My cat had total ear ablation. Will his balance be affected?

I'm sorry Loco isn't doing well after his surgery. I think autocorrect did something to your post because your first sentence is "my cat had a te a done." I'm wondering if you mean an ear canal ablation or another type of facial surgery. It could be there may be a problem with the nerves to his face after this causing his issues. I'd have him seen by a vet again today.

Hello. Unfortunately, this is a tough question. Even if we know what caused the vestibular syndrome, recovery is mutlifactoral. You might ask your vet to culture the fluid in the ear to see if antibiotics might be necessary, & if you want to go this route, an MRI could determine what, if any damage has occurred in the vestibular apparatus of the inner ear. Otherwise, only time will tell. At a minimum, I will tell clients to give a pet 6-8 weeks to see if hearing returns, especially when the problem was due to aminoglycocide antibiotic medications ( like gentamicin ) have been used in the ears. I hope Katniss makes a full recovery soon & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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

Poor Snuggles! Although surgery can be quite tricky, most cats make a full and complete recovery with resolution of ear problems and return of balance. You should discuss the risks and benefits with the operating surgeon but surgery is generally indicated where cats are having ongoing ir recurring symptoms

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. These symptoms suggest that Stidi hs problems with the middle ear (infection, inflammation, polyp, tumour) or it may be related to brain disfunction (blood clot within the brain, ruptured vessel in the brain, tumor). Please, take Stidi to your local vets as soon as possible. If the symptoms are due to middle ear problem, he will need a course of strong anti-inflammatory medications and possibly antibiotics to get better.

Hello, sorry to hear about Dora. Its likely that Dora has suffered a middle ear or inner ear injury and could have peripheral vestibular disease. She should be examined by a veterinarian to look into her ear and confirm that her ear drum may be ruptured. This could have happened due to and underlying disease such as an external ear infection, anti-nausea medications, and occasionally cats may need appetite stimulants. Dora will likely need medications for some time to be put in her ear and this could take up to 3-4 weeks to recover. Sorry to hear about the complications with Dora's treatment. You should have her evaluated again by her veterinarian.

Hello. It is more likely that Katniss's symptoms are related more to the ear cleaning than anything else, as there is no way a nail trim could cause neurological signs unless your cat was handled very roughly, & I hope this is not so. Anything placed in the ear could potentially cause enough irritation to result in the signs of vestibular syndrome. If no medications were instilled in the ears, then the symptoms should subside In 3-5 days. In addition to the medications prescribed, I might have added something for nausea ( like Cerenia ) just to make sure Katniss continues to eat well. Unfortunately, there is no strict timeline as to when she may totally recover, but if she is not significantly better by Monday, then I might be thinking about recommending a CAT scan or MRI to evaluate what is going on in her inner ear canal. Hopefully she will start to feel & act better with each passing day, but if not, you may need to pursue some advanced diagnostics. I hope she is doing better soon, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.