Took our 4 year old calico cat into the vet to check a vomiting problem. Anethesia was used, xrays, and complete blood work. Ears cleaned while she was out. Everything checked out ok except she had an earmite problem but the vet said not severe.
Brought her home she now appears to be deaf. She was not deaf prior to the vet visit.
Took her back in this morning. Vet checked both ears and eardrums are in tact. Might also mention the third eyelid on the left eye has not retracted after the anthesia. Gave us Ptnsc 33.7 mg once a day, Synotic for the ears 2 times and day and Neo poly bach hc opth ointment for the eye 2 to 3 times per day.
Can anybody help us determine what is wrong? The vet is at a total loss as we are. Had I known there would have been a problem we would have lived with the vomiting from time to time.
Sudden loss of Hearing
Re: Sudden loss of Hearing
there is a name for this but for the life of me i can't think of it...something to do with the one of the 12 cranial nerves...sometimes it does return but you will just have to sweat it out...deafness is not really a big problem , my 19 year old cat was deaf for her laast 7 years but she was happy....i suspect the eye will return to normal soo but the ears may be a permanant thing...if it was from the anesthesia it will probably return soon but if it it the occulomotor or whatever condition the hearing loss may be permanant, but again cats do well with this as lonng as kids don't jump on the floor to startle her...she will do fine if it is permanat and besides gfet a lot more attention....
Re: Sudden loss of Hearing
Her ears seem to bother her still. Seems they are real sensative. Really hard to get those drops in. So you think all is not lost on her ability to regain her hearing?
Re: Sudden loss of Hearing
Call your vet back and ask who cleaned the ears, how the procedure was done and what technique/products were used to do so. I've seen so many ears inappropriately cleaned, the kitties end up worse off than ever. It sounds like someone was too forceful or used too much saline/ear flush liquid and probably didn't dry properly after the procedure. Unlikely that this is anesthesia related (it could be, but doubtful)
I would actually give those ears a rest until she starts feeling better, but this also depends on the extent of the earmites she had before cleaning (earmites must be treated). Again, call your vet and inquire about all of the above and hopefully get a straight answer.
I would actually give those ears a rest until she starts feeling better, but this also depends on the extent of the earmites she had before cleaning (earmites must be treated). Again, call your vet and inquire about all of the above and hopefully get a straight answer.
..........Traci
Re: Sudden loss of Hearing
Am I understanding you to say not treat the ears for a while? She pitches a fit when you try to put those drops in. It's almost impossible. I do think we should continue with the antibotic. The vet we took her to is part of a large small animal hospital and has been here for years. I trust they used the correct fluid for cleaning the ears.
Re: Sudden loss of Hearing
I'm not saying they used the incorrect fluid, I'm saying find out what they used, in the event she had a reaction to it, or in the event they didn't dry the ears completely, or used an earmite medication she reacted to, causing this problem. Also, why was your kitty under anesthesia to begin with? X-rays, bloodwork, and ear cleaning do not require anesthesia, unless your kitty was fractious and could not be handled during procedures.
When obvious signs like hearing loss occur after a simple exam, or simple ear cleaning, etc, then it's time to investigate the procedures and products used that may have caused the problem. I'm saying it is entirely possible that someone used too much force with the cleaning, or too much ear flush, etc, and it's time to rule out those possibilities by speaking more in depth with your vet.
Hopefully, this will pass and may only be a residual effect of the ear cleaning. But, if she fights you during administration of ear drops and is clearly under a great deal of stress, it won't harm her to wait a day so she can calm down, recuperate, in which case notify your vet of your concerns. Why were antibiotics prescribed anyway? Were they prescribed for the vomiting problem or something else?
When obvious signs like hearing loss occur after a simple exam, or simple ear cleaning, etc, then it's time to investigate the procedures and products used that may have caused the problem. I'm saying it is entirely possible that someone used too much force with the cleaning, or too much ear flush, etc, and it's time to rule out those possibilities by speaking more in depth with your vet.
Hopefully, this will pass and may only be a residual effect of the ear cleaning. But, if she fights you during administration of ear drops and is clearly under a great deal of stress, it won't harm her to wait a day so she can calm down, recuperate, in which case notify your vet of your concerns. Why were antibiotics prescribed anyway? Were they prescribed for the vomiting problem or something else?
..........Traci
Re: Sudden loss of Hearing
I guess I should have started at the begining. We noticed she was spraying in the house and licking herself. We took her to the vet and they were unable to get a urine sample. We brought her back home with some special litter. Got a sample the next day and took it directly to the vet. It was fresh. They found a minute amount of blood and a few crystals. They prescribed clavamox. We treated her with this and this problem seemed to clear up.
