Question:
My cat Gracie is 3-1/2 years old. When I took her for her annual checkup, they found she had some nasty ears. The technician showed me how to clean them. Cotton balls saturated with a cleaning solution were stuffed in her ears and then massaged. The procedure was repeated with a dry cotton ball. The next morning, I found Gracie staggering and falling over. We were waiting for the vet when they opened.
After ruling out a stroke and discussing the ear cleaning, we were instructed to keep an eye on her for the next few days and, if there was no improvement, to bring her back in. No explanation was ever given as to what was done to her ears that caused the problem. After several upsetting days for her and us, she was finally back to normal. Can you offer any suggestions as to why this to happened to her? I am supposed to clean her ears periodically, but I'm afraid to attempt it now.
B.J.B., Chesapeake, Va Apr 11, 2010
Answer:
Normal ear cleaning does not usually bring on the acute middle-ear syndrome that affected your cat's balance for a few days.
When infection and/or ear-mite parasites have destroyed the eardrum or the tympanum, cleaning solution can seep into the deeper parts of the ear and this can cause impaired hearing and balance. You should consider yourself fortunate that your cat's external ear disease was diagnosed and a treatment regimen initiated; she could have lost her hearing in one or both ears and have permanent neurological disability affecting her normal balance and gait. To be on the safe side, a broad-spectrum antibiotic should be prescribed, along with a probiotics supplement and anti-inflammatory fish oil such as Nordic Naturals or New Chapter's salmon.
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