home Audience 3 What to do if your kitten has ear mites. A cat has ear mites and features of treatment at home. Home first aid kit for cats: traditional methods of treatment

What to do if your kitten has ear mites. A cat has ear mites and features of treatment at home. Home first aid kit for cats: traditional methods of treatment

If you notice that your cat is scratching its ear more often than usual, you need to carefully observe it throughout the day. There can be many reasons for this behavior of an animal. It is quite difficult to find out the cause on your own, since ear diseases often have many common symptoms.

To determine the cause, consultation with an experienced specialist is necessary. Therefore, if you notice that your cat is scratching its ears, bending its head to the side, or behaving restlessly, you should not self-medicate and put off a visit to the veterinarian.

Causes of the disease

Sometimes pet owners notice that the cat shakes its ear and scratches it very zealously. At the same time, it is clear even to a layman that she is very worried about this area. It is very dangerous to ignore such symptoms, since your pet can scratch the inner surface of the ear very strongly (to the point of bleeding). The result is non-healing inflammation, which often leads to blood poisoning.

The main factors that provoke ear itching:

Let's take a closer look at the most common reasons to understand why a cat scratches its ears and how to treat an animal for various diseases.

Ear mite

The most common disease that occurs most often in young cats and small kittens is ear scabies. Cleaning the ears will help detect this disease. If during this procedure you find a brown mass that also moves weakly, it means that the cat is tormented by ear mites (this mass is an accumulation of microscopic organisms). They cause severe itching in your pet.

In some cases, as a result of scratching, blood poisoning develops, which often leads to the death of the animal. But despite such dire consequences, a cat, after consultation with a veterinarian, can be successfully treated at home.

Treatment

First of all, the mite mass, which usually collects in crusts, is removed from the ears. To do this, use a cotton swab dipped in any vegetable oil. When the ears are completely cleaned, they are treated from the inside with drugs such as Amitraz, Hexachloran, Tsipam, Amitrazine. The procedure is carried out five times every three days.

At the same time, apply ear mite drops (for cats) “Aurican” every day for seven days. Treatment is continued for a month, but the ears are instilled twice a week. The fur around the affected ear is moistened with Neostomazan solution. For preventive purposes, Stronghold, Bars, and Frontline are used. During the treatment period, the animal is isolated from contact with other pets.

Today there are many drugs for the treatment of this disease, so a veterinarian or a pet pharmacy worker will help you choose the appropriate ear mite drops for cats. In addition, the clinic may recommend natural remedies that are no less effective than chemicals that are contraindicated for kittens, pregnant cats and weakened elderly animals. In this case, the ears are treated from the inside with vegetable oil, and then 2-3 drops of camphor oil are instilled into each ear (including healthy ones).

Otitis

Quite often, pet owners turn to veterinarians complaining that their cat is constantly scratching its ears. What to do in this case? A common cause of itchy ears in cats is otitis media, an inflammation of the ear. This disease is caused by the following reasons:

foreign body;
hypothermia.

This disease is manifested by the following symptoms that are difficult to miss:

shakes his head;
discharge appears from one or both ears.

But even if you independently discover, in your opinion, obvious signs of otitis, the final diagnosis should be made by a veterinarian based on research and test results. He will prescribe the necessary treatment.

Treatment procedures begin with rinsing the ears with 70 percent medical alcohol. Treatment of the disease depends on the location of the inflammation. The cat's hair inside the ear is cut off and the ear canal is treated with an alcohol solution (boric acid solution, iodine, hydrogen peroxide). Prednisolone is applied to the dried surface. The veterinarian will then usually prescribe antibiotics as well as antihistamines. If necessary, a novocaine blockade with an antibiotic is carried out, and fungicidal agents are used.

Yeast fungus

When a cat scratches its ear, it cannot be ruled out that this is a serious disease, which is dangerous because a pathogenic environment is formed around the location of the lesion, favorable for infection with other infections. May cause hearing loss in the animal. It is quite difficult to diagnose on your own, but it is possible that very dark sulfur is accumulating inside the sink, which has an unpleasant odor.

Once a day, the sink is thoroughly cleaned with hydrogen peroxide until the cotton swab is white. During treatment, the antibiotic “Kabaktan” is used (intramuscularly) once a day for seven days. The immunomodulator "Maksidin" is administered subcutaneously or intramuscularly twice a day for five days. In addition, Otoferonol Gold drops are used. For prevention, Otibiovin is recommended.

