Black Lumps in Ears

pushylady

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Hi kskatt kskatt that link doesn't show anything for me. It just says the page isn't available. Are you able to upload the picture directly to TCS?
 
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kskatt

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tiggermarie

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My cat has had these types of cysts in her ears for many years, but she only has a few at a time and they are smaller. My vet calls them inflammatory cysts, and since they don't really bother her, we have not removed them. Prednisolone is the most common treatment for inflammation, and my cat is on this drug for her ears as well as inflammatory bowel disease.

Here is an article about it: http://www.vetblog.net/2014/04/blue-spots-cats-ear.html?m=1

I hope you find a vet that can help you with this!
 
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kskatt

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OMG! Thank you so much for the link! Blue lumps, I kept searching black lumps and I can't even remember what. I am disappointed that my vet had no idea what it is, or could be. I noted it said there are other conditions "some of which can be very serious. At least now I have a name I can use for research,  and hopefully find more in the daytime when I have better brain function.
 

tiggermarie

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I also forgot to mention that my cat's ears were previously itchy & waxy. My vet recommended using Zinc Otic, 2x a week, and it really cleared up her ears & stopped the itching. The Zinc Otic is a mild cleansing solution that you drop directly into the ear. It's another tool to try :)
 
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kskatt

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kskatt

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Totally nuts, let me be brief and do a way better job tomorrow.

Yesterday I took Zeus, Rocky (had his ears cleaned last week, one was really bad and needed a recheck) and Mr Man (recently diagnosed Hyper-T, will get a thread going on him) to the vet.

Left Zeus and Rocky. Rocky needed a repeat cleaning and Zeus to nip off a bigger, very easy access cyst to send in for testing. Good old biopsy.

Today picked up Rocky, he is now good for a year. Zeus got one stitch and his ears well cleaned. Poor guy slept most of the day and is still mostly napping.

Also took Moon in, I transferred al of his records and now Dr Jess can take over treating his diabetes. Yes, he needs his own thread also!


Now I need a good night's sleep!
 
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kskatt

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Sorry I've been so negligent. Found out a close relative has been suicidal, my head's been spinning!

There really isn't any update. Have to wait for results to find out just what we are dealing with. Did find out, for sure, no ear mites so any discomfort has to be from the cysts. Earlier, I swear, his ears were horizontal with the ground. He'd shake his head and hold his ears straight out to the sides. He looks miserable so often. I hope we find something easily treated, this has been going on way too long. Right now the one stitch probably itches. I know when I've had stitches they itch while healing.
 

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kskatt

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I've read (somewhere) that they might be a form of a herpes virus.

But this article might be worth showing to your vet. Seriously, it's startling, to put it mildly...

http://m.vet.sagepub.com/content/44/6/924.full

And then I read this article. Definitely worth asking your vet whether this would be safe for your cats to try:
http://altmedicine.about.com/od/herbsupplementguide/a/Lactoferrin.htm
Thank you for being so concerned and searching, then sharing results. The first article doesn't really make me think of the cysts in Zeus's ears. The results of the histology will tell us exactly what the cysts are, finally. My research on the cysts basically talked about cancer, mostly benign. Since some cysts were removed, leaving the deeper, inaccessible ones, I'm not really worried about malignant cancer, it would have spread by now. I thank God for that, my original vet never mentioned the possibility of cancer and no testing was ever done. 

I don't understand how the Lactoferrin would relate to this?

Infection was brought up and one ear was slightly inflamed and tender. 

There seem to be a variety of possible causes, we shall see! 
 
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kskatt

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Time passes too quickly as we age. Vet had not called with results and I know she would have were it bad news. I was reminded that it has been more than long enough so I put in a call and she is to call me back.

I guess what I have been thinking about so much is the only remedy for one of the ears, cysts are all the way down in the ear canal, no way to laser, is a total ear ablation. A surgeon goes in and removes the entire ear canal. I've been dreading the call I finally made today, to the university vet clinic for an estimate, generally $2,500. any complications it could go up to $3,000. When talking to vet I need her to call nd describe the cysts in the other ear that need to be laser removed. I can't give the info she can, type, size, quantity or percentage of ear involved, whatever it is they use to figure it. The ablation is bad enough, at least laser removal is cheaper, although I don't know how bad it might end up since there are a lot (I think so anyway!).

I promise to let you know as soon as I do.

My mother, bless her heart, has offered to pay. I have nothing after the expense of Sky and Holly.. That does mean I need to get things moving and ready for me to make an appointment. I sure wish the university wasn't 150 miles away.
 
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kskatt

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I only just noticed, if this doesn't prove how scattered I've been, Zeus is my avatar. I should have pointed that out day one!
 
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kskatt

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Ceruminous Cystomatosis, "a rare neoplastic skin disease" Rare with the millions of cats around still means more than enough cases to have lots of info available.

I will be taking Zeus to KSU small animal clinic on Thurs am for an evaluation. The surgeon will examine Zeus to verify if surgery is the best solution. I'm not aware of anything for cysts that deep in the ear canal. Zeus will have to fast, because if we go for the surgery, he will have blood work run in the afternoon. The surgery will take place Friday am.

I will be sure to update Thurs evening.
 
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kskatt

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Got up at 5am, left at 7am, back home at 4:50pm. Then had a Saddle Club meeting at 7pm.

The team decided that ablating both ears gives the best possible outcome. How much relief and how long it lasts is to be seen. This disease really is rare. The students spent quite some time looking for case reports, treatments; they found one paper. The cases are so few and scattered that there has never been any research studies. Not enough cases to study, no treatment protocol.

There is more but I've got to get some sleep.

Surgery will be tomorrow (Friday) morning.
 
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