With Kavan's ear problems, Mom has been learning about our lovely ears. Here are thirteen facts about ears and infections.
1. The outer or external ear is the pinna (ear flap). It is a thin, fleshy funnel-shaped structure that captures sound waves.
2. The middle ear contains the eardrum.
3. The vibrations from the eardrum are transferred to the fluid-filled cochlea or inner ear, which does the actual hearing.
4. The inner ear also contains three semicircular fluid-filled canals and two chambers (utricle and saccule) that aid in the cat’s balance and coordination.
5. Ear problems can lead to hearing and coordination impairment if left untreated.
6. Head tilting, circling, rolling, or stumbling is one sign of ear problems. A head tilt is what gave it away for Kavan.
7. Otitis is the term used to describe an inflammation of the ear that can occur in the outer ear (externa), middle ear (media), or inner ear (interna).
8. Fifty to 84 percent of otitis externa in cats can be attributed to ear mites .
9. A higher percentage of ear mite infestations occur in young cats and kittens.
10. Middle ear infections are usually the result of untreated external ear infections. This is what happened to Kavan. He had bad earmites, and after he was treated for them, the eardrum problem was discovered.
11. The Eustachian tube connects the middle ear cavity to the back of the throat. This connection equalizes air pressure on both sides of the eardrum.
12. Kavan has a bacterial infection and a perforated eardrum. Fluid is draining into his throat, causing him to cough and sneeze.
13. Kavan is getting the antibiotic Baytril (enrofloxacin) drops in his ear and well as Zithromax (azithromycin) taken orally, both twice a day.
So besides using those ears to hear the opening of a skinky goodness can, be sure to take care of them. They are very important, and ear problems are no fun. Ask Kavan!
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23 comments:
This was very interesting and important. I never knew ears were so complicated. I had better take good care of mine! I hope Kavan is feeling better.
Ear problems are definitely no fun. I get a lot of wax in my ears, so they get cleaned regularly. Thanks for sharing those facts about ears, Tara. :)
Oh, ears are so important! Not only can getting ear infekshuns hurt dey make yoo dizzy, sneeze and if yoo loose yoor hearing you won't hear da treat bag krinkle! Mom looks in our ears and SMELLS dem! She sez dat "dirty" ears don't smell good but clean ones are perfume to her noze. Our mom is weerd!
Great, now MomBean is looking for the q-tips. My ears are fine, thank you!
we hopes Kavan is feeling better soon. I know how horrible ear 'fekshuns is! - Miles
Yup, mommy found this out last year when I was battling ear infections. Now I get my ears cleaned once a week. bah.
Has your vet changed his food? My vet says that special food can help chronic ear infections.
We're hoping Kavan feels all better soon. Icky ears screw up a good game of tent WAAAAAAAAARRRS!!
*whispering* ooops sorry kavan, i mean tent waaaars.
Oh those horrible baytril drops....I shudder! I had earmites as a kitten...have you seen those things under the microscope?? UGH!!! Scary. The VET showed Meowmy my mites.
Latte
The Man in Brown should be stopping by your house today ;).
Latte
Thanks Tara, we didn't realize all those things about our ears. They are a pretty important part of us and we need to make sure they are taken care of. Is Kaven getting better? We hope the medicines are working quickly.
My pet human has suggested to also give Kavan a probiotic (which is the good bacteria that is killed off when you take an antibiotic)..... Suggested to take at least 2 hours after the antibiotic. We like the brand PB8. A half of capsule once a day in his food will help him.
ps.... there is a great product made by HALO for cats and dogs for ears that is so soothing!
An ear infection is no fun whether you're a kitty or a woofie or a bean!
I hope that Kavan is feelin' better!
DMM
We're concerned from the first comment that Dr. Daisy didn't know much about ears! They must not cover ears in the Milton Bradley home study course.
Best wishes to baby Kavan!
~J&B
There are many very informative Thursday Thirteen's today. Thank you for making me smarter.
Tara thank you for reading my proverb:)
Goodness, I do hope Kavan gets better real soon with the ears. My ears do not have any hair to cover and protect them...so mommy cleans them real well each time a get a bath.....that Means Every WEEK!!
Take good care of yourself...
Purrrrrs Miss Peachy
I will protect my ears certainly, thanks for sharing these important things.
Sending best wishes for Kavan's swift recovery - thanks for sharing the info about ears. It's good to know.
Whoa! That's a lot of ear info. Thank you for teaching us all that stuff. We hope Kavan's ears feel better soon.
Oh, do get well, dear Kavan!! Momma thinks kitty ears are so cute. She loves that little flap at the bottom. When she was a little girl she told her Momma that is where kitties keep their hankies.
Patches
Poor Kavan. I'm glad that they found out what was wrong with you. Sounds like you're being a real strong kitten. I hope you are all better soon. My grandpa is a retired ear doctor for beans. It's amazing how similar our ears are on the inside to those of the beans. I just wonder why our outside ears are so much more prettier than there's.
Tara did you get your package from the man in Brown? I just want to make sure it got there OK :).
Latte
hi again,
my pet human said to tell yours that if she has another questions about kavan's ears to please email her.
she is a veterinary acupuncturist.
her email is woof@fourpawsacupuncture.com
We here are lucky. Our ears are all ok. Mom's got scar tissue in those tubes tho, so she gets ear infections easy and has to go to the v-e-t for it. We'll bookmark this in case her ears mess up and we'll come read about it so we can get her fixed.
Purrrrs,
your bud Pepi
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