Dermatitis or eczema

Having diagnosed an animal with dermatitis or eczema, the veterinarian prescribes the following procedures:

douching with soda solution, soapy water or hydrogen peroxide;
removal of dead tissue;
treatment of affected areas with astringents (“Pyoctanin”, picric acid, silver nitrate solution, “Albucid”);
use of zinc oxide ointment;
restorative therapy.

In especially severe cases, surgical treatment may be required - opening the lesions and removing the affected areas.

A few words in conclusion

If a cat scratches its ear, it is not always due to some serious illness. Quite often, the source of itching is trivial - a large accumulation of sulfur. Sulfur mass, which has its natural color, can be easily removed with a cotton swab dipped in warm water at home.

But if you notice that it has changed color or consistency, you should not hesitate. The correct diagnosis of the animal will be made by a veterinarian. And remember: the sooner you start treating your pet, the more likely you are to prevent possible complications.

Among the frequent questions about ear mites in cats, cats and kittens, one can highlight the question of whether a person can become infected, be transmitted or not, or not. Just as often, pet owners ask about what to do if ear mites in cats persist and what is the optimal alternative treatment for such a frequently occurring problem.

Answers to these and many other frequently asked questions can be found both in this article and in other articles of this project, prepared specifically to solve any problems with pets.

What is an ear mite in cats, symptoms, how to detect and what it looks like, where it comes from, causes and consequences

- a small arthropod, which is a relative of the spider, its size is 0.2-0.6 mm, the body is oval in shape, pale yellow in color. In 15-20 days they go through a full development cycle. The ideal habitat for ticks is the warm, moist part of an animal's ears. There they settle and provoke inflammation, due to which a lot of wax is released from the ears. Veterinarians call it Ototdectes cynotus, and the disease is called otodectosis (ear scabies). There is another type of mite, Notoedres cati, and the disease notoedres, but these mites are located on the outside of the ear, unlike the first type, which settle in the ear canal. Without a host (cat or dog), ticks can survive for up to 65 days. If during this time he cannot settle with anyone, he dies.

If in the first option the cat can live for several years and the owners may not know about the disease, then with nodtoedrosis, cats scratch their ears “into blood.”

Symptoms of ticks in an animal are:
- general restless behavior of the animal. It may run around and rub its ears on everything, shake its head, meow and scratch its ears a lot, and there may be an unpleasant odor from the ears;
- dark brown liquid is released;
— perhaps the cat will hear worse or become completely deaf;
- increase in the cat's body temperature.

If you can see well, then after cleaning the cat's ear with a cotton swab, and taking a black sheet of paper, shake the stick over it and you will be able to see them. They look like small white specks (without a microscope) and do not move quickly, so you can easily notice them.

Ear mites in cats in advanced state, stage, form

If you do not start treating your cat in due time, it can cause unpleasant consequences. In a simple form, when infected with an ear mite, dry wax is released from the ear, which looks like a coffee clot, and if the disease has already become a complicated form, then the discharge is semi-moist and mixed with pus and blood of the animal. In an advanced state, inflammation can spread to the inner ear.

Are ear mites in cats harmful and contagious to humans, dangerous or not and its influence, is it transmitted to children?

Every owner of a cat or dog who has been diagnosed with ear mites wonders whether this is dangerous for me and my children? The answer is clear - not dangerous. People cannot get these mites from cats. They live exclusively on animals and harm only them. This disease is considered very contagious and dangerous for animals, so if you have more than one animal at home and at least one is found to have ear mites, it is better to check them all.

Ear mites in cats and cats, kittens treatment at home - simple methods

Treatment of cats, cats and kittens, if they all live with you, must be carried out simultaneously, regardless of how many animals are found to have ear mites.

At home you can carry out treatment in several stages:
— Reduce the number of mites in the cat’s ears mechanically;
- Kill those remaining inside with chemicals;
- If the inflammatory process has begun and pus is released, the use of antibiotics is necessary.

Ear mites in cats treated with turpentine, medications, peroxide, oil, chlorhexidine

Before treating your cat's ears, swaddle her so that she can breathe freely and she cannot pull out her paws.

