Penny Needs Surgery to Remove Abscess in Inner Ear
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Hi, I'm a little 11 year old rescued Maltese/Yorkie mix named Penny and I need surgery on my left ear as soon as possible. The vet says I need a Total Ear Canal Ablation and Bulla Osteotomy. I have a very large and deep abscess originating in the bulla of my left ear, caused by infected fragments that were left behind in 2016 when another vet performed the same surgery while I was in the animal shelter.
In July 2016 my previous owner dumped me at the animal shelter with a horrible, painful, untreated ear infection. The shelter considered euthanizing me because of the cost involved in treating me. But a kind rescue lady stepped up and launched a fundraiser to pay for my surgery, which I guess was the most cost effective way to treat my painful ear infection. She contacted my now Mom, and my future parents agreed to be my medical foster home. Right after July 4th I had my surgery removing my ear canal and scraping out my bulla. My ear and cheek were stapled closed. It was a long, rough recovery but 4-6 weeks later I was feeling pretty good, eating well, playing with my toys. I'm now deaf in that ear but life seemed good.
Photo of the inside of my ear taken during my intake exam at the animal shelter in 2016.
Photos from 2016, before and after initial surgery. The vertical staples are on my ear closure and the horizontal staples on the left is my cheek/neck.
My foster parents ended up keeping me and I have two doggy and two kitty siblings. The rescue group was located near Baton Rouge and that area had a big flood in August 2016 and they wanted to fly me to a special needs rescue on the east coast but after all they'd been through with me, my mom couldn't imagine shipping me off and not knowing where I would end up or if I'd end up in a shelter again. I also have anxiety issues and take medication to control it and mom knew I needed stability. So I now had a permanent, loving home.
Fast forward to September 2019. I wasn't eating very well for a couple days and mom was concerned, keeping an eye on me. The next day I woke up and couldn't open my mouth without screaming out in pain. I couldn't eat or drink and was hiding under the bed. My mobile vet recommended a vet clinic that took x-rays and did some tests and sent me home with an antibiotic. This vet was convinced I had a fractured jaw even though the x-ray didn't show it. Mom knew that wasn't true and started researching right away and her co-worker found an article stating that sometimes when a total ear ablation is done, there are little bits left behind that can cause recurring infections months to years after the surgery. The meds weren't working and Mom told the vet about the article but he was still hung up on jaw fracture and doing x-rays so she switched to her previous vet clinic. Right away the vet lady said it may be caused by little pieces of infected tissue left behind. At this point I had a big abscess lump that burst with blood & pus. It was gross but I actually felt a lot better afterward. The vet tested a sample, changed my antibiotic, added an anti-inflammatory and I slowly got better. She said if it was related to my ear then it would probably come back and then I might need to do a CT Scan.
A year later, in late September 2020, the infection did come back, just as bad as it was in 2019. The vet immediately put me on the same antibiotic and anti-inflammatory. The big abscess burst again only this time it stayed open and kept oozing. The meds were no longer resolving it. They were keeping it from getting worse but not resolving the infection. After multiple trips to the vet and medication refills, the vet referred us to a specialist for a CT Scan. So I had the CT Scan right before the end of the year.
This is my recent abscess that continues to ooze. Located on my neck just under my left ear.
It took about a week to get the results and the vet specialist said I had a very large and deep abscess, originating from the bulla where she was certain infected tissue had been missed in 2016. The only way to resolve it is to go in for surgery and remove the entire abscess, and rescrape out the ear canal and bulla. Luckily it shouldn't be necessary to reopen my sealed up ear, they should be able to go in above or below to reach the area.
This photo was taken after my CT Scan.
So I need surgery soon, and my mom feels awful asking for contributions, but she is because she loves me so much and wants me to be well & feel good. They've never not been able to handle our health care or meet our needs but my parents have spent several thousand dollars on treatment in the last 16 months, and $1,350 on my CT Scan 3 weeks ago and the surgery is just too much right now. The surgery estimate is $3,000-3,500 and $3,000 has to be paid up front before the surgery.
So we humbly ask for your support, to please donate if you can, no amount is too small and every bit is greatly appreciated. We know these are challenging times for many people, physically, emotionally and financially. If you aren't able to contribute, please share to reach others and say some prayers for me. Thank you for reading my story and helping in any way possible.
