Vet Tips

From: 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Dealing with Otitis Externa
08/22/2008

"#5 Avoid thinking that culture and sensitivity is a useful test for cases of OE because cultures will 'miss' anaerobic infections and when rarely done should be done in conjunction with cytology. Reliability is another limitation of c/s. Two samples from the same location in the external ear can differ and the same isolate can have different susceptibility patterns.
#7 Avoid concurrently acidifying an ear and using an aminoglycoside or a fluoroquinolone topically because as the pH of the environment decreases, the MIC of the organisms goes up logarithmically. Wait at least 1 hour between acidification and instilling these antibiotics."

Submitted by:
Dr. Paul B. Bloom, Diplomate ACVD, Diplomate ABVP (Canine and Feline Specialty)
Allergy, Skin and Ear Clinic for Pets,
Livonia, MI
Adjunct Assistnat Professor, Dept. of Small Animal Clinical Sciences,
Dept. of Dermatology, MSU