YorkieTalk.com Forums - Yorkshire Terrier Community


Welcome to the YorkieTalk.com Forums Community - the community for Yorkshire Terriers.

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. You will be able to chat with over 35,000 YorkieTalk members, read over 2,000,000 posted discussions, and view more than 15,000 Yorkie photos in the YorkieTalk Photo Gallery after you register. We would love to have you as a member!

Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!

If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please click here to contact us.

Go Back   YorkieTalk.com Forums - Yorkshire Terrier Community > YorkieTalk > Sick & Injured / Emergencies Talk
Register Blogs FAQ Calendar

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 03-15-2012, 05:36 AM   #1
YT 500 Club Member
 
zowiandnikasmom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: illinois
Posts: 902
Default zowi has a yeast infection in ears / scary rx combo

hello all.
my dear zowi has been doing great for the past 4 months and her cushing's has been controlled to "exactly where we want to be" according to her dogtor. march 1st she went in for her 6 month checkup. she had a full senior workup, bloodwork, including checking her thyroid, etc. her dr said that zowi looks great and all of her labs show that she is "strong and stable." zowi was 10.9 pounds back in spetember. after a diet change and addition of new meds she is down to a healthy 9.2 pounds! all great news!!! but now this...

last sunday night i noticed zowi scratching her right ear and rubbing her head on the floor and furniture. she allowed me to look at the left but wasn't too happy when i checked her right ear. i couldn't see any problems but took her to the dr on monday. problem was that her regular dr is not in on monday or tuesday so we had to see someone else which had me very concerned with all of my girl's conditions.

microscopic cytology revealed a yeast infection. they did a thorough ear cleaning which left her shaking her head like crazy for a few hours. poor baby. she got an antibiotic/antihistamine injection and i'm giving her 1/4 of a 25mg benadryl to calm the itching per dr instructions. she was prescribed illini ear drops, a med that usually has the steroid dexamethasone in it but the pharmacy made zowi some without the dex mixed in, as a cushing's patient should not be given meds containing steroids. she has been getting the drops once a day. the part that has me so worried is that she was also prescribed ketoconazole! it is an anti-fungal med but can also be used for the treatment of cushing's. it is a last resort med for cushing's as it is known to frequently cause liver damage. I AM VERY CONCERNED WITH THE COMBO OF THIS ALONG WITH HER TRILOSTANE. the dr assured me that it should not be a problem but agreed that i need to closely monitor her as is it possible that her cortisol could get dangerously low using both meds concurrently. i was honestly so concerned that i waited until i could speak with zowi's regular dr yesterday (wednesday) morning before giving the keto. she explained there's not an alternative unfortunately and has given both concurrently to other patients with no problems. i told her i hadn't started it yet and she said that was fine but for lack of a better solution, to start the med so that's what i did. i am certainly not one to agrue with the vets or not listen but i was worried because this dr was not familiar with my girl and wanted to take the better safe than sorry approach. zowi will get her 2nd dose today although i do not feel totally comfortable with this protocol. i want my baby girl better but certainly don't want to cause any further harm to her. i also posted on the cushing's site i am a member of and did receive a response from a lady who went through the same situation with her mini poodle and she did not have any problems with the combo. i also double checked with a human pharmacy asking about interactions and was told that as long as the keto is only given temporarily it should be ok. there would be great concern if it was permanent. so zowi is on a very low dose of ketoconazole (25mg once a day) for 8 days and will have her infection rechecked march 26th. i am watching zowi constantly and so concerned right now, i hardly slept at all last night. i know you guys understand completely!

does anyone have any advice or alternative ideas that i could discuss with zowi's dr? or opinions on this protocol? i sure hope this clears up quickly. zowi has pretty much stopped the scratching and rubbing, so i am very happy that she is comfortable right now. sorry this is so long as usual lol. thank you so very much!
__________________
My Princess Zowi 1/21/01 My Precious Pixie 5/28/10
My Little Angel Nika 4/16/04-8/29/10
zowiandnikasmom is offline   Reply With Quote
Welcome Guest!
Not Registered?

Join today and remove this ad!

