cat has thick, hard crust on back of ears.. what is it?

vinylla

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hey...

One of our cats (they live outside and roam freely) has a strange condition on her ears and I'm wondering what anyone might suggest it is...

On the outside back part of her ears, she they are thicky and crusty.. Not thin and flaky like dandruff.. more like scabs, without having any indication of blood or scabbiness. Am I making any sense? I hope so...

Anyways... opinions are definatley appreciated!
 

lorie d.

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When I was growing up we had a dog who had problems with flies biting his ears every summer. I think that the dog's ears were getting crusty and scabby too. My dad got an ointment from the vet to apply to the dog's ears and it really helped. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the ointment, but I wanted to suggest insect bites as a possible cause of your cat's ear problems.
 

spacecat

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I also have a cat with Pemphigus (Foliaceus) and it, too, started with his ears. The scabs were pretty thick and my vet did all the usual tests, which seemed to take forever, before sending us to a dermatologist. The tests had taken so long that, by that time, it was in his paw pads and nail beds. The dermatologist said that the only way to diagnose pemphigus is with a biopsy, so be sure you rule out other causes first. My vet had suggested declawing one nail for a biopsy and I said no possible way, but by the time we got to the dermatologist the scabs were on his head, so that's where they biopsied. No treat for my cat, but far less traumatic than a declaw. He didn't do well on the Prednisone, but there are other steroids which worked and he's now in remission, but will be on medicine for the rest of his life. I get all liquid meds for him as he pills very badly, and he's now to the point where it's "oh ho hum, time for medicine". So please keep us posted as to his progress. BTW, the dermatologist said it makes no difference whether they are indoor or outdoor cats, pemphigus is something that just happens.
 
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