Is my cat's ear infection a risk to my suppressed immune system?

To differentiate mite and fungal infection, a skin scrape and hair plugs and culture are necessary. First of all the underlying cause MUST be diagnosed. After that the appropriate treatment can be given. It is quite useless and pointless to give treatment trial up to the point (if you reach that point!) the skin lesion is resolved. I would recommend to discuss it with your local veterinarian. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

It is difficult to diagnose an ear infection without examining the discharge under a microscope to see if there are any bacteria, yeast, or mites. Based on the pictures, it does not appear to be a large amount of discharge. There aren't any OTC ear medications for infections but you could clean the ear with just an ear cleaner labeled for cats and see if that helps. Clean three times a week for now and then once weekly and see if that gets rid of all the discharge. If not, he really needs to go to a vet for treatment.

Ear infections in cats can also be caused by yeast or bacteria, and are more common causes of ear infections in adult cats. Ear mites are more common in kittens. In order to treat Belle properly, she does have to see a vet, and vets will see pets for sickness. This counts, as leaving it untreated can lead to hearing loss. Give her vet a call to make her an appointment.

I would recommend having your vet check to make sure she doesn't have an ear infection first. Otherwise, this could be a bacterial infection, ringworm, or even something cancerous. Your vet can take a sample from the surface to look for sources of infection and then do a biopsy (under sedation at a later date) if it's not clear what is going on. Good luck!

This could be a bad ear infection. Ear infections can be caused by yeast and bacteria as well as ear mites, so if your other cats do not have the same issue, I suspect Ariel may have a bacterial or yeast ear infection. You need to take her into a vet today to have this diagnosed and treated.

Ear mites and underlying allergic disease (that can predispose to recurrent ear infections) are possible and should be ruled out. A physical and otoscopic examination of the ear canal are enough to rule them out. Bacterial swabs and culture can be used as well to rule out resistant infections. I would recommend to discuss all these options with your veterinarian. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation (where you can post pictures ) if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Ear infections can be caused by bacterial, parasitic or fungal infection, or a combination of these, and can be associated with dietary or environmental allergies or sensitivities, immune system disorders, or a combination of the above. If the Surolan helped but the infection has returned, Melcho needs to see a vet to have an ear swab done. Your vet can look at the sample under the microscope and treat appropriately based on what is found. Trying different medications without testing to determine the cause is not effective, and can lead to bacterial resistance to medication. Your vet will likely need to examine the ear with a scope to see if the ear drum is intact, as some medications cannot be used safely if the eardrum is ruptured. They may also recommend a culture and sensitivity test of a swab from the ear to help figure out what specific bacteria could be present and what medications they are sensitive to. Ear infections can be very painful, and as you mentioned, can sometimes progress to include the middle or inner ear, where they can cause neurologic signs or permanent hearing loss. Please book an appointment to have Melcho seen as soon as possible to help get him feeling better, and you can request a referral from your veterinarian if they are not willing or able to provide further care as you mentioned.