OtiPack E ear treatment steroid ear treatment

Basic's Mom

Basic's Mom

Member Since 2023
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/thr...-70-6-75-7-92-pmps-119-1-75-176-3-200.285403/

Basic's new vet's office is incredible. It was like a library, quiet and peaceful. Rooms are set up for the cats, not the people. Whatever catnip they have is top shelf. I sprinkled some in his carrier as we were leaving and Moonie hasn't gotten out of it since returning home (started this post an hour ago, she is still in there). AND his +4 number was taken as soon as we returned from his appointment. He's never had a number like that after being at the vet. Impressed with her and the office. Highly recommend anyone struggling with vet care for their cat or wants the least stressful experience, to switch to an all feline practice. This office prices were no more expensive than his previous vets.

She is also on board with me hometesting, providing me with my lab results, and writing me prescriptions to get at a human pharmacy through goodrx. She also prescribes generic Lantus to her other patients that ask for it. She treats several diabetic cats.

He has been flipping his ear so I had them do a culture. He had some yeast and bacteria presrnt. She put OtiPack E ear treatment. She explained that while she doesn't like using steroids with diabetic cats, the steroid in this ear med stays fairly local and much isn't absorbed through the blood stream. I can't find info online or here about it. I will monitor his BG like I always do. I am a little worried. All these new little things happening to him makes me a little crazy. Guess this stuff happens to us as we age too.

We set up a diet plan for him too. She said that anything under 380 calories (she used a calculator, nit sure of the formula) a day will help him lose weight. He currently eats 400 calories a day. I will start getting us to 380 today. We both agree that 1 pound a month is a good goal. She isn't a fan of raw diets. I've heard others say this, but I feel that it is an unwarranted concern, cross contamination of bacteria (him licking himself and then me touching him and spreading germs). I am not concerned. He currently only gets 1 teaspoon, in the evening, of the raw. I worked him up to 1 tablespoon, but he wasn't loving the food. When I mixed it with his canned, he was hesitant to eat. Sometimes a 3 or 4 hours delay in eating and that isn’t my cat. He loved plain raw venison when I tested it before buying the ez complete though. The raw was causing some softer than normal stool so I pushed him back to a teaspoon per day. I am hopeful that he will eventually be on all raw, but I'm not sure how likely that is. I do understand this takes a long time to make this switch. I will keep offering him the raw, but I'm no longer mixing it with his other wet food. I leave it off to the side. It is gone by the morning and he had resumed to eating his food immediately. My female won't touch it, so I know it is him.

I was able to get a stool sample, but it had litter on it. I'm helpful they can still use it.

His BP was averaging 150. She stated that if were higher, she'd be concerned. She understands the stress of vet appointments on cats. I'm not sure what normal is for cats though. I will look it up.

She also stated his bladder wasn't full enough for a sample. Kind of bummed. She said if I wanted to I could bring him in for a tech appt to have one done. That sounds great, but I really don't want to stress him again anytime soon with another appointment. I will make that decision after his results are in.

She didn't seem concerned about his chin acne. It isn't bad right now, but he does have a red bump at the front of his chin just below his mouth. All of this probably bothers me more than him.

I did a senior plus wellness screening. I will have his lab results in a couple days. I will add them to his lab tab. I entered his labs from the initial vet appointment last night as I only recently ontained them (from the 1st vet and ER). I was shocked at some of the values. I can't understand any of the abbreviations on the ER lab results to enter them; they don't match ours. I couldn't find answers online about deciphering them either. From all the paperwork that I can decipher, it looks like his ketone level was 3.8 at diagnosis.

Hope everyone is enjoying this Monday and Kitties are safe, comfy, and cozy.
 
Sounds like you have found a great vet! Congratulations, Sybil. Great work. And it sounds like the cats had a mellow trip there, which is unheard of. Wish my practice was feline only. Good luck with the feeding and new diet alterations.
Have a great rest of Monday :bighug::bighug:
 
I’m glad you like the new vet.

She explained that while she doesn't like using steroids with diabeticcats, the steroid in this ear med stays fairly local and much isn't absorbed through the blood stream. Ican't find info online or here about it. I will monitor his BG like I always do. I am a little worried.

