Please Help! Vet Gave Me Ear Drops For Dogs Only?!!

[beckbjj]

I adopted two 4-week old barn kittens a week ago (so now 5 weeks old), who are really healthy other than a raging ear mite infestation. I took them to the vet immediately and all is well (not even worms!) other than the ear mites. He cleaned their ears and gave me drops but the label on the bottle had been removed (when I checked out one of the staff commented that it must have "fallen off"). My receipt says they are Quadraclear, and looking at the Quadraclear website I believe that is correct.

BUT, also looking at the website, it says they are ONLY for dogs and NOT for use in cats. Has anyone here ever used Quadraclear drops for ear mites in cats? I've been putting these things in my kittens' ears for a week now and I'm terrified that I'm harming them. I'm scared to death to give them any more.

Does anyone know if these are safe for my kittens, and if not, do you have a suggestion of something I could quick buy via Amazon or Petco or someplace that would be safe and effective? I have other cats, so must get rid of the mites quickly, and the vet said that the kittens are too young for topical meds and whatever else he had available. Well, they may be too young for those, but they appear to be too feline for what he gave me!!! Please help!

 

[Linda Dwyer]

I would double check with the vet to make sure he gave you the right medication. If it says for dogs I would not use it on cats, it could cause deafness or who knows what. As far as over the counter stuff that would only kill adult mites, not the eggs or larva so I wouldn't bother with that, contact your vet and tell him your concerns

 

[Willowy]

Cats don't process essential oils well, and this can cause liver and kidney damage. While vets do sometimes use drugs off-label, that's not one I'd feel safe using on cats. Some vets are unaware that cats have problems with essential oils.

Can you get some Ivomec, the 1% liquid solution sold for cows and pigs? If so, mix 1 drop with a little olive oil and put that in their ears. For adult cats you can put 1 drop in each ear but at that age it needs to be diluted. This is safer than using the usual pyrethrin-based ear mite treatments.

 

[beckbjj]

How bad is this? Four drops a day for a week, in tiny kittens 1.5 lbs and 1.75 lbs? I'm so scared now! I called the company and they said discontinue immediately (obviously), and said that I should've noticed something wrong with them by now if they were going to get sick, but am I in trouble here? I'm beside myself!!!

 

[beckbjj]

Is there a specific product that anyone can recommend that I can get from either a pet store or Amazon that is effective for ear mites and safe for very young kittens?

Thanks much BTW, everyone. I should've said that before, but I'm in a panic and it slipped my mind.

 

[Boris Diamond]

My vet has given me medicines labeled "For Dogs Only" and saying nothing about cats. I asked him about it. He said that many medicines are tested for dogs and not for cats because the dog market is much larger and it is not financially practical to test again for cats. But many medicines labeled that way have been used on cats for years with very little harmful side effects. Betagen is one that comes to mind. It is labeled "For Dogs Only," but he has used it on cats successfully for years and I have had great success with it.

I can't say if that is the case with the medicine your vet gave you, but you should definitely contact your vet and ask. In fact, get a good explanation for why any medicine that does not mention cats is being given. Cats are sensitive animals and it is important not to introduce them to drugs that can harm them.

 

[beckbjj]

My vet finally called me back at the end of his work day. It is a very busy practice so once I calmed myself down, I figured that was what was taking so long for him to call.

He checked his inventory and realized that the Quadraclear now appears to be different than what it was the last time he actually read the label. That same thing has happened to me personally with other products, so I kind of get that. Previously Quadraclear was labeled for dogs, puppies, cats, kittens...which is true because I saw an old pic of it online. He wasn't sure if they actually changed the formulation or just decided they needed to change the label. He actually called the manufacturer but said they didn't have good answers for him, other than to say it's the oregano oil that is the primary concern because it can cause liver damage with long term use. They are having their consulting vet call him next week so he can learn more. My concern is certainly the oregano/liver damage, but also the cinnamon oil and peppermint oil causing skin irritation, which it appears the kits are experiencing. :-(

He said the normal course of treatment (such as it is) is every day for 7 days, then once a week for a while (I forget what he said), and since I just completed the 7 days (for better or for worse) he suggested that I go ahead and use it once a week until their next appointment (July 7).

I washed the kittens up because I wanted to get the residue off though, and found that the skin on their ears looked terrible. There was flaking and mess that I thought was mite debris but was actually flaking skin, with some hair loss. Because of this, I'm not going to even do the once a week thing. I cleaned and moisturized their ears carefully with olive oil and a cotton ball, and I will continue to do so daily. I'm not even going to look for an OTC/pet store treatment for the mites because I think they need to be off chemicals for a while. If the olive oil doesn't do the trick getting rid of the mites, the kittens will be old enough (about 8 weeks) on July 7 to safely have Revolution or Advantage Multi or whatever similar one time topical his office carries.