Recurrent Yeast Infections in Ears

[sivyaleah]

Luna, our purebred Maine Coon, has been having recurrent yeast infections in her ears for quite some time now. Vet has done 2 cultures, so we know what it is. I bring her to have her ears cleaned out by them as much as I can (i.e. monthly approx) and attempt to clean them at home in between but that's usually a losing battle as she is now SO large in size (not weight though) and can easily battle me while doing so.

It clearly is causing her annoyance. She scratches around her ears and neck a LOT. When freshly cleaned the scratching stops. She's been on 2 courses of medication already - thought we knocked it out but not so sure right now. I wonder if there's a stronger medication than the one she's been given previously. The residue is really gross looking, similar to ear mites in appearance. It is NOT mites, that much we are certain of since she was tested plus, is on monthly Revolution Plus and has been for a while.

Curious if anyone else's cat has constant ear issues and what you did to treat it. I'm debating about bringing her to a specialist to make sure there's nothing structurally wrong with her ear canal (polyps come to mind). I know it could be allergy related - thankfully she has no other signs of that like nasal discharge or sneezing.

Thanks for any insight you can provide!

Picture of Luna for attention

 

[catsknowme]

Luna is a stunning Coonie - I love the MC muzzle & ears . Have you tried using Benebac Plus probiotics? It seems to be working for my crew.

 

[sivyaleah]

Luna is a stunning Coonie - I love the MC muzzle & ears . Have you tried using Benebac Plus probiotics? It seems to be working for my crew.

Thanks and, she's on a daily probiotic already. Has been for many months due to one time with a bad tummy resulting in a bout of soft stool. I use Fortiflora in her breakfast everyday. She's had some minor health issues since she came to live with us and, most likely has the herpes virus, which may play a part in the ear situation. She had tested negative but the vet and a specialist we brought her to (eye goop problems, since resolved) both felt she just wasn't shedding the virus when they ran the PCR test.

 

[DreamerRose]

My Mingo has the same problem with his ears, but he hasn't been tested for yeast. Now that you mention it, I will ask the vet about that. His digging, scratching, and shaking his head has been going on for five years. I have asked the vet clean them once in a while, and that does seem to help for a few days, but I can see black stuff in his ear canal all the time. Glad you asked about this.

 

[stephanietx]

My RB kitty, Callie, used to have this problem. The vet recommended a daily antihistamine to help decrease allergies and inflammation in her ear. Then, under sedation, he thoroughly flushed and cleaned her ears, then he used BNT ear ointment. It's a goopy ointment that is packed into the ear canal and is absorbed over about a 2 week period. That cleared it up.

BCP BNT®️ Otic Ear Treatment For Dogs | BCP Vet Pharmacy

 

[sivyaleah]

My RB kitty, Callie, used to have this problem. The vet recommended a daily antihistamine to help decrease allergies and inflammation in her ear. Then, under sedation, he thoroughly flushed and cleaned her ears, then he used BNT ear ointment. It's a goopy ointment that is packed into the ear canal and is absorbed over about a 2 week period. That cleared it up.

BCP BNT®️ Otic Ear Treatment For Dogs | BCP Vet Pharmacy

Thanks, I'll ask the vet about this. We have an appointment on Friday afternoon. Could have gotten her in faster if I wanted to use a different vet but this one knows her since Day1, and we have a good working relationship. I cleaned her ears today best as I'm able to which seems to have helped a little bit. Not scratching quite as much as she was.

 

[daftcat75]

Thanks and, she's on a daily probiotic already. Has been for many months due to one time with a bad tummy resulting in a bout of soft stool. I use Fortiflora in her breakfast everyday. She's had some minor health issues since she came to live with us and, most likely has the herpes virus, which may play a part in the ear situation. She had tested negative but the vet and a specialist we brought her to (eye goop problems, since resolved) both felt she just wasn't shedding the virus when they ran the PCR test.

Allergy problems don't always manifest with sinus issues in cats. The ear issue may be all you see. And for what it's worth, FortiFlora was an allergic trigger for my Krista. If I sprinkled that stuff in her food, she was shaking her head and scratching her ears. FortiFlora is a good food flavoring, but not a very good probiotic. It only has one strain and not very much of it. Proviable is a vet recommended brand that's a better mix of strains in larger CFUs (colony forming units.) PB8 is a human probiotic that I gave my Krista in her last year that worked well with her. Optagest Digestive Enzymes was another thing I added to her food that helped her a lot.