She then started vomiting from time to time. Not all the time but mainly at night after we had gone to bed. We thought this was a hair ball issue and started giving her treats with the hair ball medication in them. The vomiting subsided for a couple of days then started back. Another trip to the vet and they said maybe the uriniary tract infection was still around and causing the upset stomach. Another round of clavamox was prescribed. Vomiting continued.
That is when we decided to take her back in for a full evaluation. xrays, blood work.
She is a very very difficult animal to work with. That is why they had to put her to sleep to be able to work with her.
As I have said, all tests came back without any problems. Blood work was good, xrays showed no hairballs in her stomach. The Dr. did say she seemed to be constipated and gave her an enama. Checked her ears and did find a ear mite problem but again, not severe.
She was scratching her ears before we took her in. Thats why we told them to check them while they had her out. This hearing issue may not be related at all to the treatment she received. Might have been the problem to begin with. I don't know. We have never been able to check her ears here at home very well because she just won't let you. Has one hell of a temper.
The third eylid not going back also has me concerned. I don't know if this is being caused by the ear thing or the anthesia. They did tell us the anthesia was gas, and supposed to be the safest available. She was put in something like a fish bowl and the gas was injected in it as the vet described it. Again, he is at a loss as to what's going on.
She then started vomiting from time to time. Not all the time but mainly at night after we had gone to bed. We thought this was a hair ball issue and started giving her treats with the hair ball medication in them. The vomiting subsided for a couple of days then started back. Another trip to the vet and they said maybe the uriniary tract infection was still around and causing the upset stomach. Another round of clavamox was prescribed. Vomiting continued.
That is when we decided to take her back in for a full evaluation. xrays, blood work.
She is a very very difficult animal to work with. That is why they had to put her to sleep to be able to work with her.
As I have said, all tests came back without any problems. Blood work was good, xrays showed no hairballs in her stomach. The Dr. did say she seemed to be constipated and gave her an enama. Checked her ears and did find a ear mite problem but again, not severe.
She was scratching her ears before we took her in. Thats why we told them to check them while they had her out. This hearing issue may not be related at all to the treatment she received. Might have been the problem to begin with. I don't know. We have never been able to check her ears here at home very well because she just won't let you. Has one hell of a temper.
The third eylid not going back also has me concerned. I don't know if this is being caused by the ear thing or the anthesia. They did tell us the anthesia was gas, and supposed to be the safest available. She was put in something like a fish bowl and the gas was injected in it as the vet described it. Again, he is at a loss as to what's going on.
Re: Sudden loss of Hearing
Thank you for clarifying further, it helps...
The gas anesthesia chamber....cats can thrash about in it when receiving anesthesia (normal reaction), so ask your vet if she did excessively thrash about and maybe cause herself injury. If that is ruled out, then I still believe the ear flushing was probably the culprit, in which, this still can pass, but if the hearing loss continues past today, I would be seeking a second opinion and another thorough exam of the ear. It's possible an infection in the inner ear canal was surfacing prior to the ear flushing, in which this could cause equilibrium problems but rarely temporary hearing loss, unless it was so severe or that the eardrum was ruptured or that there was an excessive amount of wax and debris in the ear.
As for the third eyelid, this could be from not enough moisture to the eyes during anesthesia....typically, we like to use a moisturinzing opthalmic ointment in the eyes to protect them from dryness prior to anesthesia. If this ointment wasn't used, that could be part of the problem, in which it should clear up within 24-48 hours post-anesthesia. If it doesn't clear up within that time frame, then it's time to re-evaluate her again. The eye ointment your vet prescribed upon releasing her that day might help to some degree, but again, it should have resolved within 48 hours post-anesthesia.
As for the vomiting, hard to say. Did your vet prescribe a prescription diet for the crystals, and what type of crystals were found in the urine sediment? (struvites or oxalates). If not, I would discuss that option with him right away. Any time crystals are found, dietary management to help dissolve them is usually the first course of action/treatment.
A dietary allergy or sensitivity could have occured prior to this as well. In which, switching the diet to something else might be in order, but again, if crystals in the urine are concerning, then you want to discuss a prescription diet to control/manage them. There are various veterinary diets available for this purpose, if she doesn't like one, or vomits due to certain ingredients, then your vet can choose others.
Probably unrelated, but did your vet mention anything unusual on her oral health? Any diseased or abcessed teeth, etc?