We have had cats here become diabetic using ear medication with steroids so you will soon know its effect on Basic.

I was able to get a stool sample, but it had litter on it. I'm helpful they can still use it.
I was told litter on the sample was not an issue.
 
That is so great that you found a vet like that. I had to change recently because all the senior vets at our previous clinic quit at once after the clinic was bought, and I had bad experiences with the younger ones there. I like the one I found, especially because she comes to our house, which is good for stress, but I don't love her. There are 2 cats-only clinics in my town, you make me want to check them out!
 
tiffmaxee said:
We have had cats here become diabetic using ear medication with steroids so you will soon know its effect on Basic.
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Do you mean it has the possibility of raising his BG? She told me that. If you mean something more, please advise.


@Staci & Ivy Thank you. I'm not sure you can walk away from the experiences I have had with vets and not go into a new own with reservations. I am very pleased so far. Me walking in was a little too loud, that's how quiet it is. Feel away in the rooms. Chefs kiss for cats.

@cecile & bella How visits would be incredible, but I've learned you must be able to work together (you and the vet) for this to be harmonious. If you don't love her, check out the Feline only vets office. Go without Bella first and see if it feels right. I would've loved to talk to a few vets before settling, but they do want paid for their time which is 100% understand and completely acceptable. I've just shelled out a lot since diagnosis and didn't have hundreds to interview a vet.
 
She is OK, she was predictably against feeding raw (Bella eats 100% raw, except when she needs higher carbs, which is rare) and pushed for the "diabetic" food from Purina, and seemed surprised that I tested so much. But then she saw Bella's numbers and told me that I seemed to understand what i was doing and that she could just give me prescriptions for insulin and let me manage as I was doing. Which is OK for now, but worries me if there is an issue later. I will check the other ones, especially one that is not taking new patients right now, but I heard so many good things about them that I want to try. Going alone first is a great idea!
 
WOMAN...hahaha. That first message threw me for a loop.

Yes, I knew it could possible raise his bg. He has never had a problem with his ears. I haven't used a wet paper towel in a long time to warm his ear. I was cautious when I did this, and warmed on the outside. I could've accidentally got some in though. It has been at least a month and a half since using the paper towel. That was always a concern of mine though. Other than that, I have no idea what caused it. The vet applied it. I don't have the medication. I am hopeful that if this wouldn't clear it up for him, she would have a different plan.

Thanks for the info. I appreciate it. I'm not sure how to prevent this from happening again. Other than flat out refusing a medication (I'm fine with doing this. Did it with previous vet) that I am unsure of, which is a lot and seems a little insane to me. I can't tell my vet to hold and ask the forum a question. I did look it up immediately and couldn't find anything. Not sure what to do in those situations. I guess go with my gut, which I did today. I don't like that though.
 
@tiffmaxee
AMPS 278
+5 293

Yeah, it clearly is affecting his bg. I am a little upset as I don't know how long it will be raiding it or even how high it will take it.
 
It was a 1 time use. He will never be on it again. I'm sure there are other things that clear up an ear infection that don't interfere with his bg. I still can't find anything on its use in cats. Dogs it is used for chronic ear infections. He's never had an ear infection. Great way to start this off with her. While I knew it could elevated his bg, I didn't realize by how much and I still don't know for how long. It is a very thick cream like medicine. She used a syringe to apply it inside the ear and I saw how hard it was to squeeze out. I'm sure it has already absorbed into his system. It probably would be pointless to try and get what I can out now.
 
Doesn't help that he is digging at his ears now (wasn't before) and licking his foot. He's getting it in his system orally by doing this.
 
Basic's Mom said:
WOMAN...hahaha. That first message threw me for a loop.

Yes, I knew it could possible raise his bg. He has never had a problem with his ears. I haven't used a wet paper towel in a long time to warm his ear. I was cautious when I did this, and warmed on the outside. I could've accidentally got some in though. It has been at least a month and a half since using the paper towel. That was always a concern of mine though. Other than that, I have no idea what caused it. The vet applied it. I don't have the medication. I am hopeful that if this wouldn't clear it up for him, she would have a different plan.

