What are side effects of antibiotics and ear drops for my cat's ear?

Without knowing the type of antibiotic, it is hard to know. The cat should be examined by a vet to determine the exact type of ear infection and the best medication to treat. If the cat has ear mites or a yeast infection, the antibiotic is not going to help treat the problem. Also, if the ear drum is ruptured there are certain antibiotics that should not be used. Please have your vet look at your cat before treating him with medications.

Gentamycin is a common ingredient in ear medications. There is a small risk of damaging the hearing, especially if the ear drum is not intact. When I diagnose an ear infection in a pet, I recommend a two-part treatment. The first is with a cleaner to remove any debris; I like DECHRA DermaPet Malacetic Otic. This is important as ear medications need to contact the skin of the ear and if there is ear wax or other debris in the way, then the medications can't work. After the ears are dry, you can apply the medication. Ears typically need to be treated twice a day for 7-10 days. Cats can commonly get ear mites that may look like an ear infection. If you have not treated Melcho for ear mites, I recommend doing so now. If the ear infection does not resolve after using an ear cleaner and the Dexoryl within a week, then Melcho should see the vet as he could have a resistant bacteria growing, yeast infection, parasites, or even a polyp causing problems deep in his ear. I cannot find a list of ingredients for the Trixie ear drops, so I cannot tell you if they would be helpful.

I would recommend taking grandma kitty back to the vet if you are getting this much discharge still. It appears the medication they gave you is an ear cleaner with an antifungal in it. It is possible she needs stronger antibiotic drops. Typically animals do not need oral antibiotics for outer ear infections just topical. I also would request they check for ear mites to make sure none are seen. Hope that helps

Usually antibiotic ear drops should not interfere with oral antibiotics. However, most antibiotics that are given orally should also work for an ear infection. She may not have a bacterial ear infection, but may have ear mites or a fungal infection or allergies. In that case the antibiotic ear drops will not work. It is advisable to have your veterinarian examine her ears again to determine which type of infection she has, if any, (she may also have a foreign body in her ear canal, such as a blade of grass!). If your veterinarian said to go ahead with the drops, then you did nothing wrong. However if the drops do not help, you need to take Bella in for an exam.

Ear mites and underlying allergic disease (that can predispose to recurrent ear infections) are possible and should be ruled out. A physical and otoscopic examination of the ear canal are enough to rule them out. Bacterial swabs and culture can be used as well to rule out resistant infections. I would recommend to discuss all these options with your veterinarian. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation (where you can post pictures ) if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

If the antibiotics are helping, it's probably a middle ear infection indeed. a sample needs to be taken from the ear and sent for culture and sensitivity, then the best antibiotic can be chosen according to the result. the course of treatment must be longer next time, at least 4 weeks as these infections take a long time to resolve.

Aside from monitoring your cat for inappetance, vomiting and diarrhea as possible side effects from antibiotic treatment, there isn't anything else that you should be doing. Probiotics can be useful to maintain normal GI bacterial flora, but be sure to time the administration between doses of antibiotics or they will be ineffective. Many infections require a long course of antibiotics for resolution, so don't worry about the length of the treatment course. Continue monitoring your cat for inappetance and increased drinking and urination due to the elevated creatinine level.