My 15-year-old cat has an inner ear infection. What should I do?

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.

I'm sorry to hear Millie is having these issues! Many times in cats an ear infection indicates an underlying problem like a food allergy or ear polyps. It would be a good idea to talk with your veterinarian about putting Millie on a special prescription diet for food allergies (like Royal Canin hydrolyzed protein). Sometimes sedation and a deep ear flushing can be helpful and a veterinarian can also look for the presence of polyps while Millie is sedated. You may also want to look into a veterinarian who is a board certified dermatologist in your area. They may be able to help you with Millie as it sounds like she is a more complicated case. Finally, if Millie is sleeping more it would be a good idea to have blood work on her. She may have some other underlying condition that is affecting her health. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope Millie is feeling better soon!

Ear infections in cats can also be caused by yeast or bacteria, and are more common causes of ear infections in adult cats. Ear mites are more common in kittens. In order to treat Belle properly, she does have to see a vet, and vets will see pets for sickness. This counts, as leaving it untreated can lead to hearing loss. Give her vet a call to make her an appointment.

Poor cat. Her balance issues are very suggestive of an inner ear infection, which also means that she probably has a ruptured ear drum due to the chronic ear infections. Some pets are prone to repeat ear infections because of stenotic (narrow) ear canals, polyps inside the ear (quite common in cats, also will have nasal discharge), and a thyroid issue (not as common in cats). I would recommend getting Daisy back to the vet for oral antibiotics to treat the inner ear infection and just a sterile saline wash to clean the ears out, since no topical medication is safe to use in a ruptured ear drum. Then I would seriously consider checking for polyps and if not found then consider having a total ear ablation surgery for Daisy. This involves removing the inner ear canal which will essentially prevent any future ear infections from occurring. This is a drastic procedure and should be thoroughly considered after discussing the pros and cons with your veterinarian. But considering the severity of Daisy's ear problem, it definitely seems like an option that may be in her best interest. Here is more information about the surgical procedure TECA (Total ear canal ablation) and another similar procedure that can be done for Daisy- http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1708

If routine medications for internal ear infection have not helped Willow, then I would also be concerned about a brain tumor or other non-bacterial problem, like a stroke, fungal infection, nerve issue, etc. Advanced imaging, such as CT or MRI, may be able to diagnose the cause of Willow's symptoms. If you elect not to pursue these types of diagnostics, you may discuss with your vet options for keeping her comfortable. Often anti-nausea medications and eye drops to keep the eye moist will help with most of the discomfort associated with vestibular (balance) issues and Horner's Syndrome.

Without knowing exactly what is wrong with the cat, it is difficult to provide accurate advice. It may be a severe infection based on your description. The medication you purchased may or may not work depending on the underlying cause. Ideally, Oreo should be seen by a veterinarian to diagnose infection or other conditions. If you can coax her into a carrier, you can take her to the vet.

If the infection goes that far, we often use antibiotics tablets (sometimes two different types at the same time, as Melcho is having now) and strong anti-inflammatory medications, usually steroids. You should get in touch with your vets again, as it sounds that your Melcho is struggling at the moment and he may benefit from more aggressive therapy.