Expert: Jessica - 10/14/2010

Question
hi i have a 14 year old cat. around three months ago he had a very bad infection in his paw and was treated by the vet with pain relief and antibiotics. he has since being suffering with deafness and is very unbalanced. could this be a reaction to his treatment or his age.

Answer
Hi Amanda,

I'm not sure which antibiotic was prescribed for your cat's foot infection.  Although neurological problems are a possible side effect of a couple of antibiotics, this is very rare, especially with antibiotics that are typically used to treat this kind of infection.  I would not suspect these symptoms to be related to that treatment.

Deafness can be related to age.  However, his balance problems should not be.  I would strongly recommend that you get Benny back to the vet right away.  He may be suffering from some inner ear problems such as polyps, infections or even tumors in one or both ears.  These can cause hearing loss when severe enough, and they can also result in a secondary condition called Vestibular Disease.  

Vestibular Disease causes dizziness and loss of balance.  Fortunately, when it's caused by another condition such as an infection or polyp, it usually resolves once that condition is taken care of.  An ear infection can be cured with oral antibiotics and ear drops.  Polyps can sometimes be shrunken away with drops, but larger ones may need to be removed under sedation or even through a full surgery, depending on their location.  Tumors tend to be more aggressive and may or may not be treatable.

Infections are very painful, and so are polyps and tumors once they reach a certain size. Vestibular Disease can be nauseating to some pets.  So I would have Benny checked out right away to find out if he appears to be suffering from any of these.

A final consideration might be an infection such as toxoplasmosis, or there is a very unlikely possibility that it may be FIP (feline infectious peritonitis).  FIP is extremely rare in cats of Benny's age and is mostly found in households where there are many cats.  Toxoplasmosis is a condition caused by a protozoan parasite.  Both conditions can cause neurological symptoms including balance problems.  Toxoplasmosis can be cured with clindamycin, but FIP is not treatable.

Best of luck!

Jessica