My pug on steroids for ear infection: eating grass, not pooping. Why?

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Depending on the cause of the infection (bacteria or fungi) different medications may be prescribed. Steroids are typically given to reduce inflammation and pain. At times, this action is sufficient to take care of a mild infection because it prevents from further scratching and self trauma. If the Seamus is still having the same signs, he should be seen by his vet, or a different veterinarian for a second opinion. His lethargy may be unrelated, so it is important to have him evaluated for that as well. I hope all is well and that Seamus feels better soon!

I'm sorry Ed has meningitis, but I'm glad that he is responding well! Steroids like prednisolone can cause GI effects like vomiting and diarrhea (less common) and can have the risk of causing GI ulcers. Medication for these would only be prescribed if he is showing signs of these side effects, but you can talk to your vet to see if they feel any medication might be helpful for him. Only your vet can decide if additional medication is needed as they can see him in person and I can't. A mild runny nose could be cause by a respiratory infection, and I would speak to your vet about it to see if they have any concerns about it.

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry that Bear is having this issue. Yes, I do think you should take him to MedVet today as an urgent appointment. Typically steroids (like Prednisone) actually increase appetite so I am concerned that he has not eaten in 48 hours despite being on steroids. I hope this helps. Best wishes.

I'm glad to hear that Panda is doing better! It could be that the things he ate caused inflammation of his intestines and vomiting, and also made his nauseous leading him to eat grass. I would continue to give him the prednisone as prescribed, and contact your vet with any questions and concerns. I hope he continues to improve :-)

The ear has a poor blood supply, so the medications used to treat the ear infection have to be topical and applied in the ear. In addition, ear infections are caused by yeast and ear mites in addition to bacteria, so the cause has to be diagnosed in order to treat it correctly. You need to take Franky into the vet to have the cause of his ear infection diagnosed and treated. I would take him this weekend. Best of luck.

No, it’s not really common unless the rear infection has ruptured the ear drum and is really down in the middle ear, which is very very rare. I would be concerned that another problem is going on. I would recommend a follow up appointment with your veterinarian. They may want to perform some blood work for more information. Good luck, I hope he improves soon.

Yes, that would be the assumption. Steroids are very potent anti-inflammatories. So he likely has/had some inflammation in/near the inner ear canal that was causing his hearing loss. It is not something your vet would know just by looking in the ear with an otoscope. This inflammation would be behind the ear drum and a CT scan would have been needed to find it. Hopefully this course of steroids will resolve the issue completely. If you wean him off the steroids and the hearing loss returns then there is something else going on in there, at which point, a CT scan would be recommended.