Cat Nerve and Ear issue help!

[Manya]

Hello. My lovely cat has a severe bacterial and yeast infection in both his ears. He used to pant a few weeks ago and fall to his sides. We had no clue why he did that so we took him to a vet who said he seems dehydrated just give him water. Turns out poor baby had an ear infection. We took him to the vet again after a few days as we contacted them on whatsapp and they said earlier that he has ear mites just give eardrops. We took him again for a follow up and the vet said that his infection is almost gone just give a few ear drops. We noticed that his walk became wobly so we took him to another vet and she said that it isn’t ear mites, it’s a severe yeast and bacterial infection. His right eardrum is ruptured and infection is in both ears she also said he has some nerve issue as his patella reflexes are bad. I’ll take him to the vet tomo. But did anyone experience this and is his loss of balance and nerve issue due to his ear infection?

 

[daftcat75]

That first vet is garbage. I hope you won't be returning.

Please check with the second vet about this.

1. I don't think any more drops should be put into the ear with the ruptured eardrum.
2. Your boy will probably need to be on a systemic oral antibiotic for possibly as long as a month because of the infectious material that might be in his middle ear now (past the ruptured eardrum.)

It can take up to a month or more for the neurological symptoms (head tilt, wobbliness, involuntary eye movements, raised third eyelid, etc) to clear up. It can also take about that long or longer for the infection to clear up if it's down in the middle ear now past the ruptured eardrum. That's because (double check with the vet on this) you can't put drops in that ear until the eardrum has healed. Also, the middle ear is still technically outside the body making it harder to reach with oral antibiotics.

In my angel Krista's case, I believe all her ear infections were related to allergens in her diet. She developed IBD in her senior years. Chicken and fish were her no-no proteins. If I fed her either on the regular, she would have butt and gut incidents. If it was in her diet in small enough amounts, she might not have a butt or gut incident, but eventually, she would end up with an ear infection. Towards the end, I could tell by ear scratching and head-shaking whether a food was no good for her. Take care of the ear infections at hand first. But keep in mind that if they refuse to go away or they come back, there may be a food allergy component to this.

 

[Manya]

That first vet is garbage. I hope you won't be returning.

Please check with the second vet about this.

1. I don't think any more drops should be put into the ear with the ruptured eardrum.
2. Your boy will probably need to be on a systemic oral antibiotic for possibly as long as a month because of the infectious material that might be in his middle ear now (past the ruptured eardrum.)

It can take up to a month or more for the neurological symptoms (head tilt, wobbliness, involuntary eye movements, raised third eyelid, etc) to clear up. It can also take about that long or longer for the infection to clear up if it's down in the middle ear now past the ruptured eardrum. That's because (double check with the vet on this) you can't put drops in that ear until the eardrum has healed. Also, the middle ear is still technically outside the body making it harder to reach with oral antibiotics.

In my angel Krista's case, I believe all her ear infections were related to allergens in her diet. She developed IBD in her senior years. Chicken and fish were her no-no proteins. If I fed her either on the regular, she would have butt and gut incidents. If it was in her diet in small enough amounts, she might not have a butt or gut incident, but eventually, she would end up with an ear infection. Towards the end, I could tell by ear scratching and head-shaking whether a food was no good for her. Take care of the ear infections at hand first. But keep in mind that if they refuse to go away or they come back, there may be a food allergy component to this.

Thank you foe your response. Yes, I won’t be going to the first vet as we contacted her several times on whatsapp and went for visits for at least a month and she never observed my cat properly. Sadly his ear infection was neglected for a month. I will keep your points on mind and even ask the vet about them. Hope your cat is doing well. Mine eats boiled chicken mixed with water (a slight paste as he has had constipation and stomach bloating due to boiled chicken without water). Alright. His movement has us very worried he can’t even use the litter box on his own we have to carry him and put him in it and he just falls. I think it started out as ear mites and since it was not treated, it turned into yeast ans bacterial infection. I will ask his vet about systemic oral antibiotics. Actaully he developed ringworm too so she said she will not give him steriods due to it but instead give an anti-inflammatory (Loxicam) at the moment.

 

[daftcat75]

Boiled chicken is not a complete diet. It’s missing a calcium source. (Among several other missing nutrients.) Calcium is necessary for bone strength but also proper muscle function. Please get him eating a wet cat food. Even “garbage” brands like Friskies is going to be better for him than simply boiled chicken.

 

[daftcat75]

Alternatively, you can add a premix powder that will make boiled chicken into a nutritionally complete meal for cats. I’m only aware of one that doesn’t require extra ingredients like liver. That would be EZ Complete. You add the powder to the water to make a gravy and then mix that into the chicken. Can’t get easier than that.
Food Fur Life - EZ Homemade raw food for pets!