Thanks for the info. I appreciate it. I'm not sure how to prevent this from happening again. Other than flat out refusing a medication (I'm fine with doing this. Did it with previous vet) that I am unsure of, which is a lot and seems a little insane to me. I can't tell my vet to hold and ask the forum a question. I did look it up immediately and couldn't find anything. Not sure what to do in those situations. I guess go with my gut, which I did today. I don't like that though.
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What is it about the paper towel? I missed something.....
 
I was just explaining that I no longer use a wet paper towel to warm his ear. I was always cautious but still concerned some water may get in there and cause problems. It's been over a month since using one. He now has an ear infection. I'm not saying they are are connected. I was just brainstorming out loud.
 
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Basic's Mom said:
I was just explaining that I no longer use a wet paper towel to warm his ear. I was always cautious but still concerned some water may get in there are cause problems. It's been over a month since using one. He now has an ear infection. I'm not saying there are connected. I was just brainstorming out loud.
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I see! Oh, my goodness. I would be skeptical, too.

I will share my husband uses paper towels to dry his hands at the kitchen sink. This seems normal and no problem, right?.... but then he feels like he needs to wash them again... and the drying process with a paper towel begins all over again. I tell him, I know what you mean... it's like something is on the paper towel that leaves a washed hand feeling like you need to wash again. I started using a small kitchen wash towel for drying my hands. No more problem. DH, unfortunately, doesn't remember this and ends up using the paper towel.

I hope the 1-time application ear med helps Basic. Skin issues are the hardest to resolve. I get reminded of this with pics that show up on my TV screen of a time (2017) when I experienced perioral dermatitis; front of face!
It took at least six months to resolve. I was lucky. There are some people this hasn't gone away, or they have recurring episodes. There's a great FB group that helped me get through this, but like ECID, this is true for humans.
 
I wonder if there is a fungal connection between what's happening on Basic's chin and now his ears. Trying to figure these things out on a human is difficult enough. :bighug:
 
Thank you. I'm worried sick. We've come this far. I'd hate for something I allowed to change his improvements he's had lately. These numbers suck, but if its temporary,, I am fine with it.

What can I do moving forward, so I'm never in a situation like this again? I don't want to ruin a potential good relationship with a vet, but I have to keep my cat safe. He's never had an ear infection. I know there are medicines he could have received to help his ear that wouldn't have effected his bg. She did a culture though. I feel that she did what she felt was needed. It is a tough spot to be for me. Blindly trusting people, especially a vet I don't know yet, is extremely hard for me.
 
Basic's Mom said:
She also stated his bladder wasn't full enough for a sample. Kind of bummed. She said if I wanted to I could bring him in for a tech appt to have one done. That sounds great, but I really don't want to stress him again anytime soon with another appointment. I will make that decision after his results are in.
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You might check with her but my vet has these little plastic trays they give me along with a pipe Tre and a tube. I free catch their urine when they squat to pee, use the pipette to put it in the tube and then run it over to them. This is for a routine UA when a sterile sample is not needed because neither my vet nor I like the “express the bladder” or cystocentesis when it’s not absolutely necessary.

Basic's Mom said:
@Marje and Gracie
Can you weigh in on this please? Do you know if this can permanently affect his bgs or this is just temporary? I haven't heard back from the vet yet.
Thanks
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I agree with Wendy that it should be temporary. If he needs an ongoing product, my little one recently had a similar issue and my vet gave me Zymox Otic Enzymatic Solution that I put in Liv’s ear once a day for 3-5 days and that did the trick. No steroids as I won’t even give my non-diabetic cats steroids.

Use of a steroidal eye drop pushed Gracie into FD when the vet I had at the time told me topicals with steroids won’t do that or affect the BG. When I stopped using it, she didn’t go into remission as I think she was already on the verge anyway but her BGs did come back down a bit before starting insulin so….I'm sure Basic’s will as well.
 
Basic's Mom said:
What can I do moving forward, so I'm never in a situation like this again? I don't want to ruin a potential good relationship with a vet, but I have to keep my cat safe. He's never had an ear infection. I know there are medicines he could have received to help his ear that wouldn't have effected his bg. She did a culture though. I feel that she did what she felt was needed. It is a tough spot to be for me. Blindly trusting people, especially a vet I don't know yet, is extremely hard for me.
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My cats records are marked in red: no steroids, no convenia, no metacam.

