Efficacy of non-acaricidal containing otic preparations in the treatment of otoacariasis in dogs and cats.

Eighty-nine cats and 38 dogs naturally infested with the ear mite Otodectes cynotis were randomly allocated into two treatment groups. One group was treated with a product containing miconazole nitrate, polymyxin B sulphate and prednisolone acetate, the other with a combination of diethanolamine fusidate, framycetin sulphate, nystatin and prednisolone. The treatment (five drops in each ear) was applied twice daily for 14 days, and its efficacy was evaluated on days 7, 14 and 21 on the basis of an otoscopic examination of the external ear canal, a microscopical examination of scrapings for the presence of ear mites and clinical signs of pruritus, pain, erythema and/or exudate. Both treatments were highly effective, and there were no significant differences between the two products, either in efficacy or in the clinical improvements observed. Apart from an allergic reaction in one cat treated with the second product, no adverse effects were observed.