Old 03-15-2012, 07:00 AM   #2
Furbutts = LOVE
Donating Member
Moderator
 
Wylie's Mom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 35,889
Blog Entries: 2
Default

I'm familiar w/ this protocol bc we tried Keto on Wylie for a while (atypical Cushings)...he did fine on it; but Lysodren (trilo) ended up being the most effective for him. Keto does have some history of causing liver issues, but it is still an excellent med when used correctly and you know what you watch for. Wylie had no effects at all when he was on Keto.

Now, as far as the chance for excessively lowering her cortisol....you do keep steroid at home, right? With Cushing dogs, you should always have a bottle of just-in-case steroid at home (I think we have 10mg pills or something?), to be used if your dog was suddenly showing very low cortisol symptoms. I've never had to use it, but it's a key emergency med to keep on hand for Cush dogs...just in case.

I hope she feels better and better. Hugs to you both!
__________________
~ A friend told me I was delusional. I nearly fell off my unicorn. ~

°¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨° Ann | Pfeiffer | Marcel Verdel Purcell | Wylie | Artie °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨°
Wylie's Mom is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2012, 07:46 AM   #3
Resident Yorkie Nut Donating YT 20K Club Member
 
ladyjane's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Texas
Posts: 27,451
Default

I don't have experience with this. Just want to say that I hope Zowi's ear infection clears up quickly!
ladyjane is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2012, 07:59 AM   #4
YT 500 Club Member
 
zowiandnikasmom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: illinois
Posts: 902
Default

thank you ann! i thought i remembered you posting about wylie occasionally having some skin issues previously and of course because it's fairly common with a cushing's pup. did wylie ever have to take ketoconazole and lysodren at the same time?

yes, i do have some prednisone (pills) on hand for emergency only that i was given at the time zowi started her trilostane. thanks for mentioning that, you're right it is key. we do always watch for signs of overcontrol but especially now that she is taking 2 medications (ketoconazole and trilostane) concurrently that can both lower her cortisol. as far as just being on the trilostane alone zowi has not had any side effects and has always had a good appetite and no upset stomach with the med which is very important as you know. i am just concerned that taking both meds at the same time puts us at a much higher risk of addisonian crisis right now and zowi's dr agrees that is a concern. i wish there was a better way.

thanks for your response and well wishes for my girl! we appreciate it very much! hugs to you and yours as well!
__________________
My Princess Zowi 1/21/01 My Precious Pixie 5/28/10
My Little Angel Nika 4/16/04-8/29/10
zowiandnikasmom is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2012, 08:00 AM   #5
YT 500 Club Member
 
zowiandnikasmom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: illinois
Posts: 902
Default

thanks for the well wishes linda and i hope so too!
__________________
My Princess Zowi 1/21/01 My Precious Pixie 5/28/10
My Little Angel Nika 4/16/04-8/29/10
zowiandnikasmom is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2012, 02:59 PM   #6
Donating YT 500 Club Member
 
lisaly's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Long Island, New York
Posts: 5,891
Default

You and your little ones are in my heart and my thoughts. I hope Zowi gets better soon. With your love, devotion, and careful monitoring of her, I am confident that she will.
__________________
Lisa and Katie

Ashley 6/10, Gracie 2/04, Kiwi 10/03, and Jolie 7/93 .
lisaly is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-16-2012, 06:11 AM   #7
Furbutts = LOVE
Donating Member
Moderator
 
Wylie's Mom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 35,889
Blog Entries: 2
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by zowiandnikasmom View Post
thank you ann! i thought i remembered you posting about wylie occasionally having some skin issues previously and of course because it's fairly common with a cushing's pup. did wylie ever have to take ketoconazole and lysodren at the same time?

yes, i do have some prednisone (pills) on hand for emergency only that i was given at the time zowi started her trilostane. thanks for mentioning that, you're right it is key. we do always watch for signs of overcontrol but especially now that she is taking 2 medications (ketoconazole and trilostane) concurrently that can both lower her cortisol. as far as just being on the trilostane alone zowi has not had any side effects and has always had a good appetite and no upset stomach with the med which is very important as you know. i am just concerned that taking both meds at the same time puts us at a much higher risk of addisonian crisis right now and zowi's dr agrees that is a concern. i wish there was a better way.

thanks for your response and well wishes for my girl! we appreciate it very much! hugs to you and yours as well!
I think Wylie was on Keto and Lyso at the same time for a bit. But, it was more bc we were decreasing one, while starting the other. I didn't see any signs of him heading toward an addisonian crisis.

