Paranoid About Earwax

swanjun

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First, some background...

A few weeks ago, I noticed that my ginger girl, Riley, was shaking her head more than usual. She also had some orangish-brown substance accumulated around the tips of her ears. I assumed this wax earwax. I gave her Revolution right away in case mites were the issue (also dosing my other two boys) and then took her to the vet. There, she was diagnosed with a yeast infection. She was sent home with eardrops and some ear cleaner.

She had her latest recheck on Monday. The infection has resolved, but she still is producing a lot of what I am continuing to assume is earwax, so I have been cleaning her ears every day. She still shakes her head sometimes. Complicating matters is that she receives transdermal medication daily for hyperthyroidism.

So, anyway, today I'm lounging looking at my cat Alfie, who is recovering from enucleation. I notice a darker spot on his pinna and upon closer inspection, it's orangish-brown earwax! (Again, I assume.) He did just get out of a cone he had to wear for two weeks, so maybe he couldn't bathe his ear so well, but... now I'm paranoid. The vet said it wasn't mites, and he did take scrapings of the stuff on Riley's ear and looked at it under the microscope.

The stuff comes off extremely easily with EpiKlean. My inclination right now is to watch Alfie for scratching or anything, and if he develops this stuff again, call the vet and say it's happening to two cats now. The third cat, Baker, has pristine ears currently.
 

Heart For Cats

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Earwax is brown, not orange-brown, at least in humans. I know that because I am a prolific earwax producer and whoever gets it out of my ears shows me the stuff.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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If Riley is producing what you think is excessive earwax, then I would talk to the Vet again and ask if there might be some other reason for it. I know some cats naturally produce more than others, but if this is new, then I don't think that's the case here.

As for Alfie, it could be because he wasn't able to clean his ears while in the cone. I would help him out by giving them a good cleaning, then keep an eye on him. If HE starts developing excessive earwax as well, then talk to the Vet about him as well.
 
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swanjun

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If Riley is producing what you think is excessive earwax, then I would talk to the Vet again and ask if there might be some other reason for it. I know some cats naturally produce more than others, but if this is new, then I don't think that's the case here.

As for Alfie, it could be because he wasn't able to clean his ears while in the cone. I would help him out by giving them a good cleaning, then keep an eye on him. If HE starts developing excessive earwax as well, then talk to the Vet about him as well.
Thanks for the reply! The vet thinks she may have had clogged pores. It might've started from the transdermal medication, which is in a cream base, and then was exacerbated by the ear drops, which also have a lotion component. I now intend to be vigilant about cleaning her ears in between administration of the transdermal cream; maybe it'll all die back down in a while. Hopefully.
 
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