Cat with abscessed ear

jmh

jmh

Inactive
My cat has an abscessed ear. It is the outer ear and it is puffed up like a balloon. Due to financial crunches, I really wanted to avoid the $100-150 dollar vet bill. So I just need some information. I take full responsibility for any information given to me.

I already cleaned and lanced the ear two days ago (sterilized equipment.) No pus just watery bloody stuff came out. I massaged it and rinsed with H2O2. Two days later it was a balloon again. So tonight I cleaned and relanced it (bigger this time), and attempted to irrigated the inside of the ear with normal saline, then rinsed the outside with H2O2. This time I gave her an IM shot of Pen G. I am quite proud of that accomplishment. (Yes, I pulled back and checked to make sure I wasn't in a vein.)

I couldn't find any resources on the Internet for this procedure. I am sure this is a common problem for cats. I realize she has mites, so I cleaned her ears. Tommorrow I will put in the mite killer. I didn't have it tonight.

I am curious, are drains usually needed for this type of injury? I am not going to try and put one in, I just want to know if this is standard procedure for ear abscesses. If she doesn't heal this time, I am going to have to take her in but I do want to know how to do this procedure anyway.

Also, how could I lessen her pain when having to do minor procedures? I read that cats metabolize drugs slowly so I didn't want to chance anything, but I was thinking perhaps a proper dose of diazepam or some sort of sedative might make animals more comfortable if we have to treat them during an injury.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
jmh
 
F

FireDance

TB Fanatic
Sort of an answer, but more a BTTT. I would keep after it with the peroxide and neosporin daily. Since you've given her antibiotics you should see improvement. I've had abcesses on cats that I've lanced and simply kept peroxide on and they've been fine, but never an ear. I would also use hot compresses (not HOT of course) on it prior to lancing and see if it won't drain the site somewhat without actually lancing it. Is she an indoor cat? If not, I would make her one until I got this cleared up... Cats - they're devils!
 
W

Willow

Veteran Member
I am concerned that you might not be making the correct diagnosis. If the swelling is on the ear itself there is a good chance it could be a hematoma and not an abscess. The fact that the cat has ear mites adds to my concern that the diagnosis is incorrect.

Abscesses are stinky and ooze pus with a bit of blood on occassion. The big thing is the smell. Hematomas are full of blood because a blood vessel has broken under the skin and has no place to drain.

Options. If it is an abcess you need to keep it open and draining...while treating it. When I have a cat with an abcess I get it open, irrigate with hydrogen peroxide using a syringe to get the liquid deep in the abscess. Once cleaned out I then put in an antibiotic. I use one of the cow mastitis treatment syringes which can be purchased at the feed store. The long tip allows you to get the medicine deep into the abscess. Do this twice daily and keep the wound draining so it can heal from the inside out.

Hematoma is actually the complete opposite. Opening it without surgical intervention allows it to start bleeding again. If you cannot afford to seek veterinary services then you should not open it up. Treat the ear mites and allow the pressure build up to eventually stop the bleeding. The ear will shrivel up and be unsightly and may also be more prone to deep ear mite infections...depending on how it shrivels up. Unfortunately, treating the ear mites with something you put in the ear will irritate the ear and the cat will likely itch it more violently than before. I would recommend using injectable ivermectin HOWEVER the dosage is VERY critical and a variation of a couple of 100ths of a cc could kill the cat. This is NOT something to be done without veterinary supervision.

I strongly suggest taking the cat to the vet even if it is for just a diagnosis. There is even the slight possibility that the cat has cancer. You really need to know what you are treating as the possibilities (hematoma and abscess)require treatments that are direct opposites. If the possible problems required similar treatments I wouldn't be so concerned but failure to correctly diagnose could make a minor problem a disaster.

As for giving the cat a pain killer....I wouldn't. You are risking the cat's life. Cats are very delicate creatures when it comes to medications, pain killers and anesthesia. Once again...this is a situation that needs a veterinarian.

Sorry for being a bit negative. I do understand your situation...been there and done that. But in this case the diagnosis may be incorrect and successful treatment is dependant on a correct diagnosis.

Willow
 
Herbmountain

Herbmountain

Inactive
I agree with Willow. She pointed out every thing I was thinking. Also cats heal from the outside in very fast, trapping the bacteria inside the wound. A hematoma can be from the cat scratching her ear to death, caused from the earmites. Vet time.
 