After swaddling, hold her head with one hand and clean her with the other with cotton swabs soaked in warm water. Each ear needs a separate swab; don’t skimp on your pet, he doesn’t have that many ears.

After cleaning your ears, drop almond oil into your ears and massage. For greater effect, you can mix lavender, mint, tea tree (but diluted with water in equal proportions) with almond oil. Do everything carefully so that the oil does not get on the fur, nose or eyes.

You can take gum turpentine (not construction), dilute it in half with vegetable oil and smear the ears. You can not drip oil, but simply drip hydrogen peroxide or chlorhexidine and massage. After this, you need to drip insecticidal drops: “Bars”, “Tsipam” or “Amitrazine” and massage, folding the ear in half and do this twice with a break of several days.

Ear mites in cats, treatment cost and prevention

The price of drops for the treatment of ear mites is not high, from about 30 to 50 rubles, with the exception of Amidel-gel, Tsipam and Dekta, the price of which varies from 90 to 160 rubles. After treatment, you need to think about prevention. To prevent the disease from returning, monitor your cat’s diet, because he needs vitamins and minerals. Give him immunomodulators to boost and strengthen his immunity. Treat wool with insecticides. Protect your pet from contact with street animals and inspect its ears more often.

What happens if ear mites in a cat are not treated and how to treat them at home, what to drip

You can use the following medications at home after cleaning your ears:

— Amitrazine – destroys mites and has an anti-inflammatory and antipruritic effect. Drop 3-5 drops into each ear. Repeat after 5 days;
- Decta - it kills ticks and serves as an antibiotic;
— Amidel-gel is an acaricide and has an analgesic effect.

You need to know that you should not use alcohol-based medications.

Ear mites in a cat and otitis media, pus in the ear how to cure

Often, ear mites can cause otitis media, including bacterial ones. It is recommended to treat in the following way. Wipe the inside of the ear and ear canal with hydrogen peroxide morning and evening for two weeks. After this, treat with a swab with Chlorhexidine or Miramistin. Next, apply Bepanten or Celestoderm cream according to the same scheme. Then drip Sofradex or Genodex, 2-3 drops into the ear in the morning and evening, for two weeks. You can use the antibiotic "Cefazolin" - a simple one or "Cefuroxime" when the situation is complex.

Then the second stage of treatment. It is necessary to clean the ears in the morning and evening for 2 weeks with a suspension for which you mix DE Cream 30 ml. + Dioxidin 5 ml. + Creolin 2ml. Place 0.5 - 1.0 ml in your ears, massage the ear for 3-5 minutes, then clean the ear until completely clean.

You can use Advocate drops, and instead of Creolin suspension, drip two or three drops of Advocate once a week (5-7 weeks).

Ear mites in a domestic cat, the wound behind the ear may or may not die, how to wipe the ears and how to help

If your cat has ear mites, and he scratched his ears and even the area behind the ear, then be sure to treat the wound with insecticidal agents, antiseptics: Konkov ointment or sulfur, otherwise he may begin to go bald, but it will not be fatal.

Remember that you cannot self-medicate in this case. As soon as you suspect that your pet has otodectosis, immediately take him to see a veterinarian.

Most of us have four-legged friends in our home. For lonely people, the presence of an animal in the house sometimes becomes the meaning of life. If a cat feels unwell, all concerns associated with it become a matter of vital necessity, since any illness can cost your pet her life.

Today we will talk about a dangerous disease, medically called otodectosis, which is caused by scabies mites.

How does tick infection occur?

Infection of a pet occurs through contact with a sick animal, so if there are animals in the house other than a cat or dog, it is necessary to take preventive measures for the disinfection of all animals in the house. This applies not only to our smaller brothers. Dishes and bedding can also become a source of infection.

Who is exposed to the disease

Most often, one and a half month old kittens or cats under the age of one year are affected by ear mites. This can be easily detected by examining the cat's ears. The first sign of the presence of the disease is a grainy black coating in the kitten’s ears.. This is clearly demonstrated in the photo of the animal. The plaque gets its color as a result of a mixture of earwax, animal blood and biochemical secretions of the tick itself. The disease is quite dangerous because it not only causes inflammation of the middle ear, but also affects the skin.

