Horner's Syndrome?

Xena44

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I'd just hate to put her through so much stress again. Also that vet is notoriously expensive although I'm willing to pay if need be. The fact that she's totally normal otherwise has me reluctant to take her in again so soon. She'll be going back in less than 2 weeks anyway. She is impressively athletic and continues to jump high into the air and chase her toys with no problems at all. Would she be able to do that with damaged ear drums?
View attachment 382170
Is his ear painful? Is he scratching at excessively? Those will be cues that he’s possibly has a ruptured eardrum. They don’t always lose their balance but that’s a common symptom. There are more symptoms to but your cat looks pretty calm and collected in the picture so doesn’t seem like there’s any need to go into them.
 

daftcat75

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I'd just hate to put her through so much stress again. Also that vet is notoriously expensive although I'm willing to pay if need be. The fact that she's totally normal otherwise has me reluctant to take her in again so soon. She'll be going back in less than 2 weeks anyway. She is impressively athletic and continues to jump high into the air and chase her toys with no problems at all. Would she be able to do that with damaged ear drums?
View attachment 382170
If she's fine otherwise, then I wouldn't worry about it. Call the vet back and ask about the eye drops.
 

Xena44

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Yes. The feeding tube was unrelated to the ears/Horners. She had a fustercluck of concurrent conditions that landed her a recovery suite in the animal hospital for 10 days. That's a nice way of saying she was in a cage on IV fluids to bring her liver numbers back down, get her ear infection cleaned out, have a broken tooth extracted, and a feeding tube inserted. She was a tough one though. By the time I brought her home, she was eating without the tube. I kept it in for a few weeks for meds and in case she stopped eating again (easier to leave it than insert a new one.) On an adjustment appointment because the sutures came loose, she got feisty, yanked herself away, and left the vet holding the tube sans cat. She decided for us all when she was done with that tube. 😹
View attachment 382171
This was my lock screen photo on my phone for months to remind myself just how tough she was. Those mornings I would visit her, her looking all beat up and drooling, what she wanted most was to wobble her way into my lap, and purr her head off until it was time for her to be returned to her "suite" again. 😻
I’m so happy your little kitty recovered! She’s a tough little girl. Of course she, is she’s a calico. 😹😻
 
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scoutandmaxine

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Is his ear painful? Is he scratching at excessively? Those will be cues that he’s possibly has a ruptured eardrum. They don’t always lose their balance but that’s a common symptom. There are more symptoms to but your cat looks pretty calm and collected in the picture so doesn’t seem like there’s any need to go into them.
No scratching at all. Just the occasional head shake. She let's me touch her ear without issue. She has been mostly very calm and collected, in fact surprisingly so. She's usually a lot more hyper. However in the mornings, she's her usual self, very playful with the zoomies. I just hope it's not something she's hiding well as cats are known to hide most discomfort or pain.
 
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scoutandmaxine

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If she's fine otherwise, then I wouldn't worry about it. Call the vet back and ask about the eye drops.
I will definitely call them about the eye drops first thing in the morning. Thank you for the tip! Should I expect to be given the eye drops at no charge considering this seems to be a fault on their end? Not to be petty, I'll pay if I have to. But I am very disappointed in her care so far. I'm just not the type to speak up or complain. I'm such a nervous nelly. But for Maxine, I'll do anything to make sure she gets what she needs.
 

daftcat75

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No scratching at all. Just the occasional head shake. She let's me touch her ear without issue. She has been mostly very calm and collected, in fact surprisingly so. She's usually a lot more hyper. However in the mornings, she's her usual self, very playful with the zoomies. I just hope it's not something she's hiding well as cats are known to hide most discomfort or pain.
They hide it to a point. If you're tuned to it, you'll notice behavior changes when they've been trying to hide pain for too long. Inappropriate bathroom habits, lethargy, loss of interest in play, and grumpiness/aggression can be signs that their pain is becoming a burden.

If yours isn't showing you any different, then take her at her word.
 

daftcat75

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I will definitely call them about the eye drops first thing in the morning. Thank you for the tip! Should I expect to be given the eye drops at no charge considering this seems to be a fault on their end? Not to be petty, I'll pay if I have to. But I am very disappointed in her care so far. I'm just not the type to speak up or complain. I'm such a nervous nelly. But for Maxine, I'll do anything to make sure she gets what she needs.
You'll pay for the drops. Even if you could prove or have your vet agree that the Horner's is his fault and not just an expected reaction from the medication, vets usually cut deals on their fees/time vs. supplies and medicines. Using a mechanic analogy, they'd rather give you a price break on labor before they budge on the price of parts. The good news is that the drops shouldn't cost much at all. "Artificial Tears $19.85" is what was on Krista's bill.
 

