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However I wouldn't use a Hartz product on my cat in any event, nor would I trust any vet ever again who recommended a Hartz product to me.
When I find a great Vet, I trust them implicitly. The Vet I have now is the one of the best I have ever had.
Just out of curiosity, why would you not trust a vet who said an OTC product would work for a benign condition?
Before I present this to you, cat people, let me preface this by saying I have already made an appointment with our vet next week to have this looked at.
One of my kittens had a BAD case of ear mites when I adopted him from the shelter last year. The vet cleaned and treated him and I suspect that cleared up the ear mites since my three other cats have totally pristine ears.
I try to clean out his ears but I can't get all the gunk out and even if I do, it comes back after a day or two. It doesn't help that this cat doesn't like to have his ears cleaned (go figure).
I've looked it up online and it sounds like if it's a yeast infection, it would smell (it doesn't). It's just a LARGE quantity of brown, kind of "dusty" gunk.
Does anyone else have a cat just prone to dirty ears? It's going to cost me $70 just to take him in to the vet so I can't exactly do this monthly as long as there isn't something unhealthy happening. I, too, have wax-prone ears but at least I can clean mine out without going to the doctor!
A few drops of Tea Tree Oil in each ear and massaged around will do the trick on those ears. Only use it every 2nd or 3rd day until they completely clear up.
When I find a great Vet, I trust them implicitly. The Vet I have now is the one of the best I have ever had.
Just out of curiosity, why would you not trust a vet who said an OTC product would work for a benign condition?
I do trust my vet, but not 'implicitly' Vets are human and make mistakes. I question my vet on many things, not because I don't trust her, but because I want to know why she makes certain choices in my cats' health. We have very good discussions, and she almost always turns out to be right. Almost always.
However my comment was not about OTC products in general, my comment was about Hartz products specifically.
A few drops of Tea Tree Oil in each ear and massaged around will do the trick on those ears. Only use it every 2nd or 3rd day until they completely clear up.
Tea tree oil is not safe for cats. And this cat has not received any diagnosis yet.
I repeat: people should not make a self diagnosis on a cat's ear condition, and they should most definitely not treat a cat for a condition that has not been diagnosed based on internet advice. Hartz drops or tea tree oil, when you don't even know what is wrong? Good grief.
Ear problems in cats can be very difficult to treat, if left too long, or if someone tries messing around with some home remedy. And remember cats hide pain. Even if they don't show it, ear infections HURT.
Do NOT use tea tree oil. While some cats seem to tolerate it, depending on the amount and the individual it can cause lethal toxicity. It is absorbed through the skin and can cause liver, kidney, and nervous system issues resulting in death.
Does anyone else have a cat just prone to dirty ears? It's going to cost me $70 just to take him in to the vet so I can't exactly do this monthly as long as there isn't something unhealthy happening. I, too, have wax-prone ears but at least I can clean mine out without going to the doctor!
I have a cat that started scratching her head like crazy and shaking her head. Obviously in a lot of distress. Her ears were really dirting with dark gunk down in there and I took her to the vet on multiple visits as her head was scratched raw and I had to collar her. It was a tremendous struggle rinsing her ears because you can't dig around down there to clean them, the vet techs will not go there either.
Well, she would heal up with that collar and I would take it off and the next day the patch on her head forward of one ear or the other was scratched raw. Never had mites or any explanation other than it was allergies causing a reaction including over production of ear wax.
So kitty does not come out in the yard with me any more to climb the tree or stalk the bird feeder and one year on she hasn't mutilated herself again. Oh, I saw her do a short burst of worrisome scratching but I think it is just that time of year and it didn't blossom into a problem.
I never have gotten her ears as clean as a whistle. I actually bought an otoscope from Foster's for $19 but there is no way rinsing is going to totally dislodge the last bit of crap that is down there and it is dangerous to try and poke anything in the animals ears. So we have a compromise.
The cat goes nuts when she thinks it is on again and I want to mess with her ears and I plan to let her be until it becomes a problem again.
I had to take Former Stray to the vet two weeks ago as he had a tapeworm ()...just one of those things where I guess an infected flea hopped a ride on my clothes. Former Stray (and my 2 girls) are completely indoor cats. I could have picked up a pill but I wanted to be sure the medicine got IN him so I opted for a vet visit and an injection.
Anyway, the vet also looked at his ears and put some of the dark gunk under the microscope ($32 for that) and diagnosed yeast and some bacteria in there...and also a skin infection. I had to give him Otic-HC enzymatic drops in the ears for a week. (That did not go over well -- a nightly hassle!!) (And $42 for that bottle.) He also got a Convenia antibiotic shot, cortisone shot and the shot for the tapeworm -- so I left $237 lighter. I do joke that my "free" cat has cost me a lot of money since January when I took him in....
Point being the cat was doing some scratching around his ears and I haven't seen him do it since so it appears to be money well spent. I hope your kitty's diagnosis is simple and easy to treat!
Location: the wrong side of the tracks Richmond, VA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by catfancier
I had to take Former Stray to the vet two weeks ago as he had a tapeworm ()...just one of those things where I guess an infected flea hopped a ride on my clothes. Former Stray (and my 2 girls) are completely indoor cats. I could have picked up a pill but I wanted to be sure the medicine got IN him so I opted for a vet visit and an injection.
Anyway, the vet also looked at his ears and put some of the dark gunk under the microscope ($32 for that) and diagnosed yeast and some bacteria in there...and also a skin infection. I had to give him Otic-HC enzymatic drops in the ears for a week. (That did not go over well -- a nightly hassle!!) (And $42 for that bottle.) He also got a Convenia antibiotic shot, cortisone shot and the shot for the tapeworm -- so I left $237 lighter. I do joke that my "free" cat has cost me a lot of money since January when I took him in....
Point being the cat was doing some scratching around his ears and I haven't seen him do it since so it appears to be money well spent. I hope your kitty's diagnosis is simple and easy to treat!
Good to know, I'll be sure to take out a loan before we go in to the vet *sigh*
However I wouldn't use a Hartz product on my cat in any event, nor would I trust any vet ever again who recommended a Hartz product to me.
yep, hartz kills. and that can be googled.
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Ear Gunk
I do joke that my "free" cat has cost me a lot of money since January when I took him in....