Thank you from me and my family.
Hugs,
Penny
This is me with some of my favorite squeaky toys over the past couple of years.
In July 2016 my previous owner dumped me at the animal shelter with a horrible, painful, untreated ear infection. The shelter considered euthanizing me because of the cost involved in treating me. But a kind rescue lady stepped up and launched a fundraiser to pay for my surgery, which I guess was the most cost effective way to treat my painful ear infection. She contacted my now Mom, and my future parents agreed to be my medical foster home. Right after July 4th I had my surgery removing my ear canal and scraping out my bulla. My ear and cheek were stapled closed. It was a long, rough recovery but 4-6 weeks later I was feeling pretty good, eating well, playing with my toys. I'm now deaf in that ear but life seemed good.
Photo of the inside of my ear taken during my intake exam at the animal shelter in 2016.
Photos from 2016, before and after initial surgery. The vertical staples are on my ear closure and the horizontal staples on the left is my cheek/neck.My foster parents ended up keeping me and I have two doggy and two kitty siblings. The rescue group was located near Baton Rouge and that area had a big flood in August 2016 and they wanted to fly me to a special needs rescue on the east coast but after all they'd been through with me, my mom couldn't imagine shipping me off and not knowing where I would end up or if I'd end up in a shelter again. I also have anxiety issues and take medication to control it and mom knew I needed stability. So I now had a permanent, loving home.
Fast forward to September 2019. I wasn't eating very well for a couple days and mom was concerned, keeping an eye on me. The next day I woke up and couldn't open my mouth without screaming out in pain. I couldn't eat or drink and was hiding under the bed. My mobile vet recommended a vet clinic that took x-rays and did some tests and sent me home with an antibiotic. This vet was convinced I had a fractured jaw even though the x-ray didn't show it. Mom knew that wasn't true and started researching right away and her co-worker found an article stating that sometimes when a total ear ablation is done, there are little bits left behind that can cause recurring infections months to years after the surgery. The meds weren't working and Mom told the vet about the article but he was still hung up on jaw fracture and doing x-rays so she switched to her previous vet clinic. Right away the vet lady said it may be caused by little pieces of infected tissue left behind. At this point I had a big abscess lump that burst with blood & pus. It was gross but I actually felt a lot better afterward. The vet tested a sample, changed my antibiotic, added an anti-inflammatory and I slowly got better. She said if it was related to my ear then it would probably come back and then I might need to do a CT Scan.
A year later, in late September 2020, the infection did come back, just as bad as it was in 2019. The vet immediately put me on the same antibiotic and anti-inflammatory. The big abscess burst again only this time it stayed open and kept oozing. The meds were no longer resolving it. They were keeping it from getting worse but not resolving the infection. After multiple trips to the vet and medication refills, the vet referred us to a specialist for a CT Scan. So I had the CT Scan right before the end of the year.
This is my recent abscess that continues to ooze. Located on my neck just under my left ear.It took about a week to get the results and the vet specialist said I had a very large and deep abscess, originating from the bulla where she was certain infected tissue had been missed in 2016. The only way to resolve it is to go in for surgery and remove the entire abscess, and rescrape out the ear canal and bulla. Luckily it shouldn't be necessary to reopen my sealed up ear, they should be able to go in above or below to reach the area.
This photo was taken after my CT Scan.So I need surgery soon, and my mom feels awful asking for contributions, but she is because she loves me so much and wants me to be well & feel good. They've never not been able to handle our health care or meet our needs but my parents have spent several thousand dollars on treatment in the last 16 months, and $1,350 on my CT Scan 3 weeks ago and the surgery is just too much right now. The surgery estimate is $3,000-3,500 and $3,000 has to be paid up front before the surgery.
So we humbly ask for your support, to please donate if you can, no amount is too small and every bit is greatly appreciated. We know these are challenging times for many people, physically, emotionally and financially. If you aren't able to contribute, please share to reach others and say some prayers for me. Thank you for reading my story and helping in any way possible.
Thank you from me and my family.
Hugs,
Penny
This is me with some of my favorite squeaky toys over the past couple of years.Organizer
Deb L
Organizer
Metairie, LA