dog deaf after taking gentamicin

Question
QUESTION:  Thank you so much ahead of time for taking the time to read this.  
I took my 11 year old boxer, Hailey, to a new vet last thurs (I live about a half an hour away from my reg vet and hailey has developed a bad case of car ride anxiety over the last couple of years, so I thought I'd try a closer vet for something as "little" as this so that I didn't stress her out). Wed I noticed that she was slightly tilting her head to the right after she ate.  She only did it very briefly and within about a minute she would be holding her head back to normal.  She yelped a little when I pet and scratched her ears and head. I then noticed a slight swelling just below her left ear.  By the time I got to the vet the next morning the swelling was gone but she was still tilting her head but still only briefly after she ate. Also her nose and her eyes seemed a little runny.  The vet swabbed her ears to look for an ear infection.  The results came back as very small amounts of yeast and bacteria in both ears.  The vet didn't think that she was tilting her head because of it.  She looked at her teeth, which checked out fine, and also checked the range of motion in her neck. The vet thought that maybe she strained a muscle in her neck. She sent me home with Otibiotic ointment (gentamicin sulfate) to put in her ears 2 times a day.  She also sent me home with rimadyl to give her twice a day for 2 weeks.  (I think her being on rimadyl for two weeks was too extensive for hailey's possibly strained neck) I stopped giving her the rimadyl after the first two doses.  By the next day she wasn't tilting her head any more and seemed perfectly fine.  I did continue with the ear drops twice a day until I stopped them yesterday.  Sun night I realized that she was completely deaf.  And now looking back I think she was deaf after the first day or two.  She was on it for a total of 4 days.  I called the vet Mon morn and told her that Hailey was deaf and she said that sometimes gentamicin can cause temp deafness but that it should come back after a couple of days, and to stop the treatment.  All of the research I've done on the internet makes it sound like deafness is an all too common side effect of this drug and that it is not always temporary and that when it is it can take 2-4 weeks for their hearing to come back.  I am completely dumbfounded that she did not warn me about this before hand.  I would not have given her this drug if I would have known.  I should have researched it before I gave it to her, I feel so bad.  Anyways, my big question to you is, Is there something I should be doing in the meantime to help her hearing come back?  (upon the vets direction I rinsed out her ears with saline solution). I've read a little about aspirin and L-carnitine supplementation but those should have been started before the treatment. I don't want to do anything that might make the situation worse. Can I do anything to help her hear again or to speed her recovery?  I have an appointment with the same vet on Fri for a check up.  I don't know what to do.  Please help



ANSWER: Hi Amy - So sorry about this !!!  This situation if rare.  I have only seen this a few times in my career with dogs.  What your vet ordered is safe about 99 % of the time.  YOU know, all drugs can have some kind of side effects.  I sure hope the hearing comes back very soon.  I have a few suggestions for supplements and herbs.

Try some Vitamin E - just for about 1 month - give (1) of the 100 Iu per day - hide in some food:  here is a link to Natures Sunshine -
you can order from them and they will send out within 24 hrs - VERY fast and fresh-


Low dosage of E ( only 100 IUs)
http://www.mynsp.com/nuvetpetnurse/products/guide.aspx?stockNum=1650

NEXT - I would like to see you give some Flora Force - to get rid of the Yeast in the ears.... This will clean up the System:
Give 1 per day for 90 days only.
VERY safe to give this to your baby....
GREAT for her skin:
This is good for you, too.... the human in the family:  
Good for the Gut. ( you can take 2 per day to clean your intestines)

http://www.mynsp.com/nuvetpetnurse/products/guide.aspx?stockNum=4080


Last - the NuVET Plus IMMUNE system booster should help to fight off the adverse effects of infections and the drugs....
Here is the NuVET Info:  EXCELLENT product-


*** will need just 1 per day - great and SAFE...

( you can start on 2 per day for 10 days - if you would like )
This is made for Long term usage / VERY safe and Keeps the VET AWAY...

The NuVET company gives you a 60 DAY money back guarantee...
IF this product doesn't help your gal they will refund your money.
The cost is 39.99 for a 60 day count bottle...
For a 90 count it is 55.00
START out with the 90 count and do the 60 day trial....
NO risk and very natural and safe...
here is the ordering link:

http://www.nuvet.com/81098
or call 1-800-474-7044
Use my Name : Marie Peppers and ASK for the 15% Off on Auto ship...


Let me know if you have any questions...
There are many supplements you can take but the 3 products I listed are a very good start...

Keep me posted

Marie Peppers lPN
Ask the Pet Nurse
mtnmom@gci.net


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thank you so much for getting back to me.  Can I go to a regular store and buy vit e and flora force?  I'd like to get her on it as quickly as possible.  The Nuvet sounds wonderful too.  Also one more question.  In Aug Hailey had a tumor removed from her chest (very near her throat)  It came back as a malignant nerve sheath tumor.  low to mid grade.  It could not be seen if all the margins were clean so they told me that they sometimes come back locally but that it wasn't a commonly metastisizing type of cancer. So as long as it didn't come back right away we were prob okay.  I check her regularly for new lumps and bumps.  Besides that she is a happy healthy, puppy like dog. I wish I had a holistic/homeopathic vet here but I don't.  Do you have any recommendation for supplements to help her immune system to help combat cancer or is the nuvet good for that too?  Also I feed her Natural balance kibble, various canned foods (natural balance, evo, holistic select, wellness core) and natural balance food rolls.  Oh and also rolled whole oats. And what ever I eat. (vegetarian so veggies, beans, rice) She prefers a varied diet.  Should I look into any different kind of food specific to fighting cancer or does that sound okay to you?

Answer
Hi - The Nature's Sunshine Products can sometimes be found at the local health food store... Check and see:  I am partial to this brand because I know it is SAFE and FRESH... No sense in taking supplements that are not fresh.
As for the NuVET we have had many ill pets take this supplement and do very well with it! It sure is an immune system blaster... YOU can only get this from a Holistic vet office and Some special Show breeders.
Order on line here:
http://www.nuvet.com/81098   ( refer name : Marie peppers )

The will get it out to you in a matter of 3-4 days.
1-800-474-7044 ( tell them Marie Peppers / the pet nurse/ sent you ... code 81098/ Ask about the 15 % off on auto ship)

Sounds like you are feeding some good foods!!!  Good job MOM!

Let me know how your baby is doing in a few weeks...
Marie Peppers LPN MA

here is my private e-mail
mtnmom@gci.net