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Ear Infection culture back

dbowes

dbowes

Warren Scout
Hi,

I have posted a couple of threads on Jasper who has a middle ear infection (diagnosed from skull x-rays). He went off his food and one side of his face is "pulled up" making him look uneven. The vet prescribed Baytril antibiotics and metacam for the pain.

A week on he has perked up (eyes, coat glossiness and is eating fine). His face paralysis was improving but maybe gone back over, however certainly not as bad as it originally was. It doesn't appear to be bothering him although he is still on metacam. I wouldnt say he is quite himself but he is still settling down from the stress of it all i think.

Anyway the vet sent a sample off to be cultured and it turns out to be staphylococcus aureus. Anyone have any experience of this? Is it a good thing that its not Pasteurella? The vet recommended just sticking with the Baytril for the full 6 weeks as it seemed effective against the bacteria.

How confident can i be of a full recovery? i.e cure of the infection (i accept his face may not return to normal).
 
Staph Aureus is a bacteria often involved in Ear Infections. Did the Vet suggest adding Metronidazole (antibiotic active against anaerobic bacteria) to the Baytril ?
 
Thanks for your reply

No she didn't she just said to come and collect more baytril later today. I guess I won't deal with the vet, just the receptionist. How would adding metronidazole help?

Are his chances of a full recovery good? I acted at the first sign and he has responded well.
 
dbowes said:
Thanks for your reply

No she didn't she just said to come and collect more baytril later today. I guess I won't deal with the vet, just the receptionist. How would adding metronidazole help?

Are his chances of a full recovery good? I acted at the first sign and he has responded well.
Click to expand...

The infection could resolve with a long course of treatment. I would ask the Vet about adding Metronidazole (AKA Flagyl) as it is an antibiotic that specifically targets anaerobic bacteria. Staph Aureus is an anaerobic bacteria.
 

Thanks

Sounds like good advice. I guess the baytril has already been put aside now. I'll be back next week for a 2 week supply for when im away so I'll mention it then. Mixing with baby food is doing the trick so my friend who is house sitting won't have too much trouble I hope.

To clarify what would you call a long course of treatment? We are giving him antibiotics for a total of 6 weeks. Would that be classed as a long course? If he shows no symptoms then the plan after that is to just keep a close eye on him
 
Hiya.I have been going through this with my old frenchie.Her mouth drooped down and she was losing weight as she couldn't eat well because of this.We didn't realise because she still looks big as she has thick fur and also she was eating all the time so we thought she was eating fine.She only appeared to be eating all the time as she was dropping things out of her mouth due to the facial paralysis,so it was taking her ages just to eat one thing.
Her blood results came back negative.Eventually she became wobbly and was really off her legs,her mouth then pulled upwards instead of drooping.We went to another vet practice for a second opinion,they took ear swabs which came back positive to pseudomonus in both ears.She was a really poorly girl and many times we thought we were going to lose her.She didn't have an xray as we were concerned about putting her under anaesthetic,due to her age and health.She was on baytril and metacam for many many weeks.And the plan was to have the xray when she was more fit.One day,miracleously,she just turned a corner and became able to hop without falling,able to eat without being hand fed able to come off her meds.We took her to the vets with the intention of having her xrayed but the vet said she was" too well "now and didn't want to set her back by doing one.Non of us ever expected her to get better so well or so soon.I thank a good vet,reiki and much devotion from us and her hubby getting her to the stage she's at.:D
This went on over a 5 month period.She went from 4.4kg to 3.4kg.She is now slowly putting weight back on.Her mouth is still pulled up on one side and occasionally she has a head tilt but she hops fine.She still struggles with some foods,leaving little bits on the floor but she eats her pellets well so I have increased them.
Dont give up hope.I never thought I would still have my girly,and,though she looks a little odd,she can do,physically most things she could before,Though ive not seen her jump on boxes but at least she can jump in and out of her cage.I had alot of support from my rabbit friends on facebook,which gave me the strenght I needed.If you want to talk,or want any advice,please feel free to PM me.I hope your bunny feels better soon.x
 
dbowes said:
Thanks

Sounds like good advice. I guess the baytril has already been put aside now. I'll be back next week for a 2 week supply for when im away so I'll mention it then. Mixing with baby food is doing the trick so my friend who is house sitting won't have too much trouble I hope.

To clarify what would you call a long course of treatment? We are giving him antibiotics for a total of 6 weeks. Would that be classed as a long course? If he shows no symptoms then the plan after that is to just keep a close eye on him
Click to expand...

I would ask about the Metronidazole now as opposed to in two weeks time. If your Vet agrees then starting treatment with it sooner rather than later would be a good idea.
 
