Mometamax warning
I know that Golden Retrievers often experience ear problems, so I thought I would post this account about my recent scary experience with the ear medication, Mometamax.
Fred was on a 10-day course of Mometamax for wax and inflammation in his ears. I never take or administer any medication without first reading all the fine print, so I noted the warning that Mometamax can cause deafness or hearing loss in some dogs. It concerned me, of course, but since Fred’s ears had been examined before we started the drug, I knew that his ear drums were in tact and therefore tried to dismiss my worries. He also had his teeth cleaned 3 days after starting the Mometamax, and while he was anesthetized, they once again examined and cleaned his ears.
I had begun to notice that Fred seemed vaguely disoriented and not quite himself midway through the course of Mometamax, but I thought he might be reacting to the trauma of the teeth-cleaning, so I just watched him carefully. In most ways, he seemed fine. I couldn’t put my finger on what seemed wrong about him.
Three days after the final Mometamax treatment, we called Fred’s name to head up to the house from the barn after feeding the horses. Fred was, as usual, waiting in his dog bed in the tack room. He didn’t react at all to his name. We started calling him louder and louder, and he still didn’t react. For a very bad moment, we thought he was dead. When I touched him, however, he jumped up, ready to return to the house with us. Instantly, I remembered the warning on the Mometamax and realized that he was totally deaf.
I ran to the house and reread the Mometamax fine print to see whether there was any protocol for treating hearing loss, caused by the drug. It was past midnight, so I was on my own. The fine print recommended flushing the ears with nonotoxic ear wash, so I did that twice with Epi-Otic, although I worried that so much time had elapsed since his last Mometamax dose it might be hopeless. We tried various tests (saying Fred’s name without moving or giving him any other cue and calling him from other rooms), and he seemed to be able to hear if we spoke loudly enough.
In the morning, I called the vet to report what had happened and find out whether there was anything further I could do. His recommendation was that we wait several days before flushing Fred’s ears again or putting anything at all in them. Meanwhile, Fred has shown convincing signs that he can hear, although I’m not sure whether he’s got the stellar hearing he had before this happened. He does seem to be improving, though.
Sooooooo . . . here’s my 2 cents: watch out for Mometamax and take that warning about hearing loss very seriously. It’s one thing to have a dog lose its hearing due to old age, but quite another to believe you have done something to CAUSE the hearing loss. I’m tremendously relieved that Fred appears to be recovering.
37 comments
That must have been very frightening. Thank you for the warning.
Thank you for writing this. Your story is the exact same thing that is happening to my bullmastiff right now. I questioned why she couldn’t hear things and then slept as “if she were dead” and then quickly looked at the bottle of Mometamax for warnings. There were none, so I quickly got on the internet. I still can’t believe my vet perscribed such medication.
I hope that vets are reporting these experiences to whatever agency compiles them and controls veterinary medications. I spoke to my vet at length about my alarm and displeasure. The good news, however, is that Fred has fully recovered his hearing.
So sorry you are faced with this trauma, too. I hope she has a speedy and complete recovery.
Ginger our Yellow Lab has always had great hearing. She went in for her annual checkup and the vet said she had a slight yeast infection in her right ear. We questioned this because she has never had any ear problems in 12 years. We were directed to squeeze the fluid in EACH ear for 2 seconds once a day for 7 days. We did this for 5 days and stopped. Now after only 5 days she is stone deaf. We do not believe our Vet. was aware of the dark side of this med ication because he called the Manufacturer and said in rare cases only. Who do you call /contact to get this drug recalled, or to understand why this drug kills the hearing . Please e-mail me with info. jackccpi@aol.com This happened 2-13-2010
United States Pharmacopeia’s Veterinary Practitioner’s Reporting Program
When an adverse reaction to a medication occurs it is best to report it to the drug manufacturer and the FDA (medications) or USDA (vaccines). To make reporting easier, the United States Pharmacopeia has established a central reporting service. If a veterinary practitioner reports a drug reaction, the USP-VPRP reports to the drug manufacturer, the FDA or USDA and the American Veterinary Medical Association with one phone call to 800-487-7776. The web site for this organization is http://www.usp.org.
Jack,
I’m very sorry that you have had this devastating experience. From anecdotal reports on the internet, it appears that in many dogs, hearing with be restored.
