Ear polyp/Baytril Otic/Vet woes

Hello everyone, I'm new here! And this is my almost 6 month old dilute calico, Suki.



If you don't want to read all of the background info, as it's rather lengthy, just skip to the last paragraph to read my questions. Here's the back story to all of this to those interested: Maybe a week ago, Suki began shaking her head and scratching at her right ear. I took her to the cat rescue I adopted her from so they could check out her ears for me without any fee, as I am just a junior in college and therefore, poor. However, I regretted not taking her to the vet after bringing her home. They had cleaned out her ears incredibly thoroughly and a bit roughly and she was meowing loudly and climbing all over the rescue volunteers. (Later I realized that this was because she was probably in a lot of pain, but I thought she was just being difficult.) The lady who cleaned out her ears and did some tests couldn't find anything in particular wrong with her other than excessive bacterial growth, so she figured it was an ear infection of some kind. She told me there wasn't much more she could do, so if things got worse, I'd have to go to the vet. Well, as soon as I brought her home, she started walking "drunkenly" and her head was tilted to the right. Then the scariest thing happened--her eyes started flickering back and forth uncontrollably. I called my vet and we scheduled an appointment for that day. He explained that the behavior she was displaying was just as I thought from internet research--feline vestibular syndrome, however that was just a symptom of another problem. Suki had an ear infection and a ruptured eardrum and he told me that this was all probably because of an ear polyp. I had to bring her back the next day so he could put her under anesthesia and manually extract the polyp if he was to find one. So I hear back from him later and he tells me that her ear is in a much too fragile state to try to do this and the polyp is already very developed and that an operation to remove the piece of bone that the polyp has developed on will probably be the only way to fix this. He prescribes Suki some Baytril Otic ear drops and tells me to give those to her 5 drops twice a day. And then I'd have to come back in two weeks to check back with him and probably be referred to the surgeon. The cat rescue has been incredibly supportive of Suki since I adopted her only a little over a month ago and they paid for my $200 vet bill for the manual extraction attempt. However, should she need surgery, I've read that these operations can be around $1500, and in some cases, twice that. The rescue is willing to help me pay for most of it, and my vet has been keeping in touch with them about the financial situation, which is all REALLY AWESOME and I am so thankful, but there are a few things troubling me about the whole ordeal.

First of all, my vet was recommended to me by the rescue, as he does all of their spays and neuters and I was getting good vibes from him at first, but now I'm not so sure. I called him yesterday around 11 am because he encouraged me to call if I had any questions, but he did not return my call until this morning while I was in class, so I had to step out to talk to him. Which isn't really that big of a deal, but I was wondering if it was normal for vets to take that long to call back? I was assuming I would hear back from him at least that same day. Also, when I did ask him the questions, he seemed hurried, condescending and answered my questions very indirectly. I wasn't trying to question his advice, BUT I've lost so many pets to vets that are obviously just in the practice for the money, and I know there are a lot of good vets out there, but I don't know who to trust, and Suki is VERY important to me.. so I just want to be extra sure about everything.

I had read on several websites that Baytril Otic should not administered to animals with perforated eardrums, so I asked him was his thoughts on that were. He replied with, "We're giving her the Baytril FOR the ruptured eardrum. There's a lot of stuff on the internet, you can't believe all of it." I think he was offended that I was questioning him, but I was just curiou s as to if he'd heard anything about that.

Then I asked him about the operation, that it was pretty much inevitable right? And if prolonging the decision for two weeks when we were almost certain that she would need it anyway would be detrimental to her health and if the polyp would just continue to worsen. He said that we weren't prolonging it, we're just trying to avoid the operation at all costs because it is very expensive. I appreciate that he knows I am financially challenged and is trying to help me in that respect, but I'm already getting a few freelance illustration jobs that will pay a few hundred dollars each to start saving for the surgery, and the rescue's benefactor has already agreed to pay most of it or whatever I can't pay, on top of that I have already asked several friends for help and many are willing to donate as much as $100. If she NEEDS the operation, I want her to get it. It is incredibly heartbreaking to watch her completely off balance with her head always tilted to the right. The dizziness makes her nauseous so she barely eats anything. The only thing I have gotten her to eat is canned tuna. And I know she has to be in a lot of pain in addition to everything else. But he didn't even answer what I was trying to find out about if her condition would worsen, he only explained why we were waiting. By this time, he seemed to be getting rather impatient with me so I thanked him for his time and let him go.

So... am I overreacting? Please tell me I am because I want to like and be able to trust my vet. Plus, I can't really afford to "shop around" for vets right now. But I just got a weird vibe when he didn't give me direct answers about anything. Also, I was wondering what you guys' opinions were on the Baytril Otic. Have any of you given this to your cat when he or she had a ruptured eardrum and was everything okay? I also read somewhere else that liquids should never enter ears with ruptured eardums, but maybe it is different with actual medicine? One last thing.. about the waiting two weeks while I treat the infection with Baytril. Will her condition worsen if I wait this long to get the operation? I'm worried about the long term effects, especially in regards to the vestibular problem. I read that kitties with polyps that go untreated for a longer amount of time sometimes will continue to have the vestibular problem even after the operation.

Thanks in advance guys, I know this was ridiculously long. I just want to make sure that everything will be well with my little Suki.

