Why is my cat's chronic ear infection causing balance issues?

Question

5y/o F DSH indoor worsening ear inf, skin lesions despite 4mos treatment including Pyrantel Pamoate, Epikalm,Oticetic,Simplicef, Tresaderm,Prednisolone,Depomedrol Inn, Convenia Inn, Postatex and diet change. She now has balance issues, cocked/crossed eyes, isolating behavior. Please help! Thanks you. Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 5 years and 5 months old | 12 lbs

Destini R. Holloway, DVM · Accepted Answer

Poor cat. Her balance issues are very suggestive of an inner ear infection, which also means that she probably has a ruptured ear drum due to the chronic ear infections. Some pets are prone to repeat ear infections because of stenotic (narrow) ear canals, polyps inside the ear (quite common in cats, also will have nasal discharge), and a thyroid issue (not as common in cats). I would recommend getting Daisy back to the vet for oral antibiotics to treat the inner ear infection and just a sterile saline wash to clean the ears out, since no topical medication is safe to use in a ruptured ear drum. Then I would seriously consider checking for polyps and if not found then consider having a total ear ablation surgery for Daisy. This involves removing the inner ear canal which will essentially prevent any future ear infections from occurring. This is a drastic procedure and should be thoroughly considered after discussing the pros and cons with your veterinarian. But considering the severity of Daisy's ear problem, it definitely seems like an option that may be in her best interest. Here is more information about the surgical procedure TECA (Total ear canal ablation) and another similar procedure that can be done for Daisy- http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1708

Why is my cat's chronic ear infection causing balance issues?

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