When the condition is neglected, internal organs are affected and the body's resistance is reduced. This disease also occurs in adult cats., it is only tolerated in a mild form, since the body has developed a strong immunity to infection. Among domestic animals, not only cats, but also dogs get sick. If there is an infected animal in the house, it is advisable to isolate it from other four-legged fellows. In nature, this disease occurs in raccoons and foxes.

Main symptoms of the disease

Liquid secretions dry out, mixing with waste products of mites, and over time the ear canal becomes crusty. If the necessary measures are not taken in a timely manner, a plug will form in the ears. The cat loses hearing, becomes lethargic and refuses to eat.

If the above symptoms of the disease occur, you should immediately contact a veterinarian before the disease becomes advanced. For ear mite disease with a complication the cat's eardrum may burst, and the animal will lose its hearing. The tick will penetrate first into the middle ear, then into the inner ear. Infection of the meninges will occur. This is expressed in periodically occurring nervous attacks of the animal, as a result of which the animal usually dies.

Ear mites in cats

At a later stage of the disease, a bacterial infection can develop, which can be the main cause of death of the animal.

To prevent this from happening, the cat owner must regularly examine his pet's ears and clean them once a week. Much it is easier to prevent the disease than to treat it. After all, at the same time you see the suffering and torment of your pet. If the cause of the disease is death, not everyone can easily bear it.

How to clean your ears

You can clean your cat's ears using regular green tea. Rinsing your ears with a natural antiseptic will not do any harm. For this you need to steam some green tea in a cup and let it brew. Then cool and strain the broth. Next, take a dropper or small syringe without a needle and drop the solution into your ear to rinse it out. Keep massaging the upper area near the outer ear so that the green tea spreads into the ear canal. The decoction will soften the accumulated dirt in the ears, and you can easily wipe the auricle and clean the ear canal with a cotton swab.

What to do if your cat gets ear mites

If your pet is infected, you can treat the animal yourself at home. However, treatment can begin only when the veterinarian performs a microscopic examination of the ear discharge and makes an accurate diagnosis. In any other case, independent use of drugs can provoke ear diseases of a different nature or aggravate the disease.

Today, veterinary medicine has developed a lot of drugs that can fight ear mites. All that remains is to choose the right drug, depending on the degree of the disease and your financial capabilities. Preparations for the treatment of ticks can be divided into the following groups:

And this is not a complete list of medications that can rid an animal of ticks.

How to Use Ear Mite Medicine on Cats

After treating the animal, it is necessary to carry out preventive measures - wet cleaning of the premises so that ticks, after they are expelled from the sick cat, do not crawl onto another animal.

Traditional methods of treatment

For more gentle treatment, cats use traditional methods. The products are used both for independent treatment and in complex therapy in combination with medications.

To keep your cat cheerful and healthy, do not forget to take preventive measures. Treat the areas where your animal is most often with sprays and chlorine solution, wash bedding and rugs more often. Monitor the composition and norm of nutrition. The cat must receive sufficient amounts of essential minerals and vitamins. Weak immunity is the main reason for tick infection and spread. You can boost your immunity with the help of immunomodulatory drugs such as Polivak, Gamavit or Echinacea.

Remember, at the first symptoms of the disease, do not delay your visit to the veterinarian. A trip to him will not be in vain. In any case, a specialist will give you the necessary recommendations for caring for your four-legged friend.

The initial stage may be characterized by the presence of the following symptoms:

Specific brown or gray discharge appears in the auricle.
the animal begins to actively shake its head, thereby trying to get rid of uninvited guests (ticks).
Scratching the ears becomes the first thing a cat does after sleep, and she will do this with special zeal.

One of the most dangerous consequences that a tick can cause is fungal inflammation, which is often accompanied by otitis media of varying levels.

In this case, you can observe a specific discharge from the ears, which may not be a very pleasant addition to the dark brown scabs.

Basic infection processes

Young cats, whose age does not exceed six months, are much more likely to be exposed to this tick-borne infection. However, this does not mean that ear mites cannot appear in an adult cat.

After three days from the moment the first signs of the presence of a tick appear, it is necessary to begin prompt treatment. At this time, a very characteristic odor should appear due to the discharge, which will dry out and form dark-colored crusts. But all these signs may also indicate the presence of a foreign object in the ear, and not just the presence of a mite.

Only a qualified veterinarian can make an accurate diagnosis, who must select a remedy for ear mites. The drug is prescribed depending on the severity of the disease.

