Loss of hearing

Question
Hi - We have a chocolate lab who is 4 1/2 years old.  We recently took her for a checkup.  The vet said she had wax build up in her ears and prescribed Mometamax.  We were suppose to treat her for 10 days and bring her back.  We brought her back and they prescribed another bottle of Mometamax and we were suppose to continue treatment for a week and then bring her back.  We have notice over the last few weeks that she doesn't respond like she used to - kind of like she is hard of hearing.  We thought maybe it was from the wax build up.  We took her back to the vet today and they said the medicine might have caused this deafness.  Not sure why they prescribed this medicine not once but twice if there is a chance your dog will turn deaf.  Have you ever heard of this medicine causing this problem?  If so, will her hearing return?  The vet kind of made my husband feel like it was our fault for administering the medicine for so long (at their direction) and not bringing her back in sooner - we were a week or two overdue.  Thanks.

Answer
Hi Tina,

There is indeed a warning regarding the use of Mometamax, and hearing loss:

"The hearing deficit is usually temporary. If hearing or vestibular dysfunction is noted during the course of treatment, discontinue use of MOMETAMAX Otic Suspension immediately and flush the ear canal thoroughly with a nonototoxic solution."

The dogs that lose some hearing on Mometamax should get their hearing back in a week or two.  Make sure that your vet knows what happened, and that your dog's ear drum is intact.

You should also be aware that administration of recommended doses of Mometamax Otic Suspension beyond seven days may result in delayed wound healing.

Best of luck,
Patti