What was her last post-test? Maybe you have more wiggle room if her post number was high-normal...?

Another thing...if you're super worried, you could talk to the vet about lowering the Lyso just during Keto treatment. It's a short duration...and lowering the Lyso temporarily shouldn't really make significant changes. If you're really scared about this combo, it may be worth asking your vet about this.
__________________
~ A friend told me I was delusional. I nearly fell off my unicorn. ~

°¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨° Ann | Pfeiffer | Marcel Verdel Purcell | Wylie | Artie °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨°
Wylie's Mom is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-16-2012, 01:19 PM   #8
YT 500 Club Member
 
zowiandnikasmom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: illinois
Posts: 902
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom View Post
I think Wylie was on Keto and Lyso at the same time for a bit. But, it was more bc we were decreasing one, while starting the other. I didn't see any signs of him heading toward an addisonian crisis.

What was her last post-test? Maybe you have more wiggle room if her post number was high-normal...?

Another thing...if you're super worried, you could talk to the vet about lowering the Lyso just during Keto treatment. It's a short duration...and lowering the Lyso temporarily shouldn't really make significant changes. If you're really scared about this combo, it may be worth asking your vet about this.
thanks again ann. glad to hear that wylie never had any problem, that is a bit of relief. zowi's last post result for cortisol was 67.2 ng/ml with a normal range of 65.0-174.6 ng/ml but she did at one point go down to 49.6 without any signs of overcontrol so possibly there is some wiggle room? (we use u of tenn for monitoring so this is not the usual measurement where normal would be from 1.0-5.0 and i'm not sure how to translate to ug/ml.)

you mention a very good point about lowering the trilostane temporarily. especially with the weekend approaching, i think i'll try to reach zowi's dr today and see if i can give her half the trilostane dose at least just until monday if not until the keto is gone. can't hurt to ask and i will follow whatever she says to do. zowi has had 3 doses of keto, thankfully with no problems so far so the worrry has lessened some but i'm definitely not letting my guard down. 5 days to go....

thanks again so much for the input and for sharing your experience, i appreciate it very much! hugs ~ carrie
__________________
My Princess Zowi 1/21/01 My Precious Pixie 5/28/10
My Little Angel Nika 4/16/04-8/29/10
zowiandnikasmom is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-16-2012, 01:30 PM   #9
Yorkie Yakker
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Illinois
Posts: 39
Default

We have a Golden Retriever who get ear infections all the time, and after many different medicines that did not work I finally found one that did. It is called Zymox, you can get it with the steroid or without. It is fairly inexpensive and does not require a prescription. I get it on Amazon I usually get a 4 oz bottle for about $25 but the one without the steroid I think is a little cheaper. You can buy smaller and larger sizes. It has triple enzymes in it, along with a few other things. It works great, my golden has been ear infection free now for about a year and for us that is a milestone.
GidgetGirl2009 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-16-2012, 01:34 PM   #10
YT 500 Club Member
 
zowiandnikasmom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: illinois
Posts: 902
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by lisaly View Post
You and your little ones are in my heart and my thoughts. I hope Zowi gets better soon. With your love, devotion, and careful monitoring of her, I am confident that she will.
aaww lisa you are so sweet. it is great to hear from you! you and john and your furry angels are also in my heart and thoughts and i always always wish you all the best!

zowi has pretty much stopped the itching and shaking so she is doing better. on the 26th they will recheck everything and hopefully it will be all cleared up. she has been doing so great the last 4 months, so much more comfortable and energetic! she can keep up with her little sister pixie who is about 22 months old now!