I can't answer your medical question but hopefully someone with some experience with this will be along soon to help you. Do any of your friends/family have a trusted vet that you could at least call, explain the situation of her ear and the Baytril issue to that might be able to give you a second opinion. I know that the shelter where you got her will probably not financially support your decision to go to another vet, but it couldn't hurt to at least talk to one on the phone.

I'm curious what you found and how your little one is doing? My cat has just been diagnosed with an ear infection and does the shaking thing. I have Bayer Otic to give him for the next 14 days. Vet didnt mention any eardrum issues when he looked inside the ear thank heavens but his right ear has been like this for over a year, the shaking thing is new.

I received the EXACT same diagnosis last year when my feral kitten Fancy started walking drukenly with her right ear tilted to the side. I took her to the ER and they said that she probably had a polyp on the inside of her ear and recommended surgery. Well, the surgery wasn't schedue for two weeks so they put her on oral antibiotics and in seven days she was right as rain. They still insisted on the surgery $600 but during it her eardrum burst and they weren't able to confirm whether she had a polyp or not. I think that she just had an ear infection and the antibiotics cleared it up. She's been fine since then and my little hissy DSH seal point has turned into the more adorable lap cat! I don't remember the name of the antibiotics they put her on, sorry.

Cruella is 12 or 13. she has no eardrum in her left ear. The vet cx yeast and bacteria from her ears, so they flushed her ears. The next day she could barely stand. When she shook her head she would fall. we took her back to the vet and they gave us baytril otic to use in both ears 2x a day. She is better but when we put the drops in her ears she starts falling over again. I was a little sceptical about putting drop in an ear with no ear drum.

I want to share my experience with my rescue cat, Mrph. dob 5/21/12 he was traded from a very large cat rescue compound in northern california and brought to Southern California. The cat rescue group fostered him since I think 3/13. Based on what medical records I have, the foster brought Mrph to the vet

11/18/14 who did an xray, complete labwork which all came back normal (no MRSA, no toxoplasma) the vet did an ear flush awake and sent him home with orbifloxacin oral drops and prednisone tablets. He was diagnosed with an inner ear infection, otitis interna so no meds to go into the ear. The foster brought him back

11/26/14 abd the vet sent him home with chloramphenicol. We adopted Mrph

3/31/2015. He had a head tilt but no eye wiggle or balance issue that we could see. The foster said he had had an ear infection but it was cleared up and the only residual is his head tilt which may or may not go away. 1 week later I notice discharge from the cat's ear so Icall the foster who brings me mometamax and some other ear or oral drops. I take him to the vet

4/7/15 with his medical records. My vet did a scope and cytology and found bacteria and yeast so gave permission for us to use the meds the foster gave us. He was not able to see Mrphs eardrum and that office does not flush cats ears. We return to our vet in 2 weeks on

4/27/15 and the vet does another otoscope and cytology and says ear drum intact but infection still there and sends us home with Tresaderm ear drops. After 2 weeks, Mrph stops getting black wax in his ears, or discharge. I use some ear rinse (didnt squeeze into ear) a week later and the following week and everything is good. the cat is playing with his new adopted brother cat (who had complete blood workup before we brought him home. He was healthy) May 5th its 2 weeks after the tresaderm and instead of going in, the vet calls us and we report all seems well. 

A month later, He's not so active and i see a yellow discharge coming from his ear and the black wax is back and the skin inside the ear is patchy red and now his ear has a bad smell, which it never did before. We bring him back in to the vet on

6/12/15 and they do another cytology, and  say the infection is worse and the vet refers us to an

6/12/15 internal med vet specialist  the same day, who charges us to look in his hear with otoscope but she cant see eardrum for puss and gives us Buprenorphene for pain and sends us down the hall to the

6/12?15 vet dermatologist next door. He also does otoscope and also an expensive ear culture and send him home with Baytril Dex saline to be dosed twice a day 7 drops. a week. He schedules Mrph for a SEDATED video otoscope

6/19/15 $672 estimated cost (we've already spent$685 dealing with this. Later the labs come back and he has a variety of yeast and bacteria including Strep A. the MRSA which Baytril cannot cure. The vet has a special antibiotic -oral doxycyclene which must be formulated just for him. We continue with the Baytril until today. He's been on that and doxycyclene since Wednesday.  The Baytril, btw, smells so bad, you cannot tell if his ear odor is gone or just being covered up by the Baytril odor. The vet says he will send us home with something else for  inside the ear after the video otoscope.  

It feels like every vet just charges us for an exam, an otoscope, a cytology and sends us home with a different antibiotics. At least the dermatologist is being proactive to discover the underlying cause of Mrph’s chronic ear infections. The first two treatments we didnt even have oral antibiotics so if Mrph had the internal ear infection last year when the foster cared for him and delayed treating,, ear drops would not read the middle ear if the eardrum had healed. If his ear drum burst in the past, it may have healed up and left bacteria in the middle ear which irritation might cause a polyp to form.  The vet says that previous vets might This is what the vet expects to find but his sx bill estimate did not include myringotomy so how will he look into his middle ear? Charge us another sedation and otoscope fee to do that in 2 weeks after the MRSA is gone? I dont' know. The nurse said not to worry the MRSA might spread from this procedure.   Mrph is in surgery now. His head tilt has not gotten worse since we've had him and he has no balance or eye issues. 

I will update my message later this afternoon.