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- Jun 28, 2019
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I am pretty sure our vet tried treating her for a yeast infection at one point. I actually have an appointment with Sass tomorrow and I'm hoping that maybe the office will be able to give me a history of everything we've had her on. It may be that we just have not tried one single treatment for long enough? Argh! I believe the protein in her wet food currently is hydrolized chicken...and you're right it hasn't seemed to make her ears better or worse! We also had her on a prescription duck formula but it was impossible to find stores that sold it!It looks like she has black gunk in her ears which could be a yeast infection. One of my cats developed this issue and it turned out she had developed an allergy to chicken. I know it sounds weird and I don't remember exactly how it works but yeast infections in the ears is often a food allergy, usually to the protein. Do you know which protein is in the food that she is getting?
She is a pretty cat and thank you for adopting an older cat. So often they are overlooked in favor of the kittens.
Hi! Welcome!!
Denice posted just as I was about to
I can't tell from your post, but have you tried any other canned foods? Have you tried an elimination diet to see if, for example, chicken or starches, or glutens, might be sensitivity triggers?
Have you considered feeding raw?
Raw Feeding Cats: Types Of Raw Diets & Feeding Options
These two databases of commercial foods might help;
Pet Food Guide
Check This Out.... Chart For Cat Food Ingredients
I believe that a lot of the treatments we've had her on were multi purpose treatments. For example, the ear drops that we've had her on multiple times, Tresaderm, is supposed to be an antifungal, corticosteroid and a broad-spectrum antibiotic. Again, maybe we just haven't stuck to one treatment long enough to see results? I appreciate everyone's help!I agree with denice , it looks like the black stuff in her ear(s) could possibly be fungal infection. My cat had a yeast infection in one of her ears when young and it took a while (months) to find just the right treatment to help it to go away.
When you say, "... We have tried ear washes, topicals, ear drops, ...", did the vet specifically test for fungal issues and were any of the drops, washes, etc., an antibiotic specifically meant to treat the particular bacteria or fungus??
eyeofsassafrasI believe that a lot of the treatments we've had her on were multi purpose treatments. For example, the ear drops that we've had her on multiple times, Tresaderm, is supposed to be an antifungal, corticosteroid and a broad-spectrum antibiotic. Again, maybe we just haven't stuck to one treatment long enough to see results? I appreciate everyone's help!
eyeofsassafras
Well, I will just tell you that Tresaderm did nothing for the yeast infection in my kitty's ear. We gave that a good go for a while but the infection didn't go away. (And I'm pretty diligent about giving ear meds, even though they sure are difficult to give to a kitten! *head shaking*)
Her ear nearly got better with the second med we tried, e.g. we nearly got rid of the yeast and the itching. A month or so after finishing that, though, it started to come back and I wanted the vet to give me the same med again -- but the vet decided to try a third med (a very messy clear liquid). That seemed to do it. But it stank and was REALLY messy. She hasn't had problems since (this was 3+ years ago).
**I'm not sure I'm allowed to post what meds those last two meds were? (2nd med: Nystatin + thiostrepton + neomycin + triamcinolone ointment, 7.5 ml; 3rd med: Miconosol 1% lotion for fungal infections).
**The caveats are that I am not a vet; you shouldn't give your cat anything that your vet hasn't discussed with you and approved of already; and these were things that worked for my cat when she was a kitten, when bad ear mites (even despite doses of Revolution) eventually led to a yeast infection that had been diagnosed with particular testing. These products may not be right for your cat's situation.
I'd really recommend specific testing of your kitty's ears to try to find out the bacterial or fungal issues -- if they do exist. The vet should know where to go from there.
Did you go to the vet on that day?... I actually have an appointment with Sass tomorrow and I'm hoping that maybe the office will be able to give me a history of everything we've had her on. It may be that we just have not tried one single treatment for long enough? ...
I did! Sass was due for rabies & distemper. The vet looked in her ears with the otoscope and agreed that they looked bad from all her scratching but otherwise did not mention that anything in the ear canal was abnormal. We decided that keeping an eye on the condition and doing our best with preventative measures at home was the best route for now, since we’ve literally had her on meds since adopting her. She did mention a medicine called atopica, which is currently only for dogs but with testing can be used on cats. I’m pretty undecided about it but I suppose at least it’s an option? PushPurrCatPaws & MissClouseau we’ve considered many times that Sass’s allergies are purely environmental/airborne! Due to the stubborn nature of her itching and how weather hasn’t seemed to effect the frequency of her scratching I think it could be probable? Just wish I had any definite answers at this pointDid you go to the vet on that day?