Thanks Jack's-Jane

Well i would be going to collect more wed/thurs next week before my hols so it would be a week. I understand it would be best to ask now but It's probably too late now as I'm heading there late after work just to pick it up from reception. I think I'll grab the baytril then over the weekend send her an email regarding the Metronidazole. If she agrees I can request a 3 week batch for next week and the 2 weeks I am away. Either way I'll need to head there to grab extra. Does that sound like a good compromise? I don't want to undermine her prescription by asking for a change last min (if she is still around when i go) but in an email i can find the right words not to do so. It also gives her the chance to read up or get a 2nd opinion if needed.

WillowHolly, really appreciate your message and I'm glad your Frenchie is still going strong. It is really reassuring for me. The first sign was his ear was a little crusty and he had the slightest of head tilts. The non savvy vet gave me some ear drops and sent me packing. I realise now that was a mistake. I'm annoyed because I specifically asked for the other vet who is good with rabbits but when i went in she wasn't there. I didn't want to cause a fuss and to be honest I didn't realise how serious an ear infection is. After a week on the drops he seemed ok but then lost his appetite (but didn't stop eating fully - just picked) and developed the face "pulling". I rushed him back in and saw the rabbit savvy vet who I think has done things right (need to esquire about Metronidazole).

She said Jasper too was too thin, despite looking overweight with all his fur. The problem was in both ears also but more so in the side with the "pulling". He has responded well and is eating fine and has no other sympoms now other than his face. He has been very stressed but he is starting to calm down now I've sopped syringing him and spiking his meds instead with baby food. He is lying about at times but i havent seen him flop out again since the problems started (he used to do that a lot).

So all in all he seems to be in much better shape than your frenchie was to begin with so that does encourage me. I guess it boils down to how well the anti-biotics are against the particular strain. In your case she was quite chronic but perhaps the meds had a strong effect. I'm trying to stay positive as all the early signs are good. I think i'll be happier when i stop the metacam as it's hard to tell how much that is having an effect.

So was she on anti-biotics for the full 5 months? My vet has recommended 6 weeks assuming he continues to show good progress
 
Last edited:
dbowes said:
Thanks Jack's-Jane

Well i would be going to collect more wed/thurs next week before my hols so it would be a week. I understand it would be best to ask now but It's probably too late now as I'm heading there late after work just to pick it up from reception. I think I'll grab the baytril then over the weekend send her an email regarding the Metronidazole. If she agrees I can request a 3 week batch for next week and the 2 weeks I am away. Either way I'll need to head there to grab extra. Does that sound like a good compromise? I don't want to undermine her prescription by asking for a change last min (if she is still around when i go) but in an email i can find the right words not to do so. It also gives her the chance to read up or get a 2nd opinion if needed.

WillowHolly, really appreciate your message and I'm glad your Frenchie is still going strong. It is really reassuring for me. The first sign was his ear was a little crusty and he had the slightest of head tilts. The non savvy vet gave me some ear drops and sent me packing. I realise now that was a mistake. I'm annoyed because I specifically asked for the other vet who is good with rabbits but when i went in she wasn't there. I didn't want to cause a fuss and to be honest I didn't realise how serious an ear infection is. After a week on the drops he seemed ok but then lost his appetite (but didn't stop eating fully - just picked) and developed the face "pulling". I rushed him back in and saw the rabbit savvy vet who I think has done things right (need to esquire about Metronidazole).

She said Jasper too was too thin, despite looking overweight with all his fur. The problem was in both ears also but more so in the side with the "pulling". He has responded well and is eating fine and has no other sympoms now other than his face. He has been very stressed but he is starting to calm down now I've sopped syringing him and spiking his meds instead with baby food. He is lying about at times but i havent seen him flop out again since the problems started (he used to do that a lot).

So all in all he seems to be in much better shape than your frenchie was to begin with so that does encourage me. I guess it boils down to how well the anti-biotics are against the particular strain. In your case she was quite chronic but perhaps the meds had a strong effect. I'm trying to stay positive as all the early signs are good. I think i'll be happier when i stop the metacam as it's hard to tell how much that is having an effect.

So was she on anti-biotics for the full 5 months? My vet has recommended 6 weeks assuming he continues to show good progress
Click to expand...

The Metronidazole would not be instead of Baytril but aswell as. You could ring now and see if a VN could speak with the Vet about it and if Vet agrees she could sort out a supply for you to collect with the Baytril. Personally I would want to start the combined antibiotic treatment ASAP.
 
Just to add that metronidazole is a pretty safe antibiotic - in fact it kills the main bacteria responsible for bacterial overgrowth in the gut due to other antibiotics! They should keep it in stock so there shouldn't be a problem adding it to your order at short notice if the vet agrees. Good luck! X
 
No she was probably on them two months and metacam abit longer. Vet said Baytril was the best for her problem .if you dont feel happy with your vets advice tell them. They wanted to take B off her Baytril too early in my opinion so we kept her on them abit longer. We both agreed in the end that it was the best decision. Also I found I got a lot of advice from lots of people which at times was confusing. If you trust your vet listen to them,they know what's best.
 
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