I would absolutely consult with a specialist if you can find one. Persistent ear infections can result in a ruptured eardrum. If that's not bad enough, and let me assure you, it's plenty bad enough, once the infection gets into the middle ear, it can be much harder to deal with. Krista had a ruptured eardrum last year. We thought she healed up just fine. But this year, she had a middle ear infection. Because the eardrum had healed, she needed a surgery where they go up through her jaw and drain the bulla (basically a drip pan for the middle ear.) It was a costly surgery that required her to be on antibiotics for at least a month or two because the middle ear is a very difficult area to treat with antibiotics. It's technically outside the body and there is an eardrum in the way for applying topical medicine. Chronic ear infections can become nasty business. Don't treat this too lightly.

 

[daftcat75]

In the meantime, this won't heal it. But it should provide her relief when she's scratching or head shaking. Brew a cup of chamomile tea and allow it to cool to lukewarm. Add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Soak some up with a cotton ball. Squeeze some against the top of her inner ear with the cotton ball. Let her shake it in. The chamomile/ACV "ear tea" has soothing properties and mild antibiotic/antimicrobial properties. Not enough to replace actual medicine. But it's something you can use for relief as needed between medication.

 

[sivyaleah]

Thanks daftcat75

Yea, I know how serious ear infections can be. I once had one and it was so painful! Hence why I took her to the vet as soon as I realized her ears didn't look right a few months ago. She was treated, cleared up for a few weeks and came back. Did another treatment (I forget the name of the medication off hand). That time it kept it at bay for longer than the first time and I figured maybe we had it licked. But she started scratching again so brought her for another ear cleaning and culture which at that time, was negative for the yeast. So far 3 cultures have been done, all exactly the same result of being a yeast infection only.

She's had a couple of ear cleanings since and had been doing well until this past week again.

I do have an appointment for Friday and we'll discuss other medical options I'm sure. I do wonder if it may be allergies as just this week, I noticed she's got dandruff which she has never had before.

I'm one of those pet parents that doesn't hesitate to get treatments. She was my first ever kitten, and because of raising her from young I know her very well and can tell fast when something is a miss.

 

[sivyaleah]

Oh and I had no idea about the Fortiflora not being a robust probiotic. I am familiar with them since I use them when I need to take antibiotics. Did not even occur to me to see if it was good or not. I will ask about another type for sure!

 

[dustydiamond1]

Several weeks ago I noticed black stuff in Gysys ear. No scratching or head shaking so I knew it wasn't mites. I immediately made a vet apointment and then proceeded to scare myself to death looking on the internet. She was the neighborhood stray until she allowed us to become her devoted minions in late 2016 when she was 1or 2 yo (vets guess back then). She only goes out nowadays in harness with us. The vet said it was just dirt and cleaned her ears. When I asked if I should keep cleaning them he told me not to bother as a cats ears are designed to take care of themselves. It seemed strange to me since dirt is usually not something left alone. She gets fera pet organics probiotics/ preboitics every day.

 

[sivyaleah]

Normally cats do a good job of cleaning their own ears. Even better when there is another cat to help.
Our girls do not allo-groom, at all. Our other cats ears are always clean though, she's a pro at self-care.
Sometimes it has to do with structural problems within the ear which causes dirt to accumulate where it can't be reached.

 

[dustydiamond1]

Normally cats do a good job of cleaning their own ears. Even better when there is another cat to help.
Our girls do not allo-groom, at all. Our other cats ears are always clean though, she's a pro at self-care.
Sometimes it has to do with structural problems within the ear which causes dirt to accumulate where it can't be reached.

I'd not noticed the dirt in her ears before. Do you think I should try to clean them? She loves full body massages so it's easy to notice if anything changes.

 

[sivyaleah]

I'd not noticed the dirt in her ears before. Do you think I should try to clean them? She loves full body massages so it's easy to notice if anything changes.

Worth a try if she lets you. Some cats dislike having their ears messed with
But be really careful. You can moisten a cotton ball with a bit of cleaner safe for cats ears. Try to get all around the area and do not go deep - most likely it's just outer ear debris. Wipe with a dry cotton ball afterwards. Do NOT use Q-tips under any circumstance as they could break or push dirt deeper into the canal.

 

[susanm9006]

How old is she and has she had a full blood work panel? If she hasn’t I would ask for that as yeast infections are more prevalent when blood sugar is high.

 

[sivyaleah]

susanm9006 She's already been through a full blood panel at her yearly check up as a precautionary measure. She's only 1-1/2, everything was completely normal thankfully, but it was worth paying for to alleviate that concern or others.

We had a diabetic cat previously so I'm extremely aware of symptoms. She displays none of them.