Carlo Vitale, DVM, DACVD

The adult cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) is a ubiquitous, enterprising and persevering insect. The cat flea is the most dominant, competitive and most common flea associated with domesticated animals today.

There has been an ongoing debate over ototoxicity produced by topical medications.

As the years go by, I am amazed by the number of difficult cases that I continue to see in my practice.

It seems that pinnal inflammation is much easier to treat than canal inflammation.

Corticosteroids are among the most used and misused medications in veterinary medicine. They exert a powerful, reliable, and rapid effect, and there is no viable, more effective therapeutic alternative in animals with certain skin conditions. Topical and oral corticosteroid therapies are considered the first choice for treatment of acute and chronic inflammatory skin diseases, particularly allergic dermatitis. In addition, they aid in the inflammation associated with some types of infections, primarily Malassezia dermatitis and otitis.

When appropriately administered and not continued long-term, corticosteroids are very helpful and safe.