Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How flushing the ear affects bacteria in dogs having ear surgery
By Hettlich, Bianca E et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2005·Department of Veterinary Small Animal Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effect of tympanic cavity evacuation and flushing on microbial isolates during total ear canal ablation with lateral bulla osteotomy in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 34 dogs undergoing total ear canal ablation (TECA) for severe ear infections had samples taken from their ear canals before and after cleaning. The cleaning process reduced the number of bacteria found, but many dogs still had bacteria that were resistant to the antibiotics given after surgery. In fact, only a small percentage of the bacteria were susceptible to the commonly used antibiotic cefazolin. This suggests that veterinarians should carefully assess the bacteria present in the ear before choosing the right antibiotics for treatment.
People also search for: dog ear infection treatment · total ear canal ablation recovery · antibiotic resistance in dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate differences in bacterial numbers, identity, and susceptibility in samples obtained from the tympanic cavity on entry (preflush) and after evacuation and lavage (postflush) and assess perioperative and empiric antimicrobial selection in dogs that underwent total ear canal ablation (TECA) with lateral bulla osteotomy (LBO) or reoperation LBO. DESIGN: Prospective clinical study. ANIMALS: 34 dogs. PROCEDURE: TECA with LBO or reoperation LBO was performed on 47 ears. Pre- and postflush aerobic and anaerobic samples were obtained from the tympanic cavity. Isolates and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns were compared. RESULTS: Different isolates (31/44 [70%] ears) and susceptibility patterns of isolate pairs (6/44 [14%] ears) were detected in pre- and postflush samples from 84% of ears. Evacuation and lavage of the tympanic cavity decreased the number of bacterial isolates by 33%. In 26% of ears, bacteria were isolated from post-flush samples but not preflush samples. Only 26% of isolates tested were susceptible to cefazolin. At least 1 isolate from 53% of dogs that received empirically chosen antimicrobials postoperatively was resistant to the selected drugs. Anaerobic bacteria were recovered from 6 ears. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Accurate microbiologic assessment of the tympanic cavity should be the basis for selection of antimicrobials in dogs undergoing TECA with LBO. Bacteria remain in the tympanic cavity after evacuation and lavage. Cefazolin was a poor choice for dogs that underwent TECA with LBO, as judged on the basis of culture and susceptibility testing results.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16178396/