Horner's syndrome & deafness after ear flush

[Trish Allearz]

Really? I see it all the time in pics of kittens for sale. I have a few here that need to be managed to keep the build up down. Visually appears to be a horrid case of earmites, but it's just wax and dirt. Either way, need to stay on top of it.

Maybe it's our climate? But nope- never have had wax issues with the Selkirks. The Sphynx- OMG- gag me (with a spoon- hahaha).

 

[xumi's mom]

I usually use a 1:1 mix of alcohol and glycerol when cleaning out ears (provided there is no tympanic rupture!), works very well. If somebody has been poking things in the canal (Q-tips and the like) you are more likely to see a rupture. But I cannot understand how a simple ear cleaning could give those symptoms unless something has been ruptured, I`d definitely want to search for underlying causes, possibly of both. There is no middle ear infection?

The vet says they are not ruptured, but I think there's a strong possibility they are. Maybe just a small tear, but nonetheless, enough for the irrigation solution to pass thru and cause nerve damage. Or some other trauma to the head, neck, or brain occured. The fact that the Horner's is unilateral and the deafness is bilateral is suspicious to me.

She sees a new vet tomorrow, and I'm going to get a referral for a neuro eval and possibly a middle ear culture.

 

[admin]

The vet says they are not ruptured, but I think there's a strong possibility they are. Maybe just a small tear, but nonetheless, enough for the irrigation solution to pass thru and cause nerve damage. Or some other trauma to the head, neck, or brain occured. The fact that the Horner's is unilateral and the deafness is bilateral is suspicious to me.

She sees a new vet tomorrow, and I'm going to get a referral for a neuro eval and possibly a middle ear culture.

Susan, please let us know what the new vet finds...this is so troubling

 

[xumi's mom]

Susan, please let us know what the new vet finds...this is so troubling

We saw a new vet yesterday, who prescribed an appetite stimulant (ciproheptadine), and Royal Canin Recovery RS, which Xumi much prefers over the Hill's A/D. The vet was mostly concerned about the weight loss, and I tend to agree. She recommends a "wait and see" approach, and feels the Horner's will improve with time. She's only had 2 cases in her career, both dogs, which recovered spontaneously within days. She's at a loss to explain the deafness and neurological issues but agrees that it's related to the ear flush.

So, I have one other vet in town I'm interested in evaluating, and will try for an appointment next week. I'm not sure about the "wait and see" approach, but on the other hand, I'm not sure about subjecting Xumi to a lot of tests and procedures just to find out exactly where the nerve damage is, if there's nothing that can be done about it anyway.

Xumi is showing slow but steady improvement in her food intake, coordination, and general mood. However, she's still completely deaf, and has very low energy. Poor little girl.

 

[admin]

I'm sorry to hear that xumi is still deaf and nut very active, but hopefully she will improve with the meds.

I hope you can get some answers to the extent of the damage and pray it will spontaneously heal.

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[Jacq]

Prayers to Zumi that she recovers fully. How frustrating for you!


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[Per Lausund]

We saw a new vet yesterday, who prescribed an appetite stimulant (ciproheptadine), and Royal Canin Recovery RS, which Xumi much prefers over the Hill's A/D. The vet was mostly concerned about the weight loss, and I tend to agree. She recommends a "wait and see" approach, and feels the Horner's will improve with time. She's only had 2 cases in her career, both dogs, which recovered spontaneously within days. She's at a loss to explain the deafness and neurological issues but agrees that it's related to the ear flush.

So, I have one other vet in town I'm interested in evaluating, and will try for an appointment next week. I'm not sure about the "wait and see" approach, but on the other hand, I'm not sure about subjecting Xumi to a lot of tests and procedures just to find out exactly where the nerve damage is, if there's nothing that can be done about it anyway.

Xumi is showing slow but steady improvement in her food intake, coordination, and general mood. However, she's still completely deaf, and has very low energy. Poor little girl.

And how are things now?

 

[xumi's mom]

And how are things now?

Well, I finally found a vet that I'm happy with. She gave me a referral for a complete neuro evaluation, which will happen this Thursday.

Xumi is showing slow improvement in some areas, mostly the Horner's, but she's still deaf, mildly ataxic, anorexic, and she vomits every couple of days. She still can't chew and swallow solid food. We're almost done with the prednisolone, and I've started her on cerenia for the nausea.

I'm hoping the neuro eval and maybe an MRI can show us if anything's wrong in the brain, and hopefully be treatable, but I'm not getting my hopes up too high. In my opinion, the vestibulocochlear nerve is involved, as well as possibly the mandibular branch of the trigeminal. Or maybe the hypoglossal. My biggest fear is irreversible damage to the cerebellum. Maybe she suffered from anoxia during the procedure, or a blood pressure crisis.

 

[Pam Flachs]

I'm glad to hear you see some improvement in Xumi's condition. Also glad she will be having a complete neurological exam...keep us posted on those results.

 

[Dantes]

Maybe she suffered from anoxia during the procedure, or a blood pressure crisis.

This makes me so sad and mad. If this happened to a human, you could sue for malpractice. Since it happened to a non-human member of the family...the family has to pay the bills for the vet's mistake.

So sorry for your baby. Hope she isn't having any pain, and that they're able to make her well again.