Feline Vertigo.

I'm hoping to get any advice about feline vertigo. i took my 16 year old cat snickers in for an ear cleaning. vet said she got a lot of stuff out and sent us some with some panalog ointment. by friday night he was barley able to walk. still had a slight appetite so we decided to keep an eye on him. i called the vet in the morning and explained what was happening. she said if it persists that she'll prescribe him some prednisone.  not even an hour later he started projectile vomiting. i rushed him to the vet and she gave him iv fluids an anti inflammatory and an anti nausea. its late sunday night and hes still falling over and still has very little interest in eating or drinking. although i was able to get him to eat some watered down soft food. ive called and left a message with the vet again and i hope she calls me first thing in the morning, but i was wondering if there was anything any of you did to help your poor kitties get through this? its killing me to see him like this. even though he is 16 he is still a very healthy and active cat. should i go after the vet for causing this or is there really nothing i can do. it just irks me because between friday and saturdays visits its cost me about $300 and im sure if i have to go in again tomorrow itll surely be another $100 

Maybe we can reactive this thread....this is such a frustrating problem. Our Simon had the same thing happen to him; went in for a bad upper respiratory infection, got a couple of antibiotic shots and spent the night, and came home with severe vertigo the next morning. We're going on two weeks with this. His head is still badly tilted to the left, and although he can walk fairly straight, I think it's because he's learned how to steer; he can aim and get where he's going by making a slight curve to the right as he veers to the left (if that makes sense). Last vet visit said his ears were clean as a whistle, but he also is doing the shaking of the head. So hard to see our babies with this problem and nothing to do to help them! If anyone has any input, I know we'd all be grateful .

I have a cat that who also had a head tilt that accompanied URI symptoms. My vet discovered that my cat has nasopharyngeal polyps. This can cause a head tilt also. She had to examine my cat under sedation to be able to see them.

It sounds like an infection of some sorts, but you need another vet visit to find out. If it was me, I'd go to a different vet and explain all of the above what was done with your cat. Let a fresh approach help.Could he be allergic to the ointment? Getting all 'that stuff out' of his ears may have punctured something or gave him an infection, but once again a vet would have to examine him to know for sure. If you go back to that vet, demand some answers since your cat was fine before she treated him. She should give you at least a discount because of this. A blood test would indicate an infection or some abnormalities, she should at least perform that. I'll pray for your little one, I hope he gets better, please keep us posted!

Thanks, guys. I think we have two kitties under discussion here: Snickers and Simon. Snickers is the one who had the "stuff" in his ears and Simon is the one who has persistent vertigo although ears are clean. Let's hope both babies are getting better by the minute!

My Simon also got a positive FIV diagnosis from the vet who got him over the infection, but although he is a great vet, his clinic is terrible about cooking up "treatment plans" that are never less than $400 (even our dog with a simple UTI cost us $200; after I nixed several extra tests they wanted to do to "rule out" various exotic illnesses). So once Simon is all better and over the trauma of repeated vet visits within a week, I'm taking him to a different vet to get a second test done. Have yet to find a great clinic that has: (1) wonderful vet (2) wonderful support staff and (3) reasonable charges. If I could combine three different ones we've been to, it would be perfect .

But I digress....here's to non-dizzy kitties .

jackieblue said:

 
i know this thread is old but i was hoping to get any advice. i took my 16 year old cat snickers in for an ear cleaning. vet said she got a lot of stuff out and sent us some with some panalog ointment. by friday night he was barley able to walk. still had a slight appetite so we decided to keep an eye on him. i called the vet in the morning and explained what was happening. she said if it persists that she'll prescribe him some prednisone.  not even an hour later he started projectile vomiting. i rushed him to the vet and she gave him iv fluids an anti inflammatory and an anti nausea. its late sunday night and hes still falling over and still has very little interest in eating or drinking. although i was able to get him to eat some watered down soft food. ive called and left a message with the vet again and i hope she calls me first thing in the morning, but i was wondering if there was anything any of you did to help your poor kitties get through this? its killing me to see him like this. even though he is 16 he is still a very healthy and active cat. should i go after the vet for causing this or is there really nothing i can do. it just irks me because between friday and saturdays visits its cost me about $300 and im sure if i have to go in again tomorrow itll surely be another $100 

Click to expand...

