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My cat was diagnosed with ear infection two months ago (no mites) and given Tresaderm drops. The only symptom was gunk in the ear which he usually doesn't have. He has gunk in his ear again (no shaking or loss of appetite) and of course the vet is closed until Monday. The other vet where I take my dog is open but fully booked for days. Realistically it will probably be Wednesday or Thursday before he can see a vet. Is there anything that I could do before he sees the vet? I would hate him to be in pain. My husband would like to use the leftover Tresaderm that has been sitting in the fridge for two months but I'm not sure that it's safe, and the cat should probably be diagnosed first, and his ear cleaned before any medicine is applied. When I look into his ear I can't see any redness but obviously I can't see very far.
Did you give the full course of drops? Did the vet take a swab of the gunk to check for bacterial/fungal infections at the first diagnosis before prescribing the tresaderm?
If your cat isn't showing any active symptoms, such as scratching his ears bloody, or constant shaking of his head, I think he will be okay to wait until you can get him in to see his vet as long as it's next week. The vet should take a sample this time and send it out for culture. The culture will determine the best treatment to completely eradicate the problem.
Some cats are just prone to wax and gunk. My oldest cat (almost 17 now) came to me from the shelter as a young adult cat with a long untreated yeast infection and has always had a bit of ear trouble since then. One of the things my vet advised me to do to help her is to flush her ears with a gentle saline solution periodically.
Vet recommended just using a saline solution that you use for contact lenses. I sit the bottle in warm water (test it on your wrist) to make it more comfortable for her. Get on my knees and put her in holding position (between my knees, facing out, with my ankles crossed so she can't back away) and flush her ears with the solution.
While she doesn't like being held against her will, when I do flush her ears this way, after I release her she gives every appearance of actually liking the result. I only do it about once a month, IF I think she needs it (like if I start finding bits of ear gunk in her bed)
However I don't recommend you do that now. Wait until he sees the vet again. You can even ask about the flushing, but first it needs to be determined if he needs stronger or different treatment.
Flushing now could mess up any culture the vet runs next week.
Thank you so much! He's seeing the vet on Wednesday. No active symptoms. Yes, we gave a full course of drops - I was surprised that there was leftover but perhaps it's harder to measure drops than pills? Of course the vets don't let people in because of the pandemic, and this particular one doesn't come out either, so we only spoke on the phone and I am not entirely sure how he diagnosed the infection. He did check the gunk for mites though. This was the first time that my cat had anything in his ear. I'm glad your cat seems to like the ear flushing. Mine definitely didn't like the ear drops. Let's see how it goes on Wednesday.
Good news. Back from the vet and no infection, just wax. The vet said sometimes wax happens when cats get older. We went home with a bottle of cleaning liquid to use as needed. The funny part was the vet telling me the cat did not mind at all to have his ears cleaned. He must have been scared of the vet. My cat will sleep on top of me purring at night but he does not like to be picked up or held unless it's his decision.
Good news. Back from the vet and no infection, just wax. The vet said sometimes wax happens when cats get older. We went home with a bottle of cleaning liquid to use as needed. The funny part was the vet telling me the cat did not mind at all to have his ears cleaned. He must have been scared of the vet. My cat will sleep on top of me purring at night but he does not like to be picked up or held unless it's his decision.
Yes, frequent ear wax build-up can be common some cats (my girl is prone to it). It is true that it feels good for them to have their ears cleaned, at least according to my vet and the technicians. I am glad your kitty is okay.
Good news. Back from the vet and no infection, just wax. The vet said sometimes wax happens when cats get older. We went home with a bottle of cleaning liquid to use as needed. The funny part was the vet telling me the cat did not mind at all to have his ears cleaned. He must have been scared of the vet. My cat will sleep on top of me purring at night but he does not like to be picked up or held unless it's his decision.
Thanks for the update. I hope the ear wash helps. Warm it up a little by setting it in a jar of hot water for a few minutes, before you use it. Check it on your wrist before using.
Vet gave me a wash too, but I didn't like the ingredients, I looked it up, and it was very clear it was not to be taken internally. The pproblem was, every time I flushed her ears with it, she would wash and wash and wash and I worried about her ingesting it after reading that. That's when I asked the vet for an alternative and she suggested the saline solution.
Yes, frequent ear wax build-up can be common some cats (my girl is prone to it). It is true that it feels good for them to have their ears cleaned, at least according to my vet and the technicians. I am glad your kitty is okay.
We have two females who have regular ear wax build up. I just use cotton balls and warm water to wipe them out now and then.
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