Also I dissagree that a healthy immune system will prevent animals from contacting parasites. My animals are VERY healthy and they have come in contact with another infected animal and gotten fleas and ear mites. I feed my animals Iams. I believe its a good mid-grade brand ( I'm not rich) I have never heard of food having anything to do with preventing parasite infection. Just wanted to share my aspect - I 'm not saying anyone is wrong. Just wanted to help and hopefully not make things confusing!! good luck- ear mites are mean little bugs!
Thanks for your input. ....just wondering why you don't think it's a good idea to switch up the flavors of his food every month???^^^ this is why I will never buy anything from Iams Thanks Fer I'm positive it's mites now actually. I've got his meds already for him so he should be feeling much better shortly!
It's not just the meat factor -- if you look at say, Wal-Mart's food selection -- Not only do most of the foods skimp on the meat, but they also contain euthanized pets, roadkill, etc (Pedigree has admitted to adding euthanized pets -- "Meat and bone meal" "Meat by-products" "Meat meal" which is one big hint) (roadkill can be found in such ingredients as "poultry meal" (inspecific, alot of time means crows) ), bad chemical preservatives (ethoxyquin, BHA, BHT -- cause cancer, epilepsy, as well as dozens of other ailments), many fillers (corn, wheat, by-products, soy, peanut hulls (all very common allergens as well). The meat found in the feed-grade foods is almost always 4-D (not fit for human consumption -- dying, dead, diseased, down (disabled) at slaughter). This is how these brands save alot of money -- by using cheap products, they have alot of money left over for advertising. That is why you will only see feed-grade foods advertising their products on TV, billboards, etc. Also why they are so popular. Iams is really expensive in my opinion. I buy human grade food for my cat that lasts longer than a bag of Iams. What's really in pet food... http://www.homestead.com/vonhapsburg/petfood.html Nutrition really does have an affect on the immune system, and the immune system with parasites. Every single animal has parasites -- even right now, your dogs have mites. When the immune system becomes suppressed by something (sickness, infection, etc) it can no longer focus on the parasite population, and they will spread. It's the same reason people get cold sores in the winter alot -- your immune system becomes compromised because your body is trying to fight off colds and flu, and it doesn't focus on controlling your cold sore outbreaks. It doesn't have to be the determining cause -- sometimes a dog will come in contact with parasites and there are just too many for the dog to fight off. But it really is a factor. Often times people will say that the parasites weaken the immune system -- but, really, in turn, the parasites are there because of the weakened immune system in the first place. I look and act perfectly healthy, but I have an autoimmune disease so I know it goes much deeper than just that. http://www.doggiesparadise.com/boost-immune-system.shtml http://animalpetdoctor.homestead.com/IntestinalParasites.html http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/animals.htm http://www.pureliquidgold.com/parasites1.htm
Thank you Catahoula. I do remember reading about what really goes into cheap pet food and it was good to have the reminder. Thanks for all those links...I will be reading them!
Thank you Catahoula!! It's been a long time since I've been in school and studied animal nutrition. I knew all about the preservatives, fillers, and by products but I guess I never actually found out what bone meal and meat meal really were! yuck. and thank you to Elle also - I never knew Iams was cruel to animals ~ I've already switched my pets to Science diet - is that better? anyone know?
No problem! Actually Science Diet's ingredients are even worse and they do animal testing as well. So many things do animal testing nowadays. It's so sad. It's easier to find a good food at a small pet supply store, rather than a large pet shop or a grocery store. If you want to keep to the place you are currently shopping at (if it is one of those places), there are a few 'ok' foods, like Nutro Ultra or Nutro Natural Choice, and I believe they are less expensive than Iams or Science Diet anyways. Here is the list of foods I made above. Of course while these have good ingredients they are usually more expensive, and some dogs won't even touch them. In the end it all comes down to what a dog really likes and what he is healthy on. I know a dog that won't touch any food but Purina Beneful and Caeser, icky as they are. Chicken Soup for the dog Lover's Soul Innova (especially EVO! ) Wellness Healthwise California Natural Fromm's Foundations Go! Natural Also, Canidae, Solid Gold, TimberWolf Organics, and Summit are good brands.
http://www.caringconsumer.com/searchcompany.asp Oh my link didn't work.....~ well if you google "caring consumer" they have a full list of company's that do and don't test on animals and they cover everything.