thanks so much for the well wishes and we hope all is well with you! hugs~carrie
__________________
My Princess Zowi 1/21/01 My Precious Pixie 5/28/10
My Little Angel Nika 4/16/04-8/29/10
zowiandnikasmom is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-16-2012, 01:54 PM   #11
YT 500 Club Member
 
zowiandnikasmom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: illinois
Posts: 902
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by GidgetGirl2009 View Post
We have a Golden Retriever who get ear infections all the time, and after many different medicines that did not work I finally found one that did. It is called Zymox, you can get it with the steroid or without. It is fairly inexpensive and does not require a prescription. I get it on Amazon I usually get a 4 oz bottle for about $25 but the one without the steroid I think is a little cheaper. You can buy smaller and larger sizes. It has triple enzymes in it, along with a few other things. It works great, my golden has been ear infection free now for about a year and for us that is a milestone.
thanks for the info, i appreciate it! glad to hear that your golden has been without an ear infection! i will definitely ask zowi's dr about using this, especially the ear cleanser. this might have been what they used to clean her ears at the dr's office with? i would also have to be absolutely sure that there are no steroids in it. cushing's pups are prone to skin, ear, and other infections so good to know about this!
__________________
My Princess Zowi 1/21/01 My Precious Pixie 5/28/10
My Little Angel Nika 4/16/04-8/29/10
zowiandnikasmom is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-16-2012, 07:25 PM   #12
YT Addict
 
Theodore's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: santa clarita, CA
Posts: 289
Default

Hi, Carrie & Zowi. Ted's sending his "sweetheart" get well soon wishes. Sad to think his little love hasn't been feeling well. Prayers from us xo
Theodore is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2012, 02:47 PM   #13
YT 500 Club Member
 
zowiandnikasmom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: illinois
Posts: 902
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Theodore View Post
Hi, Carrie & Zowi. Ted's sending his "sweetheart" get well soon wishes. Sad to think his little love hasn't been feeling well. Prayers from us xo
hello corrinne and ted! i told zowi that she got love and well wishes from her sweetie and i know that it made her feel better. zowi is such a little trooper! she really dislikes the ear drops but shes so sweet and lets me do it anyway. poor baby, it makes me feel terrible. i did get justin to do it today so i think from here on out it will be his job. hehe.

she has been doing great otherwise, so hopefully we will be able to clear this up and have no more problems! nice to hear from you!!!
__________________
My Princess Zowi 1/21/01 My Precious Pixie 5/28/10
My Little Angel Nika 4/16/04-8/29/10
zowiandnikasmom is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2012, 03:35 PM   #14
And Rylee Finnegan
Donating Member
 
Ellie May's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Metro Detroit, MI
Posts: 17,928
Default

I don't have any experience with cushings whatsoever, but I do have a dog that has chronic yeast infection issues. We have never given injectable antibiotics or antihistamines for it. And we have never given oral antihistamines.

Is there something wrong with Otomax or mometimax (may contain steroids, don't know)? Zymox has a formula available with and without cortisone. I've never even heard of using oral keto for a yeast infection in ears. Not saying it doesn't work, just that it sound like a huge thing to do over a minor issue.

Don't know how steroids in ears (like the good form of zymox) affects a cushings dog systemically. Vet says absolutely not?

Just looked it up. Otomax looks like it does contain a steroid. I think zymox may work if you get the one without. Something to talk to your vet about. Most vets don't use it yet. Then there is another very new product. Blanking on the name. It's like a caulk that the vet can put in and it stays there releasing a drug. Don't know the active ingredients, but might be worth a look.
__________________
Crystal, Ellie May (RIP), Rylee Finnegan, and Gracie Boo🐶
Ellie May is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2012, 03:50 PM   #15
Donating YT 500 Club Member
 
TxVicki's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: At Home
Posts: 8,386
Default

My late Molly who had Cushings as well as many other problems had to take Keto many times. She would get bad yeast infections on her feet and ear's. We had to have the Keto compounded at the Pharmacy for her. But she did really good on it. Just like you anything that had steroids in it was a no, no. That made it so hard at times since we were limited with what Rx's to give her at times for certain issues.
__________________
[SIZE="3"VICKI & ALLIE[/SIZE]
TxVicki is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks




Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are Off




Google
 

SHOP NOW: Amazon :: eBay :: Buy.com :: Newegg :: PetStore :: Petco :: PetSmart


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 10:01 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright ©2003 - 2018 YorkieTalk.com
Privacy Policy - Terms of Use