What is the otodecosis procedure?

The procedures and their regularity will depend on the phase of the disease. In the early stages, as well as in the middle stages, the following manipulations are carried out:

actions aimed at preventing otitis media;
removal of the tick itself;
restoration of lost immunity;
anesthesia;
Cleaning a cat's ear.

When pus appears (last stage), the following is additionally carried out:

purification of blood from remnants of a previously present foreign organism;
manipulations aimed at preventing sepsis and other damage to the hearing organs;
restoration of the immune system;
destruction of the resulting infection.

The ear must be cleaned using special products and lotions that help dilute the wax and crust that has formed. To begin with, it is recommended to use otoklin and otodin against ticks. All manipulations should be aimed exclusively at removing the cause of the disease – the tick, and relieving the cat’s existing pain.

Unfortunately, It is not recommended to use cotton swabs during cleaning. There is less free space in the ear, so the cotton ball simply slides off and remains there. It is necessary to carry out anesthesia, as this will not only help the veterinarian, but will also relieve pain in the cat himself. The ear will itch less, so the animal will practically not scratch it.

Main types of treatment and means used

Treatment of ear mites at home involves the use of special ointments, drops, sprays and gels. If we are talking about treating only the first stage, then it is recommended to use Surolan, Tsipam, Amitrazine or Bars. Both ears are buried, even if the tick lives in one of them.

Each anti-tick product contains a number of toxic components, so compliance with the dosage is extremely necessary. Before instillation, you should clean the auricle and wipe it with a clean napkin.

But ear sticks should be used to apply ointments. You can treat ear mites in cats using different means, but all of them must be approved by a veterinarian, because only he can accurately recognize the stage of development of the disease caused by the mite.

Most cats do not tolerate even the slightest interference, so they can bite and scratch their owner.

In extreme cases, a medicinal spray can be prescribed, which can be used to painlessly treat areas of the ear damaged by mites. Such aerosols are sprayed at a considerable distance from the ear, so in most cases the animal does not even have time to react.

As a last resort, you can subject your cat to intramuscular injections based on the same anti-tick medications.

If there are several cats in the house, but a tick was found in only one cat, all pets are treated.

Stages of the disease:

Initially, the damage is caused mechanically, which leads to irritation of the nerve endings by the metabolic products of mites.
Hyperemia will occur in those places where the tick has taken up residence. The vessels will become overfilled with blood and characteristic swelling will appear.
Discharge will begin from the damaged areas.
Scabs will begin to form.
The resulting crusts will gradually block the ear canal. The cat will hear worse due to a plug in the ear.
If timely treatment is not started, over time the eardrum will burst and the infection will spread to the middle and inner part of the ear. This will lead to labyrinthitis.
Eventually, the infection will reach the meninges, after which the animal will die.

Treatment should begin as soon as the first signs of infection appear. Ear mites in cats can lead to a number of serious complications and death if the disease is completely ignored.

How is the auricle treated?

If the inside of the cat's ear is too dirty, then treatment of the ears should be carried out only after cleaning them. To do this, you can use one of the many lotions for domestic cats that do not contain alcohol. As a last resort, you can use regular hydrogen peroxide, which is also an effective remedy in the fight against ticks.

To prevent the infection from spreading, you should treat your ear regularly. You can pour no more than 5 drops into each ear at a time.

In order for the cat to shake its head, you should massage the base of the ear a little. This will help the medicine penetrate deep into the sink. In the first days of cleaning the ear, it is prohibited to use cotton swabs, since instead of removing dirt, you can push it even deeper. This will create a traffic jam.

Treatment of such a disease

One of the main conditions for a speedy recovery is an integrated approach to treatment and timely prevention of ear mites. To administer the medicinal mixture against ticks, you will need a syringe with a long tube instead of a needle.

Treatment can also be carried out using ointments, which are applied to clean cotton swabs. Thus, it is possible to qualitatively treat almost the entire inner part of the ear. The medicine should be absorbed into the walls of the cat's ear.

You can use special aerosols that will prevent scabies:

Dermatosol.
Akrodex.
Prosoptol.
Cyodrine.

A distance of 5 cm is sufficient. But before use, you should still consult a doctor. It is also worth paying attention to the fact that they are not sold in regular veterinary pharmacies. If the first symptoms of infection appear in a kitten, you should use medications that will not harm the small animal.

