cat ear chronic ear infection

[dakadyra]

I got a cat 2 years ago at the humane society.  At first he seemed fine but within 6 months he had developed chronic ear discahrge from one ear.  It has never gone away.  We've had him to at least 4 vets, and one pet dermatologist. They can find nothing wrong.  They've looked for ear mites, polyps, bacterial infections etc.. Everything shows up negative.  Despite also vomitting more frequently than most cats, he is otherwise extremely healthy and active.  Anyobdy have any ideas or similiar stories out there.  It can be very messy when he shakes his head.  Typically I'm cleaning his ear a couple times of day with q-tip swabs.

[nancyjac]

Chronic drainage is a typical symptom FH1, a very common viral sensitivity in many cats. As long as he is not eating and behaving normally I wouldn't been overly concerned.  Keep his ears clean and dry.  You could also add some l-lysine to his food just as a supplement for general immune system support.

[opus88]

I found some additional info on a holistic site....first of all they recommend not to use q-tips as this only pushes the wax/discharge further back into the ear canal, they recommend scooping it with an applicator or wiping with gauze. this is apparently avail at a Walmart
http://www.clinere.com/

than a product also recommended is Zymox Otic  WITHOUT hydrocortisone(the one on the right hand side is hydrocortisone FREE)
Zymox is the one with fewer side effects for kitties...

http://www.entirelypets.com/zyotenso.html

I read, NOT to clean the ear before or after or use any other ear preparation in conjunction with....just scoop out the gunk with the above mentioned or a damp gauze. use one TEENY dab of the Zymox at the base of the ear...or slightly inside...just one teeny drop and do this 3-4x a day be sure to use it for a full 14 days.

[opus88]

oh the poor little tyke, I can imagine how miserable this would be making him. I will try to dig up as much info as I can for you and send it along as I find it.
first I will send this one write up for you to go over and see if it gives any leads..

http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com/vetmed/Dermatology360/How-do-you-manage-ceruminous-otitis-in-cats/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/700243?ref=25

one thing that first came to mind and it is mention on the above site is possible allergic disease or environmental triggers....start with a question. What is kitty eating?
Food allergies cause many problems with the skin and I guess also with ears....dry food inparticular, because of all the additives and preservatives. So start there, what are you feeding him? have you tried a different type of diet say if he is eating dry have you tried canned food?
here is an excellent site about cat nutrition, if you do the reading perhaps that too will give you some tips...keep posting, and I too will keep looking...there HAS to be an answer.

www.catinfo.org