I found an article online that contains interesting information, but it is not written by a veterinary, medical, or pharmaceutical professional. It may, however, point you in the right direction for your own research. Here is an excerpt:
“The antibiotics most commonly associated with hearing loss in dogs are: Aminoglycoside antibiotics (gentamicin, kanamycin, neomycin, and tobramycin ). They are effective drugs in combating ear infections so hence their choice. They are also often the drug of choice in treating urinary infections, but they can cause kidney damage. What is an aminoglycoside and why would it cause deafness?”
http://www.helium.com/items/1168496-hearing-loss-in-dogs-from-antibiotics
It appears the Otomax can also cause deafness.
I’ve been emailing back and forth with Jack, who lives in Hawaii and is not a regular blog reader. He must have found us by doing a search for “Mometamax” and “deafness”. Wanted you all to know that I am forwarding your messages to him, and he is very grateful for the help. I’m grateful, too!
One thing we can all learn from all this information is that regular ear care is critically important. If the cure is so dangerous, avoiding the problem is all the more urgent. And Goldens are so susceptible to ear problems!
(My vet – who would not like to be named in this context – once jokingly recommended that I super-glue the ears of a previous Golden together over his head.)
If you get into an ear mess with your dog, you might want to ask about DMSO as an alternative to aminoglycosides. We have used that in the past and had no problems, but there are probably reasons (besides noxiousness) why some vets seem not to prefer it.
Perhaps someone could post a new blog topic about routine ear care?
Here’s an update on Ginger from Jack, for those of you who are wondering:
Hi Joanne, Ginger has not shown any sign of improvement. The Vet has been calling us every two days following up. He has consulted with another doctor on the mainland and they have put her on steroids for a two week period and we are to flush her ears (now) every other day with saline solution. Today per his request took her in for a look in her ears. All looked good.(normal healthy) We also took her in for acupuncture.( another Vet) Dr. F. said in most cases she has treated in the past, three treatments should do it if her hearing is going to return. Ginger has responded well to acupuncture in the past for other things.
Again Thanks for the follow up
Jack
In case anybody is following the story of Jack and his dog Ginger’s Mometamax experience, here’s the latest from him:
The update on Ginger
The vet that gave her the Mometamax called and got another opinion and prescribed Prednisone 20 mg twice a day for 5 days then once a day for 5 days and then one every other day (5) more. at about day 8 she started having trouble holding her urine so we spoke with the Dr. reduces doses in half. We continued to rinse her ears out every three days with saline solution Now at the same time I consulted with the acupuncturist and she says other dogs in the past have regained their hearing at about the third treatment if it is going to work so we started that treatment. Ginger had her third acupuncture on 3-9-10 in the morning at about 1:00 PM. after lunch she started running around the office all excited like a puppy she was starting to hear low tones off and on. session #4 on 3-18-10 no change until that evening and hearing greatly improved again all excited and happy. She goes in for another treatment on 3-25-10 and hope for the best.Her hearing is not anywhere like it was but able to understand basic voice commands.The original Vet. still cannot understand why she lost all hearing, he says she did not have any ear drum punctures etc. Ginger is somewhat unusual as a Lab we go to the beach at least three times a week and she swims and this was the first yeast infection only in the right ear and was mild in fact her very first infection of any kind in 12 years.
Aloha Jack
I had the same experience with Otomax.Almost total deafness. I flushed bi=oth ears and I do believe he can hear now. Not great hearing but it is some hearing.
My dog just lost his hearing after being prescribed Mometamax for a yeast infection in his ear. He couldnt hear anything for the first week, but now, about 3 weeks later, has very slight hearing. He doesnt hear me when I call him from another room, I have to be right in front of him. He doesnt hear me knocking on the car window if he is inside it, so what ever hearing he has is very slight. Im feeling awful about this, and putting this medication in his ears – I cant believe the vet prescribed this!
Kres and barb, I am so sorry about your dogs and about what you must be going through. Just a taste of it was plenty enough for me. I was devastated by the thought that I had rendered Fred deaf by my own hand.
There has been so much response to this thread that I feel pretty certain that Mometamax is far too dangerous to be prescribed by vets. At the very least, we should all be mentioning the perils of this drug to our vets, whether or not it has been prescribed for our own dogs. It needs to come off the shelves.
