Milo hit a bit of a rough patch this week.
Earlier in the week:
He had some yeast like dirt/smell in there so I used Otomax that I had on hand for about a week - standard stuff - in both ears. His chiropractor is the one who really notice it.
Since then he's been difficult to wake seems like he can't hear the normal goings on which would cause him to come to dinner or line up to go out the door with the other dogs. I'm a bit concerned as this seems to have had a sudden onset. The infection seemed to be located on the side where his original ear infection/abscess was.
I'd like to have Dr. Ryan take a peek at his inner ear and make sure everything is okay.
Tuesday following vet visit:
Dr. Ryan Speltz thinks that the Otomax (gentamicin) is the culprit for Milo's deafness. Here is some info I found:
From Medi-Vet, http://www.medi-vet.com/detail.aspx?ID=2965 (http://www.medi-vet.com/detail.aspx?ID=2965):
Each gram of OTOMAX® contains gentamicin sulfate veterinary equivalent to 3 mg gentamicin base; betamethasone valerate, USP equivalent to 1 mg betamethasone; and 10 mg clotrimazole, USP in a mineral oil-based system containing a plasticized hydrocarbon gel. . . .
The use of OTOMAX® has been associated with deafness or partial hearing loss in a small number of sensitive dogs (eg, geriatric). The hearing deficit is usually temporary. If hearing or vestibular dysfunction is noted during the course of treatment, discontinue use of OTOMAX® immediately and flush the ear canal thoroughly with a non-ototoxic solution.
Each gram of OTOMAX® contains gentamicin sulfate veterinary equivalent to 3 mg gentamicin base; betamethasone valerate, USP equivalent to 1 mg betamethasone; and 10 mg clotrimazole, USP in a mineral oil-based system containing a plasticized hydrocarbon gel. . . .
The use of OTOMAX® has been associated with deafness or partial hearing loss in a small number of sensitive dogs (eg, geriatric). The hearing deficit is usually temporary. If hearing or vestibular dysfunction is noted during the course of treatment, discontinue use of OTOMAX® immediately and flush the ear canal thoroughly with a non-ototoxic solution.
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Dr. Speltz did have Milo's ears flushed and called Merck (parent company of Otomax) to notify them of this side effect. He said he felt it was very important to have them to make an official report. Ryan said that in his 13 years of practice Milo is the 3rd or 4th dog he's come across to have this condition. It is possible that his eardrum may have had a tiny perforation which allowed the gentamicin to seep through.
Milo had gentamicin in the form of Mometamax when he first arrived at Skyline to combat the terrible ear infection he had at that time with no problems. And... gentamicin is in other meds - not just Otomax and Mometamax. However, he will never have it again! Otomax is a very common med for ear infections and I've used it successfully in the other dogs - and cats!
So... we wait a few weeks and hope that Milo's hearing returns.
