Head shaking?

KitayCat

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My cat has been shaking her head off and on for a while. I have taken her to the vet and she has said that while there is some wax build up they are fairly clear. She still shakes her head and seems itchy, or otherwise bothered in that area.
The vet has said it could be "chicken ears" or caused by a chicken meat allergy.
Anyone have any experience with mysterious ear problems?
 

LTS3

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Well, chicken in any form can cause skin issues in cats. Ears could be affected. Try eliminating all chicken from the diet for a good 13 weeks or so. A limited ingredient brand of food works well. There are many brands available.

BLUE Basics® Limited Ingredient Cat Food | Blue Buffalo
Limited Ingredient Diet - Grain Free Cat | Merrick Pet Care
Cat Food - Limited Ingredient Diet - Kohapet
Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet | Instinct Pet Food
Minimally Processed Natural Cat Food Archives | RAWZ (Any except for the chicken ones)

Lots of other things in food can cause skin issues. Grains, gums, fillers, etc. What brand of food are you feeding your cat?

Don't forget about treats. Lots of big name brands contain chicken in some form even if it's just a vague "by product" or "animal liver" or something. 100% freeze dried meat treats work well and can be rehydrated for a moister texture. Pure Bites is one popular brand and there are many others.

Obviously if the ear issues gets worse while on a diet trial, talk to the vet again. If the vet just gives you a :dunno: and won't bother to do further testing, take your cat to another vet for second opinion.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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If it's not food related, it could actually be a deep inner ear infection. Sometimes those aren't detected easily.
 

daftcat75

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If the vet didn’t give you anything to clean the ears, you can make a soothing “ear tea” for her. Brew a cup of chamomile tea. Allow it to cool to lukewarm. Add a tablespoon or two of vinegar. Using a cotton ball, a make up round, or even a wadded tissue (something small but absorbent), soak up some tea and squeeze out a small amount into the top of her inner ear. Let it drip or allow her shake it in. The chamomile should be soothing and both the chamomile and vinegar have mild antimicrobial action. If it’s just a simple wax buildup, that should take care of it. But if it’s food related, it will come back until you have identified the allergen. I recommend the single protein pates from Rawz for taking all the nonsense ingredients out and leaving you protein vs protein comparisons to determine sensitivities.
 
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daftcat75

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If it's not food related, it could actually be a deep inner ear infection. Sometimes those aren't detected easily.
I hope it’s not a middle ear infection. Because of the eardrum, those are a devil to diagnose and even worse to treat. Krista stumbled off the bed at 3am one night, threw up, and staggered around the room clinging to the floor like she was either too weak or too dizzy to stand up. She got a trip to the ER at 3am and an overnight stay when bloodwork failed to turn up anything. It took a very expensive MRI in the morning to determine it was an ear infection and not something worse (brain infection, brain tumor, stroke,…). And it took an even more expensive surgery to relieve it. Plus a month of antibiotics that neither of us cared for. If an MRI is the only way to visualize the inner ear, then I recommend food trials first. I cannot recommend a $2000 diagnostic test without inner ear/neurological symptoms.
 

daftcat75

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If the vet didn’t give you anything to clean the ears, you can make a soothing “ear tea” for her. Brew a cup of chamomile tea. Allow it to cool to lukewarm. Add a tablespoon or two of vinegar. Using a cotton ball, a make up round, or even a wadded tissue (something small but absorbent), soak up some tea and squeeze out a small amount into the top of her inner ear. Let it drip or allow her shake it in. The chamomile should be soothing and both the chamomile and vinegar have mild antimicrobial action. If it’s just a simple wax buildup, that should take care of it. But if it’s food related, it will come back until you have identified the allergen. I recommend the single protein pates from Rawz for taking all the nonsense ingredients out and leaving you protein vs protein comparisons to determine sensitivities.
I think this should be apple cider vinegar with the chamomile tea. I believe ACV has a lower alcohol content than white vinegar. And red wine vinegar is for cooking. Not ears. I have read many different proportions from 1/4 teaspoon to half and half. Perhaps start with 1 teaspoon per cup of tea. Only a very small amount is going in her ears anyway. If it provides relief, great. Go with it. If it doesn’t, don’t be stubborn about it. You can ask your vet for a prescription strength ear cleaner. But that still may only be masking a food allergy underneath.
 
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KitayCat

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Vet looked in their ears and said nothing other than some wax. Some have had this black or dark brown wax with some debris. I figured mites so treated for those, and ears improved but didn't clear up. Have used every ear cleaner in manufacture, none work long-term including zymox enzyme solution which seemed to help a little but is not for long-term use. Must be food related but so far eliminating chicken has not improved allergy symptoms / itching / ear problem.
I'm getting more and more convinced these creatures were never meant to be domesticated and belong outside permanently.
 

neely

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I'm getting more and more convinced these creatures were never meant to be domesticated and belong outside permanently.
I understand you're frustrated but hope you were kidding when you made this comment. It's okay to vent, we've all been there and can relate. 🤗 How long has it been since you eliminated the chicken? The reason I asked is because it may take several weeks to see any improvement. You may also want to consider getting a second opinion from another vet. Best of luck, please keep us updated.
 
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