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Tresaderm causing seizure?

Species: Cat
Breed: Gray & white unknown
Age: 5-8 years
Hi, I have a special-needs 6 year old cat that was born with a neurological disorder, blind, & has had kidney disease since he was a baby. He had his 1st seizure (a status epilepticus) 3 years ago, but fully recovered. Since then, he has had occasional seizures, always while he was sleeping. (He is on medication for them & he is closely monitored). Anyway, we just found out he has ear mites, so we have been giving him Tresaderm, & while giving him this medication, he has had two extremely violent seizures while putting the drops in his ears. Could the Tresaderm possibly be causing the seizures? (I heard it was a toxin). Or do you think it just may be the stress of putting the drops in his ears? My vet does not have any answers, so I hope you can help. Thanks so much in advance! ~Aly


Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

Oh, I am sorry to hear that you little special needs kitty is having problems with Tresaderm.

I did some research for you and could not find any reported cases of Tresaderm causing seizures in cats (or dogs for that matter.)

Are you sure that what you are seeing is a seizure? Is it possible that he is just shaking his head because he doesn't like the drops? If you are certain that it is a seizure, and that it happens when he is getting the Tresaderm, one thing you might want to ask your vet to do is to have a staff member report this to Merial, the company that makes Tresaderm. They should be able to tell you whether this is a side effect that has ever been reported before.

However, as tresaderm is a topical medication I really can't see it causing seizures.

It's possible that the stress associated with the application was enough to cause a seizure. Stress can lower the seizure threshold and make seizures happen easier.

You may want to ask your vet about trying Revolution for ear mites. It is a medication that is placed on the skin on the back of the neck and is quite easy to apply. I have had good success with using it to treat ear mites.

I hope that helps, but let me know if you have more questions.

Dr. Marie.


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Disclaimer: Although Dr. Marie is a qualified veterinarian, the information found on this site is not meant to replace the advice of your own veterinarian. AskAVetQuestion.com and Dr. Marie do not accept any responsibility for any loss, damage, injury, death, or disease which may arise from reliance on information contained on this site. Do not use information found on this site for diagnosing or treating your pet. Anything you read here is for information only.

Customer reply:

Hi Dr. Marie,
Thank you so much for your response. I was thinking (& hoping) exactly what you suggested...That stress brought on Grayson's seizure, not the Tresaderm. He has had seizures for years, but never while he was awake. It was definitely a seizure...It lasted a few minutes, we recorded it & showed it to our vet. He had just been hand fed & given his nightly meds, & also just had his ears cleaned, so a lot was going on with him, & he wasn't happy. As far as the Revolution, I will definitely ask my vet about it. We have to be so careful about what we give him, because he has so many illnesses. Whatever he is not allergic to usually makes him sick. He is definitely a very special, "special-needs" kitty & we do everything we can for him.
Again, thanks so much for responding...I appreciate it!
~Aly


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Dr. MarieDr. Marie is a veterinarian who practices in a busy animal hospital in Ottawa, Ontario. She created Ask A Vet Question as a resource for good, accurate veterinary advice online. Dr. Marie treats dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rats. She has been a vet since 1999.

Is an online vet visit just as good as a trip to your veterinarian? No! But, many times, asking an online veterinarian a question can help save you money. While Dr. Marie can't officially diagnose your pet or prescribe medications, she can often advise you on whether a vet visit is necessary. You can also ask Dr. Marie for a second opinion on your pet's condition.