Mometavet for dog ear infection: Is it safe? Will my dog go deaf?

Hello. Yes, it is most likely that the gentamicin has induced the deafness in your dog. Most times this is reversible, but in some cases the deafness is permanent. I would not use any more gentamycin. Most ear infections are due to underlying allergies, so the first thing to do is have a culture done to see if antibiotics are even warranted ( may have to wait at least several days after stopping medications to obtain the culture ). I would also start a low dose with a decreasing dosage of steroids to decrease inflammation in the ears & start an anti-allergy medication such as Apoquel or Cytopoint to see if the ears can be kept at least more comfortable without the use of topical ear medications. Hopefully, some hearing may return, but it certainly will not as long as the gentamycin is being used. Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello, I'm so sorry you are going through this with Scarlet. I have reviewed the previous exchanges you had with our veterinarians and I do have to agree with both of them and state that seizures as well as respiratory distress, which I can see that you also asked about, are not typical signs of amikacin toxicity. Definitely, deafness and vestibular signs can occur when an aminoglycoside antibiotic such as amikacin is allowed to enter the middle ear, which commonly happens when the tympanic membrane is ruptured. This is why it is so very important to ensure that the eardrum is intact before prescribing and using these preparations. Sometimes the TM cannot be visualized due to the high degree of swelling present in the canal or the amount of debris accompanying the infection, and when the drug is used in these cases this is often how the drug enters the middle ear and does damage. Unfortunately, sometimes we have very little choice in the way of antibiotics we can use to treat serious multi-drug resistant ear infections, such as those caused by bacteria of the pseudomonas species, which is when amikacin is typically used. If the seizures were in fact due to the amikacin, that would be a highly abnormal reaction to the drug as it was prescribed in Scarlet. It would be very important to me, were I her doctor, to rule out other diseases that cause seizures, specifically brain lesions like tumors, before concluding that this was indeed a drug reaction. If no other issues are found that could explain the seizures, I would urge your veterinarian to contact the manufacturer of the preparation and report this as an adverse effect.

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.

Yes, it can hurt. You don't know if the dog's ear drum is intact, and putting medication into an ear with a ruptured ear drum is bad. In addition, ear infections can be caused by ear mites and bacteria as well as yeast, so this prescription medication may not work anyway. Do not give it to Ben. I can give some resources that may help him afford a vet. If paying for a vet is an issue, you can see if your vet accepts payment plans, if there is a low cost clinic in your area, or you can apply for Care Credit online. There is also an organization called Red Rover that give grants for treatment of sick animals, and you can see if you qualify for one of their grants. Best Friends also has a list of resources that offer financial assistance on their website. http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_pet.html?credit=web_id91754962 https://www.redrover.org https://www.carecredit.com http://bestfriends.org/resources/financial-aid-pets http://lessonsfromaparalyzeddog.com/when-pet-owners-cant-afford-veterinary-bills/ http://www.dogheirs.com/resources-affordable-veterinary-care/ Check out these resources to see if they can help him. In honesty, if he cannot afford a vet visit for an ear infection, then maybe keeping her isn't a good idea. I hope this helps.

I'm sorry that Floppy is having this issue. If Floppy's ear drum had an issue or was ruptured at the time that your mom put the medication in his ear this could have caused hearing loss. It's always very important to have a veterinarian check the ears prior to starting a medication to ensure the ear drums are okay. There are also reactions to certain medications that can cause temporary hearing loss. These reactions cannot be predicted, however with time most often hearing will return. Without knowing the type of medication that was used it's difficult to say if this happened. You may want to contact the company that manufactures the ear medication to report the event and they may be able to offer more advice to you. As long as Floppy is otherwise acting normally and you've flushed the remaining medication out of his ear I would continue to monitor. Hopefully his hearing will gradually return. Obviously in the future I would not recommend using the medication that caused the issue. I hope this helps! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Best wishes to you and Floppy and I'm hoping his hearing returns quickly!

You are right that there are different causes of ear infections, typically yeast and bacteria (there are many types). Ear medications prescribed are based on which of these is the problem. It is also important for their ear drum to be assessed prior to starting medications. As well, some dogs need oral medications in addition to topical if the infection is severe. Being so young is also a consideration with certain drugs. The best plan is to have your vet perform an ear cytology and assess for an intact ear drum prior to picking the best medication that is safe for Nola. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! All of the topical ear drops have the risk for ototoxicity which would cause deafness. If Val isn't suffering you can just try cleaning her ears every other day. But it may not clear a severe bacterial ear infection. Cocci just indicates the shape of the bacteria, we do not know the exact type of bacteria. It wouldn't be coccidia as that is a GI protozoal parasite. I wish you and Val the best!