Claro Otic Solution- Off Label Ear Infection Treatment

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Jack & Mopem'sMom

Jack & Mopem'sMom

Member Since 2020
Just wanted to make a post here about one of my other, non-diabetic cats, Abby, as it may benefit some other kitties out there. I'm not a vet, or a tech, just a pet parent who found this to be helpful. Please always speak with your vet about pros and cons related to your specific furbaby.

Abby is a 14 year old formerly feral rescue, who is very loving- but on her own terms. She will come to your lap and get petted, but only if she feels like it. She turns pure feral when you try to medicate her in any way, shape, or form. Luckily she has been healthy most of her life, so medicating her hasn't been a problem. Recently however, she developed a nasty staph infection in her ear. The original, emergency vet we saw prescribed Animax ointment 2x a day for 7-10 days, despite my explanation of not being able to medicate her. Once we finally got to our regular vet they did the following:
-Ear wash and irrigation of pus and debris, microscopic examination of debris
-Injection of convenia antibiotic (lasts 14 days- lots of differing research on effectiveness of this, but for cats who can truly cannot be medicated, it works. It's not as effective as oral antibiotics for certain things, so not a viable antibiotic replacement 100% of the time)
-Dose of Revolution in case of mites which they did not see under microscope but won't hurt
-Dose of Claro Otic Solution in her ear. This is the reason for this post.

The Claro is a med that is meant only for dogs, as the oto-toxicity in cats has not been tested. But, it goes in the ear once and works for 30 days. Knowing Abby and her issues for the past 14 years, my vet suggested it as a replacement for the Animax. She had used it successfully on another cat in practice, and one of the technicians had used it without issue on one of her own cats that she is unable to medicate consistently. Also, the vet belongs to some type of collaborative board where vets across the country discuss different cases they are working on. She told me that many vets on the board have used it successfully and without reaction. Of course, she did stress the fact that it is off label, and the danger for nerve damage, hearing loss, and other reactions were a possibility, so basically use at your own risk. Since I couldn't afford to board Abby at the vet clinic for the next 10 days to let them medicate her, nor did I think she could stand the stress level of that, I opted for the off label treatment. They gave her a very reduced dose, only a few drops, but she is already feeling better. It does have a steroid component, so I think it's working on reducing the inflammation already. She has not had any reactionary symptoms since she had it administered yesterday morning, about 24 hrs ago- no head tilt, drunken walking, hiding, picking at ear, etc.

I just wanted to post this in case anyone out there has a difficult kitty like Abby that may need a reference/ experience with this non-conventional course of treatment. I will keep this thread updated as Abby recovers over the next month and post how she does with it.

Sending love to all the sweet kitties out there.

EDITED TO SAY: UPDATES APPEAR IN COMMENTS
 
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UPDATE AFTER ABOUT A MONTH of the Claro
Abby went to the vet yesterday, 8/10/2023---she tolerated the Claro really well. NO side effects. It cleared up her staph infection entirely. She still had a bit of debris so her ears were cleaned and some Animax put in but overall she is fine now. Going forward, the vet recommended having animax on hand, but if I can't get that into her, Abby is cleared for another Claro dose 2 months after the initial one was given. For dogs, it's monthly, but to be on the safe side, she recommended a 2 month span between doses. I'm hopeful she won't need another dose.
 
Thank you for posting that! I was holding my breath waiting for the outcome! My cat Cali's ears were bothering her (cratching, shaking her head, ears flat) so I made an appt with the vet which was 2 days later. Her ears had improved over those 2 days, but I took her b/c the receptionist said she could have an ear infection.

The vet I normally see wasn't in, so I saw someone else. She said there was no infection, then told me she was going to put something in Cali's ars to reduce the inflammation & said it would lasts 2 weeks. She didn't mention any risks.

So later that evening, Cali started stumbling & falling over. I can't attached a 7 second video, but here's a link: .https://photos.app.goo.gl/J4JFpBKwUd1DcHBP7

I called my regular vet first thing in the morning & she told me there's a risk of neurological damage with that med & told me to bring her in asap to wash out her ears to get rid of any residual medication. I know my regular vet would have told me of any risks & I doubt she would have even mentioned it. She said she would only consider using that med as a last resort if other meds weren't helping. This sounds like the case with you and the fact that your Abby wouldn't tolerate you giving meds daily. I've had cats like that! I think under the conditions you described, I would have said okay to that med, even knowing that there was a slight risk. My vet also showed me that Cali's left pupil was significantly larger than the other which is indicative of nerve damage in the ear!

Cali's ears had only been bothering her for 2-3 days but had improved. No other meds were suggested by this other vet, and she said nothing about any risks, which is really upsetting me because 2 days later my cat is still stumbling!

Now it's a wait and see if she improves. I'm scared for Cali & sick to my stomach, but your post is helping to ease that for now. Thank you.
 
Bonnie Smith said:
Thank you for posting that! I was holding my breath waiting for the outcome! My cat Cali's ears were bothering her (cratching, shaking her head, ears flat) so I made an appt with the vet which was 2 days later. Her ears had improved over those 2 days, but I took her b/c the receptionist said she could have an ear infection.

The vet I normally see wasn't in, so I saw someone else. She said there was no infection, then told me she was going to put something in Cali's ars to reduce the inflammation & said it would lasts 2 weeks. She didn't mention any risks.

So later that evening, Cali started stumbling & falling over. I can't attached a 7 second video, but here's a link: .https://photos.app.goo.gl/J4JFpBKwUd1DcHBP7

I called my regular vet first thing in the morning & she told me there's a risk of neurological damage with that med & told me to bring her in asap to wash out her ears to get rid of any residual medication. I know my regular vet would have told me of any risks & I doubt she would have even mentioned it. She said she would only consider using that med as a last resort if other meds weren't helping. This sounds like the case with you and the fact that your Abby wouldn't tolerate you giving meds daily. I've had cats like that! I think under the conditions you described, I would have said okay to that med, even knowing that there was a slight risk. My vet also showed me that Cali's left pupil was significantly larger than the other which is indicative of nerve damage in the ear!

Cali's ears had only been bothering her for 2-3 days but had improved. No other meds were suggested by this other vet, and she said nothing about any risks, which is really upsetting me because 2 days later my cat is still stumbling!

Now it's a wait and see if she improves. I'm scared for Cali & sick to my stomach, but your post is helping to ease that for now. Thank you.
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OH NO! I'm so sorry to hear about Cali's reaction. AND, I'm sorry you weren't given the proper advice in the first place. I hope Cali is doing better today; did your regular vet say how long it would take for the meds to get out of her system? I don't remember what my vet told me...I do remember that they described exactly what happened to Cali as a potential side effect and that I should take her someplace if they weren't open to get her ears washed out if it happened, so that's good that they did that. I'm keeping you both in my prayers, please post an update on Cali when you can....she is beautiful! I'm going to let my vet clinic know about Cali if you don't mind, every bit of info shared is important for all the kitties, IMO. HUGS!!! :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
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