Warning: Risk of Deafness from Ear Medications

[O'Riley]

Re: Warning: Risk of Deafness from Ear Medications

Thank you very much for posting this important alert. After reading this alarming thread and the associated links, I have a lot of questions.

Does it take any great skill for a vet to see the eardrum and determine whether or not it's perforated/broken? Is this something a specialist should determine?

I'm confused about bacterial -vs- yeast ear infections. Are antibiotics used for bacterial infections, and antifungals used to treat yeast? I read that yeast infections have a strong odor and bacterial infections have no odor. For those of you who have experience with both types of ear infections, do you know whether this is true or not?

I also read that antibiotics given systemically can cause loss of hearing, but I don't know if this is true or not. Is it externally/directly applied antibiotic ointments and drops.... AND shots, pills, liquid antibiotics taken by mouth that put a dog at risk for becoming deaf?

If the eardrum is perforated, and the dog has the kind of infection that requires antibiotics, what are the treatment options?

[Patty]

Re: Warning: Risk of Deafness from Ear Medications

Hi Rosey,
Your vet should be able to see the eardrum with an otoscope.

They can also take a swab sample to look under the microscope and to be sent to the lab for culture to determine whether your dog has a bacterial or fungal infection - or both.

Ali's yeast infections did smell "yeasty." There are medications that tackle both bacterial and fungal infections.

I'm not aware of specific systemic antibiotics that when dosed properly cause hearing loss. I'd be interested in reading up on it though if you know where you read about it. I do think it's mainly the topical meds that are the risk.

As far as treatment options available, I would evaluate on a case by case basis. Questions like: What type if infection are you dealing with? What the potential cause is? And from the culture report, what medication is the organism sensitive to?

Rosey, does your dog have frequent infections? You could post about it in his thread and maybe get some more specific answers.

Patty

[eileen]

Re: Warning: Risk of Deafness from Ear Medications

As some of our diabetic dogs get UTI's, Mildred gets recurrent ear infections instead. Her's are treated with using Baytril Otic which is a combination of an antibiotic and antifungal drop.

[k9diabetes]

Re: Warning: Risk of Deafness from Ear Medications

I personally am suspicious that a perforated ear drum is needed for this to happen - I just don't think there are that many dogs with perforated ear drums. So I have always worried that an intact ear drum may not be enough to protect them.

As others mentioned, the vet should be able to view the ear drum as long as there is not too much inflammation or crusty stuff in the ear. Sometimes that does obstruct the view.

And I believe the risk is greatest when ointments are placed deep into the ear canal, where they can come into contact with the inner ear.

We used systemic oral antibiotics when we could and if we had to use a topical we used it sparingly on the outer part of the ear only, keeping it out of the canal.

Natalie

[ozzi]

Re: Warning: Risk of Deafness from Ear Medications

This is an interesting thread and made me start to wonder about gentamycin since it is a possible treatment for Kobi in the future should his eye meds stop working to reduce pressure.

In people, gentamycin IV carries the risk of permanent deafness, and it's not reversible in any way. I don't know how it works in dogs, but I'm wondering if Kobi might be at risk for becoming deaf with an injection of gentomycin in his eye. I will definitely check it out with the opthamologist before making any final treatment decisions, but this thread started to get me thinking about it. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Kevin

[k9diabetes]

Re: Warning: Risk of Deafness from Ear Medications

I think Dolly's dog Nikki might have had the Gentamycin treatment... I'll dig up her thread.

My understanding is that there would have to be direct contact with the inner ear itself for the damage to hearing to occur. But I do not feel comfortable that an intact ear drum is adequate to prevent this kind of problem because I don't think the many dogs I've been told went deaf right after having such a medication in their ears were likely all to have had ruptured ear drums.

So I would want to check it out thoroughly for any possible risk in advance. Our concern always was that the last thing a blind dog needs is to go deaf.

Jack had a yeast infection in his ear in January and we went with oral ketaconazole rather than put anything risky into the ear canal. I think the vet at the time thought I was nuts but it's a risk I would only take if there was no other option.

Natalie

[ozzi]

Re: Warning: Risk of Deafness from Ear Medications

Thank you Natalie!

After reading this thread I really started to wonder about the gentamycin injection. I don't do inpatient at all but this thread reminded me of the risk of permanent deafness from giving IV gentamycin to a human. So I really want to be sure that an injection into the eye will not potentially cause deafness.

Kobi also had a yeast infection in his ear canal several months ago, which I treated myself with diluted vinegar (acetic acid), but I didn't get it in time, and while it got better, it did not completely clear, so he was given panalog, which has neomycin, but not gentomycin, which I don't believe is a risk for deafness. I never thought anything of it, but I will rethink it should it happen again and consider an oral med in the future myself.

I don't know for sure whether an intact or ruptured ear drum would make a difference in canines. I do know for sure that in humans, deafness is an adverse side effect of the medication itself, having nothing at all to do with the condition of the tympanic membrane or even direct contact with it.

I think this thread is a good reminder to all of us to check on what we're giving our pets and ask our vets about potential risky side effects and possibly alternative treatments when available.

Kevin

[Judi]

Re: Warning: Risk of Deafness from Ear Medications

thanks Kevin & Natalie for bumping this thread up. I read it when I first found the forum but with everything else I never got around to checking Jenny's ear medicine. (she is prone to ear infections)

no surprise, it has it.

Thanks for reminding me to check.

Judi

[Patty]

Re: Warning: Risk of Deafness from Ear Medications

Kevin,
Let us know more if you learn additional info on the eye injection. A valid concern.
Patty

[eileen]

Re: Warning: Risk of Deafness from Ear Medications

Wanting to bring this thread forward as a friend of mine is currently experiencing the hearing loss with her dog following the use of this particular ear ointment containing, Gentamycin.

Once she told me the medication she was using I remembered having read about this here so searched, found this thread and forwarded the information to her which she shared with her vet.

Thanks again, k9diabetes forum for the information you provide to help us with our furry critters.

[Patty]

Re: Warning: Risk of Deafness from Ear Medications

Was it the Otomax brand Eileen?

[eileen]

Re: Warning: Risk of Deafness from Ear Medications

Hi Patty,

Yes, it was the Otomax ear ointment that was put into her boy's ear, for less than 1 week, before she noticed the hearing loss at which time she mentioned it to me.

[k9diabetes]

Re: Warning: Risk of Deafness from Ear Medications

Adding a link to a discussion of this at the Canine Cushing's forum.

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/show...ess+gentamycin

[Abby's Mom]

Re: Warning: Risk of Deafness from Ear Medications

Mometamax is another brand that has Gentamicin in it as well. Abby was prescibed this in October, but I only used it 2x, and then started to use Zymox.

Barb

[ceruleanblue]

Re: Warning: Risk of Deafness from Ear Medications

Piper had two two-week long treatments with Mometamax (several months apart). She seemed to start losing her hearing after the second treatment, and I think she may be almost completely deaf now. I had read this thread before, but forgot about it until we started noticing the hearing loss. The vet checked her ears after both treatments, so if there was a problem with the ear drum, the vet should've caught it...