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443 444 445 446 447 448 449 450 451 452 453 454 455 456 457 458 459 460 461 462 463 464 465 466 467 468 469 470 471 472 473 474 475 476 477 478 479 480 481 482 483 484 485 486 487 488 489 490 491 492 493 494 495 496 497 498 499 500 501 502 503 504 505 506 507 508 509 510 511 512 513 514 515 516 517 518 519 520 521 522 523 524 525 526 527 528 529 530 531 532 533 534 535 536 537 538 539 540 541 542 543 544 545 546 547 548 549 550 551 552 553 554 555 556 557 558 559 560 561 562 563 564 565 566 567 568 569 570 571 572 573 574 575 576 577 578 579 580 581 582 583 584 585 586 587 588 589 590 591 592 593 594 595 596 597 598 599 600 601 602 603 604 605 606 607 608 609 610 611 612 613 614 615 616 617 618 619 620 621 622 623 624 625 626 627 628 629 630 631 632 633 634 635 636 637 638 639 640 641 642 643 644 645 646 647 648 649 650 651 652 653 654 655 656 657 658 659 660 661 662 663 664 665 666 667 668 669 670 671 672 673 674 675 676 677 678 679 680 681 682 683 684 685 686 687 688 689 690 691 692 693 694 695 696 697 698 699 700 701 702 703 704 705 706 707 708 709 710 711 712 713 714 715 716 717 718 719 720 721 722 723 724 725 726 727 728 729 730 731 732 733 734 735 736 737 738 739 740 741 742 743 744 745 746 747 748 749 750 751 752 753 754 755 756 757 758 759 760 761 762 763 764 765 766 767 768 769 770 771 772 773 774 775 776 777 778 779 780 781 782 783 784 785 786 787 788 789 790 791 792 793 794 795 796 797 798 799 800 801 802 803 804 805 806 807 808 809 810 811 812 813 814 815 816 817 818 819 820 821 822 823 824 825 826 827 828 829 830 831 832 833 834 835 836 837 838 839 840 841 842 843 844 845 846 847 848 849 850 851 852 853 854 855 856 857 858 859 860 861 862 863 864 865 866 867 868 869 870 871 872 873 874 875 876 877 878 879 880 881 882 883 884 885 886 887 888 889 890 891 892 893 894 895 896 897 898 899 900 901 902 903 904 905 906 907 908 909 910 911 912 913 914 915 916 917 918 919 920 921 922 923 924 925 926 927 928 929 930 931 932 933 934 935 936 937 938 939 940 941 942 943 944 945 946 947 948 949 950 951 952 953 954 955 956 957 958 959 960 961 962 963 964 965 966 967 968 969 970 971 972 973 974 975 976 977 978 979 980 981 982 983 984 985 986 987 988 989 990 991 992 993 994 995 996 997 998 999 1000 1001 1002 1003 1004 1005 1006 1007 1008 1009 1010 1011 1012 1013 1014 1015 1016 1017 1018 1019 1020 1021 1022 1023 1024 1025 1026 1027 1028 1029 1030 1031 1032 1033 1034 1035 1036 1037 1038 1039 1040 1041 1042 1043 1044 1045 1046 1047 1048 1049 1050 1051 1052 1053 1054 1055 1056 1057 1058 1059 1060 1061 1062 1063 1064 1065 1066 1067 1068 1069 1070 1071 1072 1073 1074 1075 1076 1077 1078 1079 1080 1081 1082 1083 1084 1085 1086 1087 1088 1089 1090 1091 1092 1093 1094 1095 1096 1097 1098 1099 1100 1101 1102 1103 1104 1105 1106 1107 1108 1109 1110 1111 1112 1113 1114 1115 1116 1117 1118 1119 1120 1121 1122 1123 1124 1125 1126 1127 1128 1129 1130 1131 1132 1133 1134 1135 1136 1137 1138 1139 1140 1141 1142 1143 1144 1145 1146 1147 1148 1149 1150 1151 1152 1153 1154 1155 1156 1157 1158 1159 1160 1161 1162 1163 1164 1165 1166 1167