If you like this vet, just ask her for a product that does not contain steroids. I’m sure her thinking was that if it did raise the BG, it would be temporary and, if necessary, you could give more insulin until the effects wore off in the case where it might elevate them for a few cycles. The latter is what we do for cats that need prednisolone: it’s likely to raise their BG and, if it does, we can increase the insulin.

I do not think that is warranted here but it’s just for future reference if she wants to push a steroid for anything.
 
Furball had chronic ear problems. I found the meds the vet prescribed had steroids in them and would cause her BG to go up some. It did eventually come back down. Tresaderm was the only med where I had to increase her insulin to get her numbers to come back down.

This is the only ear med I found that didn't have a steroid in it.
https://www.1800petmeds.com/zymox+otic+enzymatic+solution+hydrocortisone+free-prod338153.html

I hope Basic's ear gets better. Sending prayers. :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Thank you. How long did it take before you saw the numbers going down? I'm so upset that I allowed this. I am noting on his ss the the med w/o a steroid you noted. He's never had an ear issue. I wish we would've taken a different approach to this. I wish I was t learning the hard way about this.

The only info I can find online (on the oti pack) is for dogs and a lot of people report their dog going deaf from the treatment. :eek::eek::(

Im.sorry you went through this too. Again, thank you for sharing this info with me.
 
I forgot to ask you, did anything funky happen with her bg when she did start coming down from the high numbers caused by the steroids? I don't know why but I'm worried about him plummeting when this breaks.
 
Don't be hard on yourself. You didn't know what would happen. We have to work with our vets and trust them. Sometimes they don't know how sensitive BG numbers can be from different medications.

It seemed like it took a couple of weeks for Furball to get back on track when her numbers went up. I didn't notice any plummeting numbers. Hang in there.
:bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
I've never been given a reason to trust a vet. Not one.

He is now in the 400s, which he hasnt been since October. Beyond stressed, upset, frustrated, disappointed and infuriated.

Thank you for your kind words and telling me your experience. It is appreciated.
 
It will take some time but you will see much better numbers sooner than later I think. No promises of course but being as it was one dose I hope it’s soon. What was he given? :bighug: Otomax?
 
The name is in the title.

Thanks. I'm not trying to be Debbie downer. Truly not. Just 100% over my cat being failed by every "professional" he encounters. Over this wmotional rollercoaster too. It has been 4 months of hell. We were seeing positive turnaround and were excited about this appointment. Just feel gutted.
 
Basic's Mom said:
Thank you. How long did it take before you saw the numbers going down? I'm so upset that I allowed this. I am noting on his ss the the med w/o a steroid you noted. He's never had an ear issue. I wish we would've taken a different approach to this. I wish I was t learning the hard way about this.

The only info I can find online (on the oti pack) is for dogs and a lot of people report their dog going deaf from the treatment. :eek::eek::(

Im.sorry you went through this too. Again, thank you for sharing this info with me.
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The one Carla linked is what I used and it worked great for Liv (post 21).
 
I've noted in SS the med mentioned above if his ear issue were to continue.

Another vet in the practice called tonight suggesting I increase. I explained my concern with increasing (not 1 increase but a need for continuous) becasue of this. Expressed concern with him having a higher dose than truly needed and the effects of the steroids start wearing off. Stated I was worried about a large depot from this. She stated 12 hour no more than 24 hour depot for the type of insulin he is on. Marje has stated different here sooooooooo...this is where I'm at again. I wish vets could hire you guys. Because I just am truly at a loss here.

Edited to change my wording:
I will increase in the morning. What do you think I should increase by, .25 or .50?
 
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Increase by 0.25 units. Hopefully the steroid drops will wear off soon. He'll tell you when the increase is too much. I had to do the same when Neko had a dental with bony growth removal. The inflammation raised her numbers, so I increased until the inflammation went down. You want to avoid him getting used to higher numbers again.
 
Thank you very much.

Poor Neko and you. It's miserable to see numbers going the wrong way when you've worked so hard.
 
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