 

[daftcat75]

His lack of coordination sounds like the infection has reached the middle ear. You might be able to treat it with antibiotics alone. But it may also require the surgery my Krista had to have. She stumbled off the bed late one night, threw up, and couldn’t walk. She was crawling around on her hocks (like their forearms.) That got her an ER visit in the middle of the night, an overnight stay to see the neurologist in the morning, an expensive CT scan to determine that it was a middle ear infection and not a brain tumor, and ultimately an even more expensive surgery to go up through her jaw and drain her middle ear. Hopefully your boy doesn’t need all this. But you should discuss this with the vet too. Then again, if the membrane (eardrum) is already ruptured, they might be able to go in through there instead of the more complicated VBO surgery (through the jaw.) You and the vet should work out a plan besides pill and pray. Like if it doesn’t respond to antibiotics, if his coordination doesn’t get better in n number of weeks, you may have to discuss other treatments including surgery.

I think had Krista lived long enough, she would have mostly or fully recovered from the surgery. Sadly, that wasn’t all she was dealing with at the time. She had already lost more than half her body weight to GI lymphoma. Ironically the medicine change we were forced to do as a result of her ear surgery got the last of her trigger foods out of her diet (the fish flakes I was wrapping her nightly steroid pill inside) and she finally achieved remission. Too little too late. A bladder infection would prove too much for her the next month.

This was her after the CT scan and before the surgery.
View media item 423508View media item 423507
A few days after her surgery:

View media item 423512
About a month after the surgery (and sadly a few weeks before she passed.)

View media item 423667
If she didn’t have the lymphoma, I believe she would have made a full recovery from the surgery. She was a tough one!

And your guy may not need the surgery or they may be able to do some kind of fine needle aspiration to suck the infectious material through the already ruptured eardrum. That would be easier than Krista’s surgery.

So yeah. A lot to think about and discuss with your vet.

 

[Tik cat's mum]

Yes my boy bandit was diagnosed with vestibular disease due to a middle ear infection. He could not stand when it first hit him and we rushed to the emergency vet thinking we would lose him. Good news is his balance came back gradually over the next few weeks. He was on antibiotics for about 7 weeks in total but has made a full recovery except a very slight head tilt, you can't notice now unless you know. I hope your boy is feeling better soon and back to being cat before you know.

 

[Manya]

His lack of coordination sounds like the infection has reached the middle ear. You might be able to treat it with antibiotics alone. But it may also require the surgery my Krista had to have. She stumbled off the bed late one night, threw up, and couldn’t walk. She was crawling around on her hocks (like their forearms.) That got her an ER visit in the middle of the night, an overnight stay to see the neurologist in the morning, an expensive CT scan to determine that it was a middle ear infection and not a brain tumor, and ultimately an even more expensive surgery to go up through her jaw and drain her middle ear. Hopefully your boy doesn’t need all this. But you should discuss this with the vet too. Then again, if the membrane (eardrum) is already ruptured, they might be able to go in through there instead of the more complicated VBO surgery (through the jaw.) You and the vet should work out a plan besides pill and pray. Like if it doesn’t respond to antibiotics, if his coordination doesn’t get better in n number of weeks, you may have to discuss other treatments including surgery.

I think had Krista lived long enough, she would have mostly or fully recovered from the surgery. Sadly, that wasn’t all she was dealing with at the time. She had already lost more than half her body weight to GI lymphoma. Ironically the medicine change we were forced to do as a result of her ear surgery got the last of her trigger foods out of her diet (the fish flakes I was wrapping her nightly steroid pill inside) and she finally achieved remission. Too little too late. A bladder infection would prove too much for her the next month.

This was her after the CT scan and before the surgery.
View media item 423508View media item 423507
A few days after her surgery:

View media item 423512
About a month after the surgery (and sadly a few weeks before she passed.)

View media item 423667
If she didn’t have the lymphoma, I believe she would have made a full recovery from the surgery. She was a tough one!

And your guy may not need the surgery or they may be able to do some kind of fine needle aspiration to suck the infectious material through the already ruptured eardrum. That would be easier than Krista’s surgery.

So yeah. A lot to think about and discuss with your vet.

Thank you so much for your response. Krista is in a better place and what a sweet cat .
My little one is also constipated. The vet said today he has some neurological issue in his lower which has caused issues in his motor nerves. That’s why his tefelxes are bad and he cant walk. She also said he must’ve fallen and worsened it but he never fell from any high postitions. It’s worrying me so much that I am going for a third opinion tomorrow . Because this current vet wasn’t helpful either she just scared me. She didn’t tell me what I could do to help she said nothing and she also said that his ear infection has nothing to do with his immobility. I am baffled right now.

 

[Manya]

Yes my boy bandit was diagnosed with vestibular disease due to a middle ear infection. He could not stand when it first hit him and we rushed to the emergency vet thinking we would lose him. Good news is his balance came back gradually over the next few weeks. He was on antibiotics for about 7 weeks in total but has made a full recovery except a very slight head tilt, you can't notice now unless you know. I hope your boy is feeling better soon and back to being cat before you know.

That’s great! Now this vet first said it may be vestibular then said it’s paralysis. This vet absolutely confused me. She said he has some neurological issue in his lower back which is affecting his motor nerves. She didn’t even do any tests for this issue. Now I am going to another vet tomorrow.