The gas anesthesia chamber....cats can thrash about in it when receiving anesthesia (normal reaction), so ask your vet if she did excessively thrash about and maybe cause herself injury. If that is ruled out, then I still believe the ear flushing was probably the culprit, in which, this still can pass, but if the hearing loss continues past today, I would be seeking a second opinion and another thorough exam of the ear. It's possible an infection in the inner ear canal was surfacing prior to the ear flushing, in which this could cause equilibrium problems but rarely temporary hearing loss, unless it was so severe or that the eardrum was ruptured or that there was an excessive amount of wax and debris in the ear.
As for the third eyelid, this could be from not enough moisture to the eyes during anesthesia....typically, we like to use a moisturinzing opthalmic ointment in the eyes to protect them from dryness prior to anesthesia. If this ointment wasn't used, that could be part of the problem, in which it should clear up within 24-48 hours post-anesthesia. If it doesn't clear up within that time frame, then it's time to re-evaluate her again. The eye ointment your vet prescribed upon releasing her that day might help to some degree, but again, it should have resolved within 48 hours post-anesthesia.
As for the vomiting, hard to say. Did your vet prescribe a prescription diet for the crystals, and what type of crystals were found in the urine sediment? (struvites or oxalates). If not, I would discuss that option with him right away. Any time crystals are found, dietary management to help dissolve them is usually the first course of action/treatment.
A dietary allergy or sensitivity could have occured prior to this as well. In which, switching the diet to something else might be in order, but again, if crystals in the urine are concerning, then you want to discuss a prescription diet to control/manage them. There are various veterinary diets available for this purpose, if she doesn't like one, or vomits due to certain ingredients, then your vet can choose others.
Probably unrelated, but did your vet mention anything unusual on her oral health? Any diseased or abcessed teeth, etc?
..........Traci
Re: Sudden loss of Hearing
The problem we have with another good ear examination by another doctor is her attitude. While she is de-clawed, there is certainly nothing wrong with her sharpe teeth.
Unless there is something to give her besides putting her out again, I don't know how anyone can look at those ears. Any suggestions? I will spend what ever it takes to get her hearing back.
Both my wife and I are devastated concerning this turn of events.
Unless there is something to give her besides putting her out again, I don't know how anyone can look at those ears. Any suggestions? I will spend what ever it takes to get her hearing back.
Both my wife and I are devastated concerning this turn of events.
Re: Sudden loss of Hearing
There are a few medications your vet can prescribe to help calm her, one is acepromazine, although it MUST be prescribed carefully in cats. A temporary dose of valium may be another option, but your vet must decide on this approach as judiciously as possible (or a new vet). Some cat owners use Rescue Remedy, and may be another option to talk to your vet about.
While I understand fractious kitties, much of this has to do with the clinician's capability, technique and experience in handling such cats. I never recommend anesthesia as a form of sedation for any purpose regarding restraint, unless we're talking about a completely wild or dangerous cat. A really good technician or vet should be able to gently and appropriately handle and restrain a cat for simple procedures (there are also various soft-type kitty muzzles one can use to prevent biting, where there is a will, there is always a gentle way). In your case, I suspect your kitty's ears are quite painful for some reason (irritated by infection or sore from the ear flushing), but I feel it's really important to get to the underlying problem as to why she is experiencing hearing loss.
Might I suggest a feline only vet clinic, whereby the staff is probably more experienced in handling fractious kitties without the use of anesthesia. It sure wouldn't hurt calling around and finding out, and be sure to tell them you have a fractious kitty but do not want her under anesthesia for an ear exam, they can then discuss temporary calming medications with you prior to the appointment if necessary.
While I understand fractious kitties, much of this has to do with the clinician's capability, technique and experience in handling such cats. I never recommend anesthesia as a form of sedation for any purpose regarding restraint, unless we're talking about a completely wild or dangerous cat. A really good technician or vet should be able to gently and appropriately handle and restrain a cat for simple procedures (there are also various soft-type kitty muzzles one can use to prevent biting, where there is a will, there is always a gentle way). In your case, I suspect your kitty's ears are quite painful for some reason (irritated by infection or sore from the ear flushing), but I feel it's really important to get to the underlying problem as to why she is experiencing hearing loss.
Might I suggest a feline only vet clinic, whereby the staff is probably more experienced in handling fractious kitties without the use of anesthesia. It sure wouldn't hurt calling around and finding out, and be sure to tell them you have a fractious kitty but do not want her under anesthesia for an ear exam, they can then discuss temporary calming medications with you prior to the appointment if necessary.
..........Traci