My 11-year-old Husky mix is now totally deaf after being on Mometamax for 7 days. She had excellent hearing prior to using the drops but developed ear infections in both ears, for which the vet prescribed Mometemax. I noticed that she was acting different after the first few days of application, but because I’m recovering from surgery myself, I didn’t pay too much attention to her off behavior. Then, on day seven, I realized that she couldn’t hear me. That’s why she was ignoring my commands and not acting like her usual self. I can stand behind her screaming and clapping my hands, and she won’t even know I’m there. It’s terrible! I feel awful about putting those drops in her ears. I took her to the vet this morning, and she said her ears look fine. She flushed them out with saline solution and said that her hearing WILL return in a few weeks, slowly but surely. She said WILL return, not “should” return or “will probably” return. So I’m very hopeful that CoCo will regain her hearing in time. I’m telling everyone I know who has a dog about this medication and what can happen. My vet said that she’s only had three dogs in the past 15 years that have lost their hearing from Mometamax. But when your dog is one of the three (now four), that’s no consolation. She said that all three dogs got their hearing back. So, again, I’m hoping CoCo can hear again one day soon.
Jane, so sorry to read about your experience with CoCo and Mometamax. I fully know the awful trauma – and I am no longer sure that Fred’s hearing is as good as it was before he temporarily lost it due to Mometamax. I hope that CoCo is as lucky as Fred, though.
Given all of the bad experiences reported on this thread, I wouldn’t run the risk of using Mometamax on any dog, regardless of statistics. Everybody needs to urge their vets to report these incidents and get the drug off the shelves.
Jane, I too am very sorry to hear about CoCo. We need to somehow raise awareness of this on a broader scale. Any ideas anyone?
I’m asking at St Mary’s if they use this drug and telling them about what I’ve seen on this blog.
Our English Bulldog, Roxey, had a very bad ear infection. She was given Mometamax. Before the infection, she would hear me come in the backdoor and give me just enough time to put my things down and would start barking expecting to be let out of the bathroom where she stays while we are not at home. A few days after being doctored I noticed that she wasn’t fussing at me when I didn’t let her out right away as a matter of fact she didn’t do anything until I opened the bathroom door and loudly called her name. I told her vet that she wasn’t hearing well and was given an ear wash to use. Until this very moment I thought that her ear infection had been so bad that it had affected her hearing, but now when I think back,she was hearing better the day we went to the vet than a few days after treatment. I woke up with a terrible ear ache this morning,Saturday, and seriously thought about putting a couple of drops of Mometamax in my ear. I thought I’d get on line to learn more about the medication. That is when I found this site with the information about deafness! The infection did clear up, but I feel so bad about a med that I gave faithfully to help Roxey may have actually made things worse. And to think I almost used it in my ear! I am going to make our vet aware of what I have learned from this site. I have a feeling many more dogs are being affected than the company who makes the med admits.
Hi all,
I have a Mini Bull Terrier named Breeah whom I started on Otomax BID for 7-10 days as directed… on the 4th day of treatment I noticed her not responding to me as she normally did… She would not even know I was home, while all the other dogs were barking, she would be curled up sleeping…
Please let me add that I am a Vet Tech and have been for 11 years and I have never seen a dog go deaf from this medication… This was the first time I ever used otomax on Breeah and I feel so awful, she is my baby… I pray that her hearing returns quickly!
I WILL BE MAKING A PHONE CALL TO THE MANUFACTURER ASAP….
Follow up: My dog is now 2 months after using mometemax and has not regained hearing – he is deaf in both ears. He ears only extremely loud noises, and even then doesnt know where they are coming from. I spoke with a veterinary neurologist and another complication from this medication is VESTIBULAR DISEASE ! Holy Cow, Had I known any of this, I would have NEVER use it in my dog. The company did nothing, neither did the vets office that prescribed it, they were both quite indignant to deal with ! There has to be something that can be done!
Wow. I came across this because my sheltie has what appears to be an ear infection and I had given him Mometamax many times previously for infections. I have some left from last year when he had the last one so I thought I would reconfirm the dose to administer. My sheltie has been almost deaf to totally deaf for about a year. That started happening about a year ago. Tazz is 13 now so last year when his hearing went downhill I just thought it was old age. I think it must have been this medication because the hearing loss happened pretty suddenly around the time of the ear infection. I’m beside myself because I’m sure after this long his hearing won’t come back. How awful. I hate that I ever gave him this medicine!