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I will definitely call them about the eye drops first thing in the morning. Thank you for the tip! Should I expect to be given the eye drops at no charge considering this seems to be a fault on their end? Not to be petty, I'll pay if I have to. But I am very disappointed in her care so far. I'm just not the type to speak up or complain. I'm such a nervous nelly. But for Maxine, I'll do anything to make sure she gets what she needs.
From their prior history, I would not expect them to step up and give them to you. But I would definitely ask. (You can do it! 😉) If you call the 800 number for Bayer and report this as an adverse reaction, they may cover the cost. And if they don’t offer, ask. i would think that off label use had to of been promoted/originated by a representative of Bayer.
 

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You'll pay for the drops. Even if you could prove or have your vet agree that the Horner's is his fault and not just an expected reaction from the medication, vets usually cut deals on their fees/time vs. supplies and medicines. Using a mechanic analogy, they'd rather give you a price break on labor before they budge on the price of parts. The good news is that the drops shouldn't cost much at all. "Artificial Tears $19.85" is what was on Krista's bill.
Absolute correct assessment.
 
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scoutandmaxine

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You'll pay for the drops. Even if you could prove or have your vet agree that the Horner's is his fault and not just an expected reaction from the medication, vets usually cut deals on their fees/time vs. supplies and medicines. Using a mechanic analogy, they'd rather give you a price break on labor before they budge on the price of parts. The good news is that the drops shouldn't cost much at all. "Artificial Tears $19.85" is what was on Krista's bill.
Fair enough, figure it'd be worth a shot although what I really need back is lost time spent worrying to death and not being able to sleep bc I'm too busy watching her sleep to make sure she's okay. My girls are my whole world. The slightest change in any of them has me turned into an anxious mess. I know time will help, I'm just not a very patient person lol. Thanks so much for your help and advice!
 
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scoutandmaxine

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From their prior history, I would not expect them to step up and give them to you. But I would definitely ask. (You can do it! 😉) If you call the 800 number for Bayer and report this as an adverse reaction, they may cover the cost. And if they don’t offer, ask. i would think that off label use had to of been promoted/originated by a representative of Bayer.
That is a good idea. I'll have to look into that and see what they can do. Thanks so much!
 
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scoutandmaxine

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From their prior history, I would not expect them to step up and give them to you. But I would definitely ask. (You can do it! 😉) If you call the 800 number for Bayer and report this as an adverse reaction, they may cover the cost. And if they don’t offer, ask. i would think that off label use had to of been promoted/originated by a representative of Bayer.
Sorry to keep bugging, but you said the horner’s in your kitty resolved in about 3 weeks? Did her eye go back to normal completely or was she left with some permanent change at all afterwards?
 
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scoutandmaxine

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You'll pay for the drops. Even if you could prove or have your vet agree that the Horner's is his fault and not just an expected reaction from the medication, vets usually cut deals on their fees/time vs. supplies and medicines. Using a mechanic analogy, they'd rather give you a price break on labor before they budge on the price of parts. The good news is that the drops shouldn't cost much at all. "Artificial Tears $19.85" is what was on Krista's bill.
Sorry meant to send this last reply to you...
expand...
'Sorry to keep bugging, but you said the horner’s in your kitty resolved in about 3 weeks? Did her eye go back to normal completely or was she left with some permanent change at all afterwards?'
 

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Sorry meant to send this last reply to you...

'Sorry to keep bugging, but you said the horner’s in your kitty resolved in about 3 weeks? Did her eye go back to normal completely or was she left with some permanent change at all afterwards?'
Resolved completely.

So the drooling picture was Jan 10, 2019 (about a day or two after it first presented):
IMG_0817.JPG

February 3 (Only the slightest difference between eyes but the third lid is down)
IMG_1079.JPG
February 23, 2019 (No signs it ever happened.)
IMG_1204.JPG

It likely resolved sooner than this. But this wasn't all that was going on with her at the time. I have a lot of other shots where she's not thrilled with her other struggles.
 
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scoutandmaxine

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Resolved completely.

So the drooling picture was Jan 10, 2019 (about a day or two after it first presented):
View attachment 382191

February 3 (Only the slightest difference between eyes but the third lid is down)
View attachment 382193
February 23, 2019 (No signs it ever happened.)
View attachment 382192

It likely resolved sooner than this. But this wasn't all that was going on with her at the time. I have a lot of other shots where she's not thrilled with her other struggles.
Aww pretty baby❤
This looks identical to what Maxie is going through. I am going to call the vet tomorrow to ask for the eye drops and hopefully if time allows, I am going to request that a different vet take a look at her just to check and see if there is any damage to her ear. If there is, what is the treatment for that? Just to treat the infection? Or is surgery required for the ear drum? Also, do you have any tips on how to apply the eye drops? Maxie is a very wiggly cat lol. Sorry for all the questions. But its good to hear from someone who has been in such a similar situation.
 