 

[Tik cat's mum]

That’s great! Now this vet first said it may be vestibular then said it’s paralysis. This vet absolutely confused me. She said he has some neurological issue in his lower back which is affecting his motor nerves. She didn’t even do any tests for this issue. Now I am going to another vet tomorrow.

It sounds like your having a tough time of it. Certainly if your unhappy with the vets you've seen get another opinion. I really hope you get the answers for your boy. Please keep us updated on how he is doing.

 

[Manya]

It sounds like your having a tough time of it. Certainly if your unhappy with the vets you've seen get another opinion. I really hope you get the answers for your boy. Please keep us updated on how he is doing.

Wanted to update you. We took him to numerous vets last month and this week. All were crap. We took him to another one today who properly examined him and did xrays. It is his ear which caused his immobility. Please keep him in your prayers. His ear bacterial infection is very bad as per the new vet.

 

[fionasmom]

I was going to second what daftcat75 was saying about the ear. Serious ear problems don't just stay in the ear. Yes, good thoughts for a speedy recovery....and sorry for all the stress you had to go through to help your baby.

 

[Tik cat's mum]

Wanted to update you. We took him to numerous vets last month and this week. All were crap. We took him to another one today who properly examined him and did xrays. It is his ear which caused his immobility. Please keep him in your prayers. His ear bacterial infection is very bad as per the new vet.

Thankyou for the update poor fella, but it's good you know what you are dealing with now and can put a plan of action in place. Of course I will keep him in my prayers and you too I know how stressful it is when our kitties get ill. Hopefully now you have got answers he'll make a speedy recovery.

 

[daftcat75]

Wanted to update you. We took him to numerous vets last month and this week. All were crap. We took him to another one today who properly examined him and did xrays. It is his ear which caused his immobility. Please keep him in your prayers. His ear bacterial infection is very bad as per the new vet.

Did the new vet discuss surgery? Or are you trying a course of antibiotics first? Antibiotics compliance is important. If you have difficulty giving the medicine, in many cases, you can get it compounded into an easier to give formulation such as a flavored liquid or sometimes a treat. You’ll need the vet to call or fax in the prescription. But then you can choose the formulation that you think your guy will most likely take. If you choose wrong, you call customer service and they’ll work with you to choose another formulation.
Veterinary Pharmacy

 

[daftcat75]

Antibiotics can give cats diarrhea and make them feel pretty lousy. For the diarrhea, search this site for “s. boulardii” If your guy’s appetite drops off, you may need anti-nausea or appetite stimulant drugs too. If you do get any of these compounded as transdermal, I would only dose him in the ear with the intact eardrum. I would also only get one drug as transdermal for this reason. As you can see with Krista above, it does get better. But it takes a long time. A month or more.

 

[Manya]

Did the new vet discuss surgery? Or are you trying a course of antibiotics first? Antibiotics compliance is important. If you have difficulty giving the medicine, in many cases, you can get it compounded into an easier to give formulation such as a flavored liquid or sometimes a treat. You’ll need the vet to call or fax in the prescription. But then you can choose the formulation that you think your guy will most likely take. If you choose wrong, you call customer service and they’ll work with you to choose another formulation.
Veterinary Pharmacy

The vet took his ear culture test and we’re waiting for the results. Based on that they’ll give him medication. Please pray the results are good. Our furbaby’s name is Milo. We’re so worried about how he will be even if we treat him. Will he be able to walk. I hope he does Ameen. Thank you for your responses. It’s good to know there are people who care

 

[Manya]

Than

Antibiotics can give cats diarrhea and make them feel pretty lousy. For the diarrhea, search this site for “s. boulardii” If your guy’s appetite drops off, you may need anti-nausea or appetite stimulant drugs too. If you do get any of these compounded as transdermal, I would only dose him in the ear with the intact eardrum. I would also only get one drug as transdermal for this reason. As you can see with Krista above, it does get better. But it takes a long time. A month or more.

Thank you. I will keep that in mind. At this point he can’t even use the litterbox we have to put him in it and hold him when he eats. It’s so painful to see him. He was such an energetic littl thing always hiding in rooks and crannies and trilling and chirping . He always wanted me to chase him.

 

[Manya]

Thank yi

I was going to second what daftcat75 was saying about the ear. Serious ear problems don't just stay in the ear. Yes, good thoughts for a speedy recovery....and sorry for all the stress you had to go through to help your baby.

Thank you. If his previous vets helped him and looked further in to his ear infection, none of this would’ve happened. It’s so depressing. He may be a cat but he’s family to me. It’s strange how you don’t understand this love but once you have a cat, it’s pure love at first sight. You’re willing to do everything for them. Please keep him in your prayers. His name is Milo.

 

[fionasmom]

I had a cat named Milo once. Milo the Millennium Cat as I found him on January 1, 2000. Keeping your Milo in my thoughts...and don't give up hope that he will recover.

 

[Manya]

Aw so cute. Thank you so much . I won’t give up