Hi Carly, I feel the same way, Im so upset I gave this to my dog who so patiently stood there and let me put it in his ears for so long. Im even more upset though at the vet for not informing me of this risk ! The vets office said, he probably lost his hearing from the ear infections, so I took my dog to another vet who said that the type of infections he had, wouldnt have caused this hearing loss, that it was the medication.
Thank you for posting this information on your blog!! I can’t believe how many of us have had the same issue with this medication. My lab kept getting yeast infections which I was treating, but he ended up with a secondary infection in his right ear. The vet prescribed Mometamax. The medication irritated him, but I assumed it was just not wanting something in his ears. On the third day he cried out in pain when I put the medicine in his ears and then he kept shaking his head and his head was tipped sideways. I used a little cotton thinking he had “gunk” in his ears. Just touching his ear (just barely touching) caused so much pain that he wimpered. He was running around the house, digging his ears against the floor/couch etc and crying repeatedly. It was AWFUL!! I felt so horrible. We immediately rinsed out the medication (after calling the vet at HOME!!!). I had pain meds from my Shepherd with hip dysplasia so I gave him Tramadol to help him sleep. The vet said his ear is completely red and ulcerated. He is in so much pain. We are on day 2 of an oral antibiotic and a steroid and he’s still in a lot of pain. His head is tipped sideways and he doesn’t appear to be able to hear out of that ear. I am so sad for my baby. I’m waiting for the culture/sensitivity test results to see what the bacteria is and what medicine we need to treat. I will NEVER use this medicine on my dog again. Since this all started with repeated yeast infections, I’m trying to fix that problem. I’m researching natural remedies and switching to grain free diet. I’m also adding plain (no sugar added) yogurt to his food and I’m going to put him on acidophilus supplements (refrigerated, liquid). I’ve found some great suggestions online for how to clean the ears without leaving so much moisture behind. I have spent $500 this week alone on his ears and he is worse than when I started.
Thanks for helping with the awareness of this problem. If anyone has any suggestions for how to sooth an ulcerated ear, I’d love to know.
Hi Karen and others who have posted on or been reading this entry. All of these reports make me cringe and break my heart because I know firsthand how you are feeling. At the very least, I hope that word is spreading in the veterinary community that Mometamax must be prescribed and used with tremendous caution.
(My own vet has been insistent that Fred’s problem with hearing loss occurred because one of the vets in their practice prescribed his Mometamax along with DMSO, which, of course, caused membrane permeability and therefore allowed the Mometamax to reach his eardrum. Still an outrage, yes – and I should have known better because I am familiar with DMSO.)
I wanted to apologize for seeming to abandon this thread on Mometamax. It’s been hard for me to read and comment, because Fred has crossed the bridge (undetected cancer – a much worse and longer story), and I would give anything in the world to have back those days when I was just worried about his ears.
I wish all of you the best of luck and success in your efforts to heal your dogs and restrict the use of Mometamax!
Joanne, I am so sorry to read your last post, about Fred’s passing. My heart goes out to you.
Well it’s Sunday night and now I know why our golden retriever can’t hear. Why is the cure worse than the ear infection problem in this day of technology and medicine? More important as a lay person, why didn’t my vet caution me about this issue at time of prescription? I intend on finding out tomorrow when I ask him why my dog can’t hear. Then I am going to write editorials to the local newspapers and contact local TV stations to get the word out before other dogs become a victim. Why hasn’t this drug been removed from the market? One person probably can’t stop this but we could have an impact in numbers. Would a class action lawsuit get their attention? But I see on the box the following: “NADA#141-177, Approved by FDA” How many dogs must loose their hearing before the FDA recalls this from the market? My heart is broken and I gave Ginger treats for being such a good girl for allowing me to administer deafness during that two week period of time. What a sad day. What a tragedy!
Jim,
I’m so sorry about Ginger. It is a tragedy. Hopefully some or all of her hearing will be restored, as it has for some of the other dogs.
Valerie, thanks for the CUTEST video of the beach dogs!!! And my favorite song playing in the background. Made my day!
