His poor little ears.......

creepyowl

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I have a vet appointment of Emmett today at 3:50. Em's ears have been bugging him a lot lately and I was trying to put off the vet visit until he needed his rabies shot, but last night he was scratching at his one ear and shaking his head.

He's been having ear problems since day 1. I feel really bad. The vet has given me a few treatments and they work for a short while and then he is hurting again.

I hope its nothing serious. I'm really upset and worried about my kitty.

Any ideas why this could be a reoccuring thing?

Send some good healing vibes Emmett's way!
 

squirtle

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I don't have any ideas on what could be causing it, but I wanted to say I am sending healing vibes sweet Emmett's way.
Poor baby, give him a kiss from me.
 

pat

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Originally Posted by Creepyowl

I have a vet appointment of Emmett today at 3:50. Em's ears have been bugging him a lot lately and I was trying to put off the vet visit until he needed his rabies shot, but last night he was scratching at his one ear and shaking his head.

He's been having ear problems since day 1. I feel really bad. The vet has given me a few treatments and they work for a short while and then he is hurting again.

I hope its nothing serious. I'm really upset and worried about my kitty.

Any ideas why this could be a reoccuring thing?

Send some good healing vibes Emmett's way!
What did your vet diagnose the problem as being? Did he find ear mites after doing a swab and slide exam, or check the discharge for yeast and/or bacteria?

I hate to say this of my own cats breed, 'cause it's not true of all American Curls, but in my opinion (and a former vets) a lot of them can have a problem...so ear gunk, pawing at the ears, reddened ears etc. and treating it, is a familiar topic.

I'd almost rather have ear mites because you can simply treat for those and ultimately eradicate them..versus a chronic problem due to poor air flow (ever hear of Cocker Spaniel ear? It's where floppy eared dogs, having less air flow in/out of the ear, develop this nice, moist dark, warm environment that's perfect for yeast or bacteria. Curls can also get into this problem.

Anyhoo...if it's persistent mites your vet should be able to help you help Emmett kick them once and for all. If it's an infection, ask if an oral antibiotic as well as topical med would be of help (from a pet owners pov, this is what I'd ask/suggest).

Hope Emmett feels better soon!
 

stormy

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Poor guy
....hope he gets some medicine that makes him feel better quickly!
 
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creepyowl

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Vet had to put him in a Kitty straight jacket just to get a good look in his ears. Poor Em looks so funny in that thing, but then when it was time to come out he didn't wanna. I guess he liked the straight jacket.


Well its said there were no ear mites but it was gunky in there. He gave me this ear wash last time, but man getting that in Em's ears is next to impossible. But this time he gave me some anti inflamintory stuff too sooth his ears. Just to put in when he scratches.

Possibilities for the reoccuring ear infection could be a food alergy. Gonna try a different brand of food and see how he takes to that.

Other then that Em is doing well. He woke me up at 4am for his morning petting. So there I lay petting him while half asleep. Then he had enough and jumped off the bed and went to find something else to do.

I'll keep you updated on his little sore ears.
 

squirtle

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Dori used to dig in her ears alot, but she didn't have any infection, just some build up inside. The vet gave me something called Epi-Otic that I am supposed to squirt in her ear once a week. She HATES it! It is just a rinse that keeps her ears clean inside. I was a little leery of using it because I was worried about her getting fluid stuck in her ear from it, but the vet assured me that it is made not to do that.
I don't know if this would at all be helpful for Em, but just wanted to tell you about it. I also think you can only buy it from the vet.
 

cilla

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Poor sweet Emmett. I hate it when something is wrong with furbabes. Get better soon Emmett
 

pat

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Originally Posted by Creepyowl

Well its said there were no ear mites but it was gunky in there. He gave me this ear wash last time, but man getting that in Em's ears is next to impossible. But this time he gave me some anti inflamintory stuff too sooth his ears. Just to put in when he scratches.

Possibilities for the reoccuring ear infection could be a food alergy. Gonna try a different brand of food and see how he takes to that.

<snip>
I'll keep you updated on his little sore ears.
Just to share some of what I do/use...using cosmetic squares (cotton or cotton blend) that you moisten with either the epi-otic or nolvasan otic ear cleansing solution, makes it a bit easier to gently clean out their ears.

Oto-Max, though approved for dogs, is one medication my vet has prescribed that works extremely well in clearing up the kind of ear problems my guys develop.

Hope Emmett feels better and better,
 

brienne

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One of my kitties, Rodman, has had ear problems all her poor life! At first my vet kept passing it off as mites. Eventually I started to disagree because the problem would never go away, no matter how many mite treatments I tried. So then I switched vets and he diagnosed her right away as having allergies, like your kitty.

BTW, while my last vet kept prescribing expensive earmite treatments, she would also supplement me with Otomax to soothe the itching and irritation. But my new vet said I should discontinue that because (and let me try to remember this correctly- I am certainly no vet) Otomax is steroidal and over time will cause further irritation. Instead, he gave me "Zymox" and it has done well. There are two versions- one with steroid (hydrocortisone) and one without. I have the one without. Apparently Zymox is enzyme based and those enzymes work together to digest built up wax and other crud in the ear. So it cleans out the ear debris at the same time it heals, and then you dont have to worry about the debris buildup causing an infection.

SO you may ask your vet about that.
 

pat

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Originally Posted by Brienne

<snip>

BTW, while my last vet kept prescribing expensive earmite treatments, she would also supplement me with Otomax to soothe the itching and irritation. But my new vet said I should discontinue that because (and let me try to remember this correctly- I am certainly no vet) Otomax is steroidal and over time will cause further irritation. Instead, he gave me "Zymox" and it has done well. There are two versions- one with steroid (hydrocortisone) and one without. I have the one without. Apparently Zymox is enzyme based and those enzymes work together to digest built up wax and other crud in the ear. So it cleans out the ear debris at the same time it heals, and then you dont have to worry about the debris buildup causing an infection.

SO you may ask your vet about that.
Yup, Otomax is not for long-term daily use
Btw, thank you for the tip about Zymox...I'll be asking my vet for more information on this!
 
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