You should call and check and see if the vet used any ivermectin or other drug in the avermectin family when cleaning out his ears.  It is commonly done, to kill ear mites.  However, just as with dogs , there are certain cats who are sensitive to ivermectins and the drug can cross the blood-brain barrier (which they generally do not do)  When that happens, cats get dire neurological symptoms exactly like the dogs who are sensitive to ivermectins, and they can manfest like inner ear infection symptoms but they are not that.  Your cat's symptoms sound exactly like an ivermectin reaction (I had a cat who had this,, same kind of situation.  Also, even if they did not clean the ears with some ivermectin, they may have put them on a drug that contains another drug in the avermectin family.  REVOLUTION which many use to control fleas contains ivermectin, and Comfortis uses Spinosad, in the same family and can make ivermectin stronger.

My cat also went in for ear mites and his ears were cleaned out and the vet gave him Revolution (he usually uses Advantage flea meds) because it was supposed to help with the ear mites.   Then he started with terrible neurological symptoms,, so I came back and the vet said he must have an inNNer ear infection and gave him Antivert, which helped with the nausea, but he was still staggering and just awful, like he had a brain tumor.  Over time, though, he gotbetter.  After a month the vet said the mites were not quite done so liet's give another dose of Revolution.  I dropped him at home after that and went out shopping,  When I cane back, he was staggering all over like he was drunk, just like he had a month ago.  I figured out it MUST be the Revlution and I washed if off immediately and packed the area with corn starch to absorb the oil.  By the next day he was perfectly fine.  After that, we wrote NO IVERMECTINS on his chart and he never had another problem.   I have heard of several cats very sensitive to ivermectin.  There is a groupof dogs that are genetically sensitive and there is a test for them.  I dont think they ever test cats.

Anyhow, I think it is important for all of you who have cats with ear issues that are cleaned out and/or medicated with some drops ad the cat suddenly develops neurological symptoms, do ask the vet what was used and is t in the avermectin family. 

"The main concern is neurotoxicity, which in most mammalian species may manifest as central nervous system depression, and consequent ataxia, as might be expected from potentiation of inhibitory GABA-ergic synapses.Dogs with defects in the P-glycoprotein gene (MDR1), often collie-like herding dogs, can be severely poisoned by ivermectin.

Since drugs that inhibit CYP3A4 enzymes often also inhibit P-glycoprotein transport, the risk of increased absorption past the blood-brain barrier exists when ivermectin is administered along with other CYP3A4 inhibitors. These drugs include statins, HIV protease inhibitors, many calcium channel blockers, and glucocorticoids such as dexamethasone, lidocaine, and the benzodiazepines.^[30]

For dogs, the insecticide spinosad may have the effect of increasing the potency of ivermectin.^[31]"

http://www.pethealthnetwork.com/dog-health/dog-diseases-conditions-a-z/ivermectin-toxicity-dogs

Symptoms
If your dog has ivermectin toxicity, you may see any of the following symptoms:

• Lethargy
• Depression
• Drooling
• Vomiting
• Dilated pupils
• Loss of appetite
• Disorientation
• Tremors/Seizures
• Blindness
• Trouble standing
• Slow heartbeat
• Difficulty breathing
• Coma

Treating/Monitoring
Ivermectin toxicity cannot be reversed. If the drug was given within the past 4 – 6 hours, your veterinarian may induce vomiting and/or give your dog activated charcoal to help minimize the amount of ivermectin that is absorbed.

Additionally, your veterinarian may perform the following tests:

• Chemistry tests to evaluate kidney, liver, and pancreatic function, as well as sugar levels
• A complete blood count to rule out blood-related conditions
• Electrolyte tests to ensure your dog isn’t dehydrated or suffering from an electrolyte imbalance

Your veterinarian will work to keep your pet comfortable and will treat any symptoms that develop. Treatment will depend on the symptoms and may include giving your dog fluids directly into a vein (intravenously), nutritional support (possibly with a feeding tube), placing your dog on a ventilator, maintaining your dog’s body temperature, or administering medication to control seizures.

Prevention
Remember, when given the proper dose, parasite preventives are safe and protect your dog from deadly parasites, such as heartworms. To prevent toxicity, always follow the recommended dose for all medications. If you have one of the breeds that is more susceptible to ivermectin toxicity, please speak to your veterinarian about the risks and benefits of ivermectin.