I can’t believe what I am reading. Thankfully, my Max, has not had any of these problems but I can assure you that the medication is going in the garbage. I can say that I have found a dog food that is all natural and since then, he has not had any ear problems that a little benadryl doesn’t help. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to him.
Joanne and Fred’s experience has prevented at least one other dog from being prescribed Mometamaxx as our new (senior) golden, Spunky, was given this drug for his ears and his foster mom said “no way”. Unfortunately, Spunky came to us with hearing loss/deafness. Can’ t help but wonder if his ear infections in the past had been treated with this.
Jim how long has it been since your girl’s ear infection?
Ginger is entwering her 4th month after treatment. Here is an update. My vet says I’m his first complaint. He knows I want action so he contacted the FDA. They are asking him to complete an Adverse Reporting form. I gave the vet the actual lot # for this report. He also talked to the company. The company is under new ownership and they told my vet the frequency is only 4 per 100000 treatments! The shear number of blogs on this subject on the web dispute that data! They say 80%-90% of the dogs get their hearing restored. They want me to wait for the 6 month interval and if still not restored, they say they will arrange for a video examination of the ear drums and determine which frequencies she can’t hear. My vet says he won’t continue to prescribe if this medicine is the culpret. Be sure to have your vet also contact the FDA and maybe the impact of complaints will prompt an investigation and possible re-call from the market. Good luck to each of you! I’ll report back when I know more.
Let’s hope Ginger’s hearing returns.
I sit here suffering such heartache knowing that I administered these drops to my soon-to-be 13-year-old Boston Terrier’s ears. He is now deaf and unbalanced. What makes my story even more sad is that my dog is also BLIND and depended SO much on his hearing to get him around. I am totally devastated. I can only pray for a miracle here to restore his hearing along with every one else who posted their stories. This is an absolute atrocity!
After posting, I realized there is a second part to my story. My dog is not only deaf now but must have vestibular disease as well. Even though he is blind, prior to this he has managed fantastically around the house rarely bumping into anything. However, now since this, he is extremely disoriented and will end up standing in a corner somewhere not knowing how to get out. That is awfully hard to watch. He does more whining as well. I put a call into the vet today and the secretary called back saying doctor is “aware” that these medications can cause deafness. This was never mentioned to me. I suppose I should kick myself for not doing my homework. Doctor “hopes” he gets his hearing back. Well, gee I felt so much better after that… wrong. At least I didn’t give him the 14-day dose that was prescribed and stopped after 8 days. What’s done is done. We will try to make the best of our lives now. It hurts like heck though
Diana, I’m so sorry to read about your heartbreaking ordeal. I can vividly imagine what this must be like for you.
Fred, my dog whose experience with Mometamax started this thread, also had vestibular disease. As far as I know, it was unrelated to the Mometamax, and his episode preceded the Mometamax reaction by more than a year. Since you found this blog, you have probably read up on vestibular disease, too, and know that it is usually temporary. Fred recovered from his bout within a week. I hope your dog has at least that much luck.
I don’t know what more we can do about the continued prescription of this very risky drug. It seems unstoppable. I just wish we could identify a vet who might be able to provide advice to help the dogs afflicted by Mometamax, because all of these awful stories are so painful.
Meanwhile, keep pressure on vets to quite prescribing Mometamax and to reports these problems with the drug. And spread the word to dog owners.
Joanne, Thank you so much for your kind words. I want to express my heartfelt condolences at the loss of your Fred. We are taking it day by day here. There are good moments every now and then, but so far, mostly bad. He has only been off the Mometamax for 5 days. He can hear a little but normal sounds like the door bell, which would send him into an absolute state of craziness, pretty much go unnoticed. I think what concerns me the most is the disorientation. Due to his blindness, it is a vital part of his everyday life for him to be able to get around and not look like dog who has some kind of mental disorder. I know he is very unhappy and that just kills me. My heart goes out to each and every one of you who posted. At least we are all in this together. Again, thank you Joanne, for starting this topic and may Fred live with you forever. xxxooo
Thank you, Diana. Animals do tend to cope much better than we do, because they don’t think things to death and fret. They just accept and cope. Sometimes it’s comforting to realize that. Your dog’s vestibular disease symptoms should lessen over time. I’m hoping they do and that his hearing continues to improve. He’s lucky to have you there to help him make the best of things.
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