Pilot is not doing well, possible drug reaction as well?
 

I took Pilot to the vet this afternoon for a checkup because he was shaking his head and to get some bloodwork done because he is not eating his regular regular food (see the Parasite thread).

The vet gave him Synotic drops in each ear because they were inflammed. We think it was from his grooming earlier this week.

Well I didn't know Synotic is a corticosteroid. I believe he had a reaction earlier this year to a steriod injection where he developed pancreatitis.

Pilot keeps holding his head down now and is looking really mopey. He doesn't want to eat any food either!

I'm deathly afraid he is going to develop pancreatitis from the drops and is suffering from some reaction now.

My vet closed a little while ago, any thoughts?

So sorry you're having an issue with Pilot. It's a shame the vet is closed which means you have to wait longer to see him. Keep us posted. Am sure someone this board can be of help to you in the meantime.

Callie had a reaction to those drops too. She would hide which is so unlike her and would act unlike herself. I would discontinue use and if it gets worse call the er vet.

Oh my, oh my.

On one of your vet receipts, do they list a 24 hour emergency number?

Dr. Justine A. Lee, DVM, DACVECC, "A Quick Guide to Allergic Reactions in Dogs," (n.d.?), Pet Health Network.

Lists "life threatening reactions" requiring "immediate visit" to ER

*Collapse
*Difficulty breathing due to inflammation or swelling of the throat/airway
*Shock (e.g., an elevated heart rate, low blood pressure)
*Abnormal heart rhythm

Corticosteroids are among the common treatments for allergic reactions.

Article says, "With mild allergic reactions, you can consult your veterinarian about just treating with Benadryl at home (make sure the Benadryl doesn’t have any added other ingredients). The dose of Benadryl is typically 1 mg per pound of weight of your dog (so a 50 pound dog would get 50 mgs of Benadryl)."

So sorry for Pilot and you. I wonder if enough of the meds could have been absorbed via eardrops to cause the P reaction. He could also be having a P attack. Does palpating his abdomen near or below the ribs cause him discomfort? Or does he seem to have GI pain? Does he react if you touch around his ears? If so, it may just be an ear issue that the drops will fix, and the reaction hopefully will wear off soon.
Hoping the bad effects are temporary and that he feels better soon. A call to an emergency vet might be a good idea if he does not feel better soon? I so feel for you and Pilot.

Hi All, we just got back from the emergency vet.

He was yelping whenever we tried to touch his ears, but he did not seem in pain anywhere else.

The vet examined him and said he most likely is reacting to the drops being in his ear. She said he was very bright and alert on the exam. She was looking for any neurological signs, redness, difficulty breathing etc.

I asked her about the steroid and she said topical vs injection/oral is processed a little differently, and that she was not concerned about it inducing pancreatitis.

There was nothing serious to note on his CBC bloodwork, so we are still battling his eating issues which could be due to us feeding the bland diet for a while.

When we returned home, he drank water and ate some of the food I gave him. It's not his normal food, but I mixed some chicken with pureed peas and carrots, and little non fat greek yogurt. I added some calcium powder and vitamin b complex as well.

His collapsing trachea really kicked into gear with all the stress today, but he is now peacefully sleeping my lap.

She suggested I continue the drops tomorrow clear up the ear inflammation but it's ultimately up to me.

Do you think I should try again tomorrow? It says to give 1 drop on the bottle.

Good to hear the CBC results were ok. Also he seems to have perked up now after getting home. If no pain anywhere but the ears, it looks like the drops will make him better. If the vet suggested giving drops, I think I would do so. Only small drop!! Could be that the drops in his ears makes him a bit dizzy for a while and that is why he seemed a little upset. If he is hurting in his ears one drop application might not be enough to clear up the problem. But that is only my non professional opinion. Luckily the steroid did not appear to cause a P attack. That is great news.

Bless you.

It sounds as though his ear infection is painful. It doesn't sound as though ER had any heart or oxygen concerns. I would probably give the med to help him get over the painful infection. All assumes he has a decent night.

Thanks. My only concern was when Pilot had his steroid shot previously, he did not develop serious pancreatitis until a few days later. I really pray this does not happen.

Are you able to call the ER vet to ask for an alternative med for his ears?

As the vet was not concerned about the topical ear meds and P, which seems reasonable to me, you might not need to worry about giving the drops. However if it is easy to get different drops as suggested above, that would be ok too. But it could be that the steroids are the best med to give.
I know when I have drops in my ears I feel weird for a while. So keep him still and quiett for a bit after insertion of the drops. Sorry about the trach, hope that calms down soon.

The vet said other drops have antibiotics and they don't think he has an infection based on the swab test.

SO sorry to hear of this latest news, oh my gosh :(.

Sooooo wait, they swabbed his ear at the earlier appt and there was no sign of bacteria or fungus...but they\'re treating it with antibiotics...? Or is it that the first drops contained *only* steroids, and they then later offered drops w/ just antibiotic...?

If there is not an infection, is there build up you can see in the ears..? If yes, then the best treatment there would be a good cleaning agent from the Vet such as Malacetic Otic Cleanser - which is both an ear cleansing agent and drying agent.

Please keep us posted :love:!

My read was that the original drops were steroids only. OP was worried as a steroid shot may have caused Pancreatitis, and was concerned about giving more of the steroid drops. KatysMom suggested perhaps some other drops. OP said that changing from steroid to perhaps AB drops would not be as good as the original steroid drops. I did not gather that AB drops were ever given. But hope the OP can clear this up.