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No scratching at all. Just the occasional head shake. She let's me touch her ear without issue. She has been mostly very calm and collected, in fact surprisingly so. She's usually a lot more hyper. However in the mornings, she's her usual self, very playful with the zoomies. I just hope it's not something she's hiding well as cats are known to hide most discomfort or pain.
I agree with daftcat75 daftcat75 . She seems calm so I’d take what she is showing you. A ruptured ear drum is painful and that isn’t something they can typically hide, particularly if you touch the ear.
 

Xena44

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Thats what I'm most concerned about. Is if they damaged her ears during the cleaning because they did mention she was struggling a lot. I didn't see them do the cleaning, they took her into a backroom so I'm not sure exactly what or how they did it. I've called the vet and voiced my concerns, I'm just on the fence about putting her through another stressful vet visit when there isn't much they can do, other than maybe make sure she has no damage to the ears. Or if I should just hold off until recheck because she doesn't show any signs of pain or discomfort. The vet did say they normally use a different medication but it was on backorder so he went with the Claro. I'm just hoping that because she's able to run and jump normally with no issue, then that must mean her ears are not damaged? I'm pretty sure I'm more anxious and worried about it than she is.
I’m feeling very uncomfortable with that vet’s response. That side effect is well known and the vet should have taken that into consideration before administering it to your kitty. And what I mean “by taken into consideration“, I mean should not have been so quick to use it. I can’t even imagine the back ordered med is the only other medication they had in stock to treat an ear infection. If that is true, if that‘s really all they had, I’m thinking what kind of risky dink operation are they running there. I’m quite serious. Do you know that you can reply to this thread by hitting the reply button in the lower right corner of this box? Just sayin. I didn’t at 1st. 😉😻
 
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scoutandmaxine

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I’m feeling very uncomfortable with that vet’s response. That side effect is well known and the vet should have taken that into consideration before administering it to your kitty. And what I mean “by taken into consideration“, I mean should not have been so quick to use it. I can’t even imagine the back ordered med is the only other medication they had in stock to treat an ear infection. If that is true, if that‘s really all they had, I’m thinking what kind of risky dink operation are they running there. I’m quite serious.
I've found a forum on drugs.com about the Claro otic solution and now I'm panicking all over again. 😣 There are multiple mentions about how Claro was used on their cats and they all immediately developed Horner's syndrome, as well as other symptoms like wobbling and even deafness! I am livid now that they would use this medication that clearly states its for dogs only. I wish I had known better to ask more questions about it before they put it in her ears. I am going to call them tomorrow immediately and ask that they rectify this. Specifically to flush it out of her ears. As you said, there has to be a better medication that is actually intended for cats even if the one they normally use is on backorder. This is awful, I can't believe they'd use that medication on her when there are so many complaints about the effects on poor kitties.
 

daftcat75

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Aww pretty baby❤
This looks identical to what Maxie is going through. I am going to call the vet tomorrow to ask for the eye drops and hopefully if time allows, I am going to request that a different vet take a look at her just to check and see if there is any damage to her ear. If there is, what is the treatment for that? Just to treat the infection? Or is surgery required for the ear drum? Also, do you have any tips on how to apply the eye drops? Maxie is a very wiggly cat lol. Sorry for all the questions. But its good to hear from someone who has been in such a similar situation.
There’s nothing to be done about a ruptured eardrum but time to heal. I really don’t think Maxine has one. She would be stumbling and not wanting to play. I don’t think you need to take her to a second vet. They’re not going to be able to see into her ear canal anyway until the medicine has had a chance to clear up the infection. The second vet could actually rupture her eardrum trying to clean again. Better to leave it be and give the medicine a chance.

If I remember correctly, you aim for the corner of the eye with the eye drops rather than the center. Ask the vet or search YouTube. This wasn’t the only thing Krista had going. My memories of that time are getting fuzzy. And since she passed last year, I’ve been trying to curate only the good out of those memories. Her rough spots I remember for her strength, perseverance, and trust rather than all the worry and fuss.
 

Xena44

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I’m feeling very uncomfortable with that vet’s response. That side effect is well known and the vet should have taken that into consideration before administering it to your kitty. And what I mean “by taken into consideration“, I mean should not have been so quick to use it. I can’t even imagine the back ordered med is the only other medication they had in stock to treat an ear infection. If that is true, if that‘s really all they had, I’m thinking what kind of risky dink operation are they running there. I’m quite serious. Do you know that you can reply to this thread by hitting the reply button in the lower right corner of this box? Just sayin. I didn’t at 1st. 😉😻
Ah. I see you get it! My bad,
 
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