Deafness caused by Mometamax

Question
QUESTION: My 10 year old pug, Roxy, gets the occasional ear infection and experienced temporary deafness from Ottomox a few years ago.  She was prescribed Mometamax last month and I did not realize that it was a related drug - of course my vet said nothing and probably didn't bother to look at her medical history.  So now Roxy is partially deaf and it appears to be permanent.  Is there anything I can do to get her hearing back?  She was an excellent watchdog and is otherwise healthy; the only other drug she takes daily is Proin and she has recently started on Cosequin for a bit of stiffness.

ANSWER: The antibiotic in Otomax and Mometamax is the same:  gentamycin.  THis can be toxic to the inner ear.  Your vet should have known that if Otomax caused deafness, then Mometamax would do the same thing.  Fortunately, these are not permanent.  Withdrawl of the gentamycin should allow hearing to return in a few weeks.

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QUESTION: Thank you for the answer.  My concern is that it has been about a month, and Roxy's hearing is still impaired.  It came back in about a week with Ottomax.  In my research I have read that the deafness is usually temporary, but can be permanent in rare cases.  I am very worried that this is one of those cases.  She took her last dose of Mometamax on November 16 - when do I give up hope that her hearing will return to normal?

Answer
It could be that there is an impaction of the ear canals.  When Mometamax congeals, it can seal up the end of the ear canals, decreasing the ability of sound to vibrate the eardrum.

I would suggest that you have the ears examined by a vet with a Video Otoscope.  If there is not an obstruction or an impaction of the middle ear, then I would recommend a high dose steroid shot to see if there is inflammation in the inner ear.  A steroid shotthat reduces inflammation may help restore the hearing.  If not, then there may be some permanent damage.