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Deep Ear Infection



 
 
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  #1  
Old April 19th 06, 05:23 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Default Deep Ear Infection

Has anyone had a cat with a middle ear infection? How did you treat it?

We've been fighting Bear's ear infection for months, and today he was
put under to have an ear flush and x-rays. Turns out his ear drum is
GONE, it's been eaten by the infection. The problem is worse than we
thought, it's so deep that it would take major surgery to get to it with
no guarantees of getting rid of it.

Did anyone's cat have that type of surgery? Did it cure the infection?
Did the problem get worse eventually and go into other areas?

Thanks,

Rhonda

  #2  
Old April 19th 06, 07:04 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Default Deep Ear Infection


Rhonda wrote:
Has anyone had a cat with a middle ear infection? How did you treat it?

We've been fighting Bear's ear infection for months, and today he was
put under to have an ear flush and x-rays. Turns out his ear drum is
GONE, it's been eaten by the infection. The problem is worse than we
thought, it's so deep that it would take major surgery to get to it with
no guarantees of getting rid of it.

Did anyone's cat have that type of surgery? Did it cure the infection?
Did the problem get worse eventually and go into other areas?

Thanks,

Rhonda


No experience but just wanted to say I am so sorry to hear this about
Bear! Have they cultured it to find out what pathogen it is?
-L.

  #3  
Old April 19th 06, 09:42 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Default Deep Ear Infection


"-L." wrote in message
oups.com...

Rhonda wrote:
Has anyone had a cat with a middle ear infection? How did you treat it?

We've been fighting Bear's ear infection for months, and today he was
put under to have an ear flush and x-rays. Turns out his ear drum is
GONE, it's been eaten by the infection. The problem is worse than we
thought, it's so deep that it would take major surgery to get to it with
no guarantees of getting rid of it.

Did anyone's cat have that type of surgery? Did it cure the infection?
Did the problem get worse eventually and go into other areas?

Thanks,

Rhonda


No experience but just wanted to say I am so sorry to hear this about
Bear! Have they cultured it to find out what pathogen it is?
-L.


She's probably talking about a lateral wall resection - a/k/a Zepp procedure
or the LaCroix which is a variation of the Zepp. The Zepp is only successful
in the early stages-- which has come and gone in this case.

Since the ear canal is probably destroyed, he'll probably need a total ear
canal ablation a/k/a TECA procedure. The TECA is a last resort procedure
because it involves the removal of the ear canal and is associated with some
serious complications (permanent facial paralysis or neurapraxia which could
affect the eye, hemorrhage- that could be life-threatening, to name a few).
Since the ear drum is gone, the infection probably invaded the middle ear so
a TECA will probably have to be combined with lateral bulla osteotomy.

I will never again trust either procedure to anyone but a seasoned surgeon -
we were just plain lucky. Very, very few GP vets have experience with TECA
in cats with end-stage otitis. Gotta remove *all* infected tissue.

Phil



  #4  
Old April 19th 06, 05:25 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Default Deep Ear Infection

-L. wrote:

Rhonda wrote:

Has anyone had a cat with a middle ear infection? How did you treat it?


No experience but just wanted to say I am so sorry to hear this about
Bear! Have they cultured it to find out what pathogen it is?
-L.



They did a culture previously and it was not one of those odd,
hard-to-treat bacterias. The baytril-type drops and the pills should
have worked.

When she went in yesterday to see what was going on, she also took a
deep culture. We should have that back in a few days.

This cat spent his first 10 years as a barn cat. He has deformed ears
(looks like a Scottish Fold) from the previous owner's neglect. The ear
canal was already scarred and very small, a good breeding ground for
bacteria. He's a sweet cat, I just hope this isn't uncomfortable.

Thanks,

Rhonda


  #5  
Old April 19th 06, 05:30 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Default Deep Ear Infection

Our vet is very good about saying when she thinks someone else needs to
be called in. When Bear didn't respond enough to medicine, she started
talking about the ear flush and last resort of an operation. From the
beginning, she said she'd have someone else do it. I just am not sure
how uncomfortable he is, he doesn't act like he's in pain, and if it
would be worth a huge operation that may not correct the problem. I
would expect to see balance problems or other things happening, but he
acts normal, other than scratching at his ear every now and then.

Rhonda


Phil P. wrote:


I will never again trust either procedure to anyone but a seasoned surgeon -
we were just plain lucky. Very, very few GP vets have experience with TECA
in cats with end-stage otitis. Gotta remove *all* infected tissue.