SmokeyBear

SmokeyBear

"Need to Know"
jmh said:
My cat has an abscessed ear. It is the outer ear and it is puffed up like a balloon. Due to financial crunches, I really wanted to avoid the $100-150 dollar vet bill. So I just need some information. I take full responsibility for any information given to me.

I already cleaned and lanced the ear two days ago (sterilized equipment.) No pus just watery bloody stuff came out. I massaged it and rinsed with H2O2. Two days later it was a balloon again. So tonight I cleaned and relanced it (bigger this time), and attempted to irrigated the inside of the ear with normal saline, then rinsed the outside with H2O2. This time I gave her an IM shot of Pen G. I am quite proud of that accomplishment. (Yes, I pulled back and checked to make sure I wasn't in a vein.)

I couldn't find any resources on the Internet for this procedure. I am sure this is a common problem for cats. I realize she has mites, so I cleaned her ears. Tommorrow I will put in the mite killer. I didn't have it tonight.

I am curious, are drains usually needed for this type of injury? I am not going to try and put one in, I just want to know if this is standard procedure for ear abscesses. If she doesn't heal this time, I am going to have to take her in but I do want to know how to do this procedure anyway.

Also, how could I lessen her pain when having to do minor procedures? I read that cats metabolize drugs slowly so I didn't want to chance anything, but I was thinking perhaps a proper dose of diazepam or some sort of sedative might make animals more comfortable if we have to treat them during an injury.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
jmh
Click to expand...


A vet can give you a painkiller made especially for pets and he or she can tell you the exact doseage based on your kitty's weight, such as Torbutrol. Do not give your kitty anything you have around the house for humans. Besides, sedatives and tranquilizers do not work the same on all cats and you take a risk... Some cats become hyper.

Hope your kitty feels better immediately. Antibiotics can work quickly.

Also, depending on your area, there are shelters and rescue centers that offer sliding fee heath care for pets.
 
S

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
Sounds like a hematoma.

A vet would put stitches through the entire ear, "pinning" all the layers together to reduce the open area which can accumulate blood.

The cause of the hematoma needs to be addressed as well- it's usually ear mites, or some other irritation which causes them to shake their head violently.

One home treatment you can try if you simply can't afford a vet is to use something firm (I rolled up narrow gauze into a very tight "ball" for a farm dog once) just big enough to support the ear if you place it against the inner ear. (this is harder to explain than do, btw)...

Then you need to firmly wrap and tape the ear down against the "support pad" and the head... the "ball" is to keep the ear from having to be folded completely flat (which isn't easy or comfortable), and the wrap presses against the ear from the outside, with the "ball" pressing against it from the inside.

This is going to be hard to do on a cat... much easier on a dog, which is more likely to cooperate.

Using an ice pack for short periods frequently can help reduce the bleeding inside the ear.

DO NOT try to use any "painkillers"... very few are safe for cats. Most vets don't use them for "minor" procedures, both because the risk of killing the cat to keep it "more comfortable" is pretty high, and because the administration of the drug can be as stressful as a quick, skilled procedure. They DO, however, know how to restrain the animal to keep it from hurting the people working on it, and possibly injurying itself. There are ways to wrap them in a sheet which work pretty well- but another set of hands is a must.

Hope kitty is feeling better.

Summerthyme
 
jmh

jmh

Inactive
Thank you all for your input and concern.

I am slapping myself upside the head. Of course it is a hematoma. I gave her high level of homeopathic arnica and mites treatment. The ear reballooned. She does do the violent ear shakes. That should change with the mite treatment. I may then relance and use the ball and tape treatment.

Thanks again for your advice. Do you know about any good books on indepth small animal husbandry?

jmh
 
Cardinal

Cardinal

Chickministrator
_______________
jmh said:
Thank you all for your input and concern.

I am slapping myself upside the head. Of course it is a hematoma. I gave her high level of homeopathic arnica and mites treatment. The ear reballooned. She does do the violent ear shakes. That should change with the mite treatment. I may then relance and use the ball and tape treatment.

Thanks again for your advice. Do you know about any good books on indepth small animal husbandry?

jmh
Click to expand...


You know Merck's is online, right?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top