Ear infection

[ErinElizabeth]

So I have a feeling this cat is prone to chronic ear infections. We know he doesn't have mites, and 3 courses of antibiotic later, it's back. Vet 'doesn't want to do anything about it until the diabetes is regulated'

A yeast infection possibly? Has anyone ever tried apple cider vinegar for that? I'm reading about it, but does it work? Side effects?

 

[BJM]

Ask you vet if cleaning the ear is a problem. What you use to do this depends on what is in the ear. Is it dark? Fluid? thick/dry/waxy?

From the Merck Veterinary Manual Online Overview of Otitis Externa

"Topical medications are inactivated by exudates, and excessive cerumen may prevent medications from reaching the epithelium. The ears should be gently cleaned and should be dry before treatment is started. In animals with painful ears, proper cleaning requires general anesthesia. There are many appropriate products available for use if the otitis is limited to the external canal. The ears may be flushed with an antibacterial cleansing solution (chlorhexidine or povidone iodine) or with saline if the material is of fluid consistency. Thick, dry, or waxy material requires a ceruminolytic solution such as carbamide peroxide or dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (DSS). Thorough rinsing of the latter with warmed saline to remove the cleaning agent must always follow after all debris has been removed. If the tympanic membrane is ruptured, detergents and DSS are contraindicated; milder cleansers (eg, saline, saline plus povidone iodine, Tris EDTA) should be used to flush the ear."

(And I think you can treat it without the diabetes being controlled; it may take longer if its something like yeast that feeds on sugars.)

 

[TheBowHuntress]

My kitty, Gobbles, has chronic ear infections as well--it looks like black (or very dark brown) gunk. I had it tested by the vet and it is a yeast infection. He prescribed an antibiotic eardrop with steroids in it--Mometomax. I used it once for 7 days and it cleared up. A month later and its back. I did not want to give him anything with steroids in it. I found an eardrop medicine, no prescription, with no steroids. It can be ordered online. You use it for 7 days, or 14 days for chronic ear infections. It's called: Zymox Otic Enzymatic w/o hyrdrocorinsone (steroid free). You can buy it at a lot of online pet stores, on Amazon or ebay. The first time I used it, 7 days only, the ear infection came back in a few weeks. The second time, I used it 14 days, and it worked! If you order it, make sure it said "w/out hydrocortisone".

 

[Wendy&Tiggy(GA)]

Hi there

I dont know if you saw the responses to your other post ? http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=99922 but as I said there, the infections will be easier to clear once we get his blood sugar under control.

So is he on the friskies pates now? Did you get the home testing kit?

Wendy

 

[terriy]

My mother uses apple cider vinegar for her ear infections. She swears by it. I never thought of using it on a kitty.

 

[Larry and Kitties]

Your vet first to find out what kind of infection, bacterial or yeast. That is easily done taking a sampe from the ear by a Qtip and rolling it on a microscope slide, staining the slide and looking at it under a microscope. There are non-steroid antibiotics for bacteria and non-steroid anti-fungals for yeast. I uses Conofite (miconazole nitrate) for my Twigie's ears with yeast since Animax skyrocketed here BGs.