My cat's ear infections keep returning, plus it's swollen. What now?

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.

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.

I am sorry to hear about Chy. Unfortunately, I suspect the steroid injection didn't actually fix her ear but just decreased the pain and inflammation temporarily, making it appear she was cured because her discomfort was temporarily relieved. If her infection was not treated with medication to kill the bacteria and yeast, it most likely is still present and will not go away with out the prescribed treatment from your vet. You could ask if they have another option for ear medication that is more affordable, or discuss any payment options they may have.

The black, hard stuff needs to come out. Warm oil and compresses can help soften it, then you can use a wash cloth or cotton ball to remove the hard material. It is important to get this out of the way so that medications can reach the bacteria underneath. It appears that Dexoryl contains both an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory, and should be able to treat the infection. However, some bacteria can be particularly nasty and occasionally pets need oral or injectable antibiotics to get over it. Cats also commonly get ear mites that can cause an infection, so Melcho should be treated for mites. Another potential cause for the infection is polyps that grow deep down in the ear. The swelling under the cheek should definitely be checked by a vet if it does not go down in the next 24-48 hours.

Hi and thanks for using PetCoach! Sorry to hear about Arnie. Recurrent ear infections (usually otitis externa or external ear infection) are usually due to allergies, either seasonal or non seasonal, among a few other things including foreign bodies, anatomical problems, and even growths/tumors. All of this is most likely due to allergies- Atopy or inhaled allergies, flea allergy, and food allergy are all possible and ear problems (especially recurrent) are almost always associated with allergic skin disease. Your vet can take a sample from the ears and look at it under the microscope to diagnose the infection/cause in the ears. That's usually yeast, bacteria, and other causes such as ear mites. This will address the ear problem and your vet can present a sound treatment plan. As for the allergies, there are skin tests and blood tests to help determine the source of allergies. Again, diagnostics and treatment are often based on severity of signs, duration of signs, etc. Your vet can discuss this complex problem and advise many forms of treatment including ear meds, antibiotics, fish oil, allergy shots or oral drops to treat allergies, antihistamines, steroids, and others. If this is recurrent and severe, maybe it's time to talk with your vet about allergy testing. There are skin tests and blood tests to assess allergies. Some vets refer these cases to a skin specialist known as a veterinary dermatologist. Allergy shots or oral preparations can then be used to hyposensitize the immune system and dampen down the response to the allergens. Treatment involves oral antibiotics, anti itch medicines, ear treatments, immune modulating drugs, special diets, fish oil, allergy shots/oral drops, etc. I would advise checking out the following for fish oil and a skin supplement. http://www.vrshealth.com/canine-products/?petcoach=1977951 Check out the Omega benefits and Cutaneo TruBenefits Good Luck!!!

The discharge inside the ear needs to be cultured so you can know what is growing in the ear canal - what bacteria, yeast, etc. That way the vet will know what medication to use to get it to clear up. The ear may also need to flushed out under anesthesia. There must be an underlying cause. Cats typically don't get ear infections chronically like dogs. It is not likely to be a food allergy. More testing needs to be done.