The same applies to pregnant animals, for whom it is necessary to select medications with special care. The mite will constantly pollute the ear. After cleaning your ears regularly, you should use a few drops of camphor oil.

Treatment should be repeated after 5 days, this is due to the life expectancy of the tick itself.

Preventive courses are also necessary and include a three-fold repetition of the prescribed course. It will not be possible to remove a tick from a cat manually, since it lives under the skin.

Possible complications

If the cat is properly cared for and if there is a timely diagnosis, no special complications should arise. The cause of anxiety can only be an advanced stage, which can be accompanied by the following complications:

Many families with small children wonder: are cat ear mites transmitted to humans? The answer is no. As a preventive measure, you should regularly check your pet's ears for any damage and sepsis. Depending on the damage, antiseptic drugs are prescribed.

To improve the animal’s well-being, it is necessary to promptly remove purulent decay products. For this, a 5% saline solution with added glucose is used. For the best effect when treating ticks, it is recommended to administer the drug intravenously.

There is a lot of “useful” advice on the Internet on “how to remove a tick from a cat.” Often amateurs advise dropping an oil solution onto the bite site, as a result of which the insect will stop receiving oxygen and die itself - then it can be safely removed. In this advice, only one thing is true: a tick without oxygen will die sooner or later. But until this happens, it will secrete saliva containing poisons and possible infection. A layer of oil will only create ideal conditions for the spread of this infection.

Many people think that if you crush a tick, it will die and fall off on its own. However, if you crush the carrier of the infection, the pathogenic microflora from his body will end up on the hands of a person and on the skin of a cat: not the easiest option for introducing an infection, but quite possible. And, besides, the head of the tick, if crushed, will remain under the skin: without the body, it is almost impossible to remove it without making an incision.

That's how it should be!

It is best if the insect removal procedure is performed by a doctor. But the doctor is not always close.

The easiest way to remove a tick from a cat at home is to use tools. This could be a hook that looks like a curved fork with two ends (special or homemade), nail tweezers, or a strong thin thread. The tool can be any one that can tightly grasp the body of the tick as close as possible to the skin of the animal. The insect should not be removed by jerking, but by carefully twisting it in a clockwise direction. During the process, care must be taken not to damage the insect: its entire head should not remain inside. Sometimes small parts of an insect may linger under the skin - this is not a problem, the cat’s body can cope with such foreign bodies.

When removing a tick, you must remember that the insect can be infectious. True, epidemiologists believe that one should be wary of infection only in a certain season and in a certain area. But it’s not worth the risk: it’s better to do everything with rubber gloves and carefully so as not to further damage the cat’s skin.

Moreover, there is no need to crush it: if the tick is a carrier of infection, then, when crushed, it becomes many times more dangerous.

To destroy a tick, you need alcohol: the insect will not survive in this liquid. However, if there is a suspicion that the tick is infected, there is no need to destroy it immediately: it is better to deliver it in a tightly closed jar to the laboratory for examination.

Antiseptics

Before removing a tick, you need to treat your tools and hands, but you don’t need to smear anything on the animal’s skin, especially around the bite site.

After you have managed to remove a tick from a cat, you must immediately do an antiseptic treatment. It is best to treat the bite site with hydrogen peroxide, chlorhexidine or terramycin (spray or solution). If such substances are not available, it is permissible to use iodine, alcohol, brilliant green, methylene blue, but these are not the best antiseptic options: they are painful and injure the skin, especially brilliant green.

Prevention of infection

For the first 2-3 weeks after the bite, you will need to carefully monitor the condition of the bitten animal: this is approximately how long the incubation period of diseases carried by ixodid ticks lasts. In cats, the clinical picture of these diseases is not specific, so any changes in condition and behavior should cause concern.

Like humans, cats are given preventive immunoglobulin at risk of contracting encephalitis. This vaccination is paid, but is it worth saving on the health and life of your pet?

Prevention of bites

The collar is less toxic than other products, but has longer contact with the animal’s skin and can cause irritation or an allergic reaction.

Sprays are safer, but their duration is shorter and, therefore, their effectiveness is lower.

But the main thing is that it is not enough to know how to remove a tick from a cat; you still need to detect it. And this can only be done by an attentive owner who at least strokes his pet every day. And ideally, he also combs and examines.