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Pseudomonas Chronic Ear Infection


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  • 2 months later...

Hi Everyone,

Well its bad news... last week I took him to the vet for a check up - no obvious clinical symptoms - just thought its a good idea to keep an eye on it so we did a culture and the little b*st*ards are back with a vengeance. He was really flat earlier in the week and I put it down to this Adelaide heat wave but it turns out he has another major infection - the culture grew a heavy load of bacteria. The vets as upset as I am - we really thought we had it nailed. But this time we really are at the end of the road.

Anyway, we're booked in for surgery the week after next - a left ear ablation. I'm sure this is the right thing to do - I need to leave no stone unturned in trying to put my boy out of his misery - so surgery it is.

Thanks for all your help and advice over the past 10 months everyone - really appreciated.

Please keep your fingers and paws crossed for us.

Westimum and Mac.

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Hi Everyone,

Well its bad news... last week I took him to the vet for a check up - no obvious clinical symptoms - just thought its a good idea to keep an eye on it so we did a culture and the little b*st*ards are back with a vengeance. He was really flat earlier in the week and I put it down to this Adelaide heat wave but it turns out he has another major infection - the culture grew a heavy load of bacteria. The vets as upset as I am - we really thought we had it nailed. But this time we really are at the end of the road.

Anyway, we're booked in for surgery the week after next - a left ear ablation. I'm sure this is the right thing to do - I need to leave no stone unturned in trying to put my boy out of his misery - so surgery it is.

Thanks for all your help and advice over the past 10 months everyone - really appreciated.

Please keep your fingers and paws crossed for us.

Westimum and Mac.

Hope it all goes well. Our daughter has a colinisation os psudomonis because she has a tracheostomy and we have never been able to completely get rid of it. Everytime she gets a cold it spreads to her lungs then most of the time she needs some pretty powerfull antibiotics to clear it up but the trachea has not got a very good blood supply so it still lives there :laugh:. It has an unmistakable smell about it hey.

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Thanks Rommi n Lewis - yes I think surgery is the only answer - this constant pouring of stuff down his ear can't be helping either. We have reached the conclusion that there is a resistant pocket of pseudmonas infection behind the ear drum somewhere - and thats all it will take for these regular flare-ups. And I doubt there is anything I can put down his ear now which will solve the problem. And the deal breaker is that he is now resistant to the last lot of antibiotics we flew in from Sydney (Zeniquin) so there isn't an oral antibioic we can now use. So in the interim be's back on the timentin drops and on a short course of steroids until his surgery - probably on the 30th. He's certainly happier since we started the steroids (and got the aircon fixed! But thats another story...).

So thanks for your good wishes - much appreciated.

Cheers,

Westiemum :laugh:

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Thanks Oakway - I need to hear that at the moment. Its very tempting to try 'just one more thing' and spare him the surgery - but logic and experience is really telling me surgery is now the only option. And I have a wonderful vet who I trust implicitly. And if she says we have reached the end of the road, then we have reached the end of the road.

Thanks for your post and good wishes.

Cheers,

Westiemum :laugh:

Yes I think you are doing the right thing.

It's very difficult to treat a pseudomonas and you have certainly given it every chance.

Best of luck with the op.

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Westiemum - you are most certainly doing the right thing!

I have seen a dog battle with resistant pseudamonas ear infections for years - suffer greatly she did. Such a beautiful girl.

Your boy will be much happier and you are right, pouring all that medication in over such a long period muct have some impact, eventually.

He will of course have a recovery time where he is sore, but I think you will be suprised by just how good he feels when all is healed.

No-one can say you didn't give it your very best shot!

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Thanks RL - yes I know you are right - its such a big step. And yes I will be making sure he gets the best pain relief for him for as long as he needs it - and then some. He is such a gorgeous fellow - the trouble is he is so damn stoic its really hard to pick up when he is in real pain - he just carries on. And being a puppy farm rescue dog, he's done so well having come out of that hell hole with a heap of chronic health problems and we've got on top of the lot - except this one which has been so problematic. So it will be good for the problem to be finally gone and for him to be ultimately pain free - even if he is deaf in one ear - although he's probably had reduced hearing in that ear for a long time anyway. (He didn't repond to a normal volume call the other night, but responded immediately I raised my voice a little).

So thanks everyone for your help and support - really appreciated.

Cheers,

Westiemum :thumbsup:

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You've made every effort to help this little guy, but as I'm sure you've been told chronic otitis media is ultimately a surgical disease :thumbsup: Sometimes we get lucky and intensive therapy will help, but sometimes not - you've been through all the options and you're making a decision for him and not you - so very best of luck, hope all goes well for you.

At least after surgery, there'll be nowhere for the infection to hide and your little dude can be comfy again.

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Thanks Rappie - that's very kind of you. Yes I'm confident we've done all we can too and we've reached the ultimate outcome - and its now time to bite the bullet and have the surgery. I'm sure its the right thing to do given we really can't go on like this as its too tough on both of us. Thanks very much for your wise words over the months - its meant a lot.

Cheers,

Westiemum and Mac. :thumbsup:

You've made every effort to help this little guy, but as I'm sure you've been told chronic otitis media is ultimately a surgical disease :) Sometimes we get lucky and intensive therapy will help, but sometimes not - you've been through all the options and you're making a decision for him and not you - so very best of luck, hope all goes well for you.

At least after surgery, there'll be nowhere for the infection to hide and your little dude can be comfy again.

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A close friend had a GSD with chronic ear infections resistant to all treatment.

It went on for years :(

One vet suggested surgery, which was going to make the dog deaf, but owner decided against it.

(BTW all this info is from the friend, who wasn't too be exact about the problem)

The poor dog was obviously constantly bothered by her ears- I'd prefer a deaf, but comfortable dog.

Good luck.

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Thanks poodle wrangler - thats the way I feel too - and its not through lack of trying. I sooo want my gorgeous boy to be painfree - and surgery really now is the only option.

Thanks for your post - appreciated.

Cheers,

Westiemum and Mac :(

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks RL - your good crossing of everything worked! They are finishing up the surgery now - all went well and he's fine - apparently the ear was unbelievably putrid... just waiting on a call from the vet or the surgeon... will let you know the details after I hear.

Thanks tons for all your good wishes.

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