Phil


  #6  
Old April 19th 06, 06:57 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Default Deep Ear Infection


"Rhonda" wrote in message
...
I just am not sure how uncomfortable he is, he doesn't act like he's in
pain, and if it would be worth a huge operation that may not correct the
problem. I would expect to see balance problems or other things happening,
but he acts normal, other than scratching at his ear every now and then.



If the problem is that long standing he may just have gotten used to the
pain- which is sadder IMO than pain in the first place. I have seen animals
with chronic infections that just become inured to it all- the way they
carry their head might change but their pain response seems to have withered
over the years. They lose the will to care.

I have also seen animals whose personalities have become dull experience a
100% turn around after a Zepp or total ablation. What used to be a sad old
cat can turn into a happy, fun cat when the pain is stopped.

*Any* sort of ear problem is incredibly annoying and something of this
degree and duration has to be incredibly painful unless his nerves have
plumb burned away. I would either remedy the problem or call it a day and
send him on. I don't mean to be harsh but chronic pain can negate any joy at
all in life, and personally I think he deserves a little joy..


--
Toni
http://www.irish-wolfhounds.com


  #7  
Old April 19th 06, 07:41 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Default Deep Ear Infection

Rhonda

What sort of symptoms did Bear have? I've been having trouble with an
ongoing problem in my cat's ears that the vet hasn't seemed to fix.

  #8  
Old April 19th 06, 08:35 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Default Deep Ear Infection


"Rhonda" wrote in message
...
-L. wrote:

Rhonda wrote:

Has anyone had a cat with a middle ear infection? How did you treat it?


No experience but just wanted to say I am so sorry to hear this about
Bear! Have they cultured it to find out what pathogen it is?
-L.



They did a culture previously and it was not one of those odd,
hard-to-treat bacterias. The baytril-type drops and the pills should
have worked.



Not necessarily. Culture ain't enough- gotta follow up with sensitivity
testing. A lot of middle and inner infections in cats are caused by
Baytril-resistant strains of Pseudomonas.



When she went in yesterday to see what was going on, she also took a
deep culture. We should have that back in a few days.



Make absolutely sure she orders antibiotic sensitivity testing. Identifying
the species ain't enough.


This cat spent his first 10 years as a barn cat. He has deformed ears
(looks like a Scottish Fold) from the previous owner's neglect. The ear
canal was already scarred and very small, a good breeding ground for
bacteria.



Ask your vet to take an x-ray of your cat's tympanic bulla- its a sac-like
bone that acts like sort of a resonance chamber for the ear. Pus and other
infectious crap from untreated external/middle ear infections can accumulate
and plug the bulla which in turn can cause resistant, recurrent infections.
You might luck out with just a good draining and cleaning.


http://maxshouse.com/Illustrations/Tympanic_Bulla.jpg




He's a sweet cat, I just hope this isn't uncomfortable.


Of course he's uncomfortable. If he starts shaking his head or pawing his
ear he could develop a aural hematoma.



  #9  
Old April 20th 06, 04:44 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Default Deep Ear Infection


Toni wrote:

*Any* sort of ear problem is incredibly annoying and something of this
degree and duration has to be incredibly painful unless his nerves have
plumb burned away. I would either remedy the problem or call it a day and
send him on. I don't mean to be harsh but chronic pain can negate any joy at
all in life, and personally I think he deserves a little joy..



Toni,

I don't think I've met you -- are you a vet?

Bear still eats, wants attention and meets us at the door to beg us to
follow him to the food bowl. Lately, he's been playing more. Each
morning, he wakes us up by walking across both of us and purring loudly.
Tonight I heard a strange scupping sound and caught him rolling on the
floor with a catnip toy, licking it like crazy.

Either he's an extremely tough cat or he's not in that much pain. I do
know cats can hide their discomfort which is what concerns me, but I
can't believe he'd be playing and eating so well if he needed to be put
to sleep.

Rhonda


  #10  
Old April 20th 06, 04:46 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Default Deep Ear Infection

Hi Buddy,

His symptom was scratching and digging at that ear. The scratching got
better with the antibiotic drops but the infection did not go away.

Rhonda

Buddy wrote:

Rhonda

What sort of symptoms did Bear have? I've been having trouble with an
ongoing problem in my cat's ears that the vet hasn't seemed to fix.



 




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