Canaural Ear Drops for Dogs and Cats | Canaural Side Effects

How to use Canaural

Canaural comes in a dropper bottle, containing a pale yellow liquid. Several drops should be placed in the ear canal twice daily and massaged gently in. It is often difficult to judge how much has gone into the ear, because the average dog or cat is not especially cooperative! However, this is not too critical. There should be enough to moisten the ear canal lining. So after applying and massaging, one can look into the ear and assess the appearance. Add more if required. If there seems to be plenty, just use less next time.
If the ear contains a lot of wax or other discharges, it is helpful to remove this before applying Canaural. Many vets will prescribe a watery ear cleaner, such as CleanAural, to be used first. Such ear cleaners do not contain any potent ingredients, but are good at removing the debris which clogs the ear, allowing the Canaural to be more effective.

How does Canaural work?

The active ingredients include two different antibiotics, Fusidic acid and Framycetin. Between them, they are effective against most of the difficult bacteria which cause ear infections. The anti-fungal agent Nystatin is also present and is effective against the yeast-like organisms present in many ear infections. Prednisolone is also included. This is a steroid which calms the inflammation, itchiness and pain which so frequently disturb affected dogs and cats.The bland oily base acts as a soothing agent for the ear canal lining, helping to dissolve and loosen wax and inflammatory debris in the ear canal. The oil is also active against ear mites (by blocking their respiratory spiracles) so killing the mites which commonly trigger ear problems in the first place. Hence Canaural contains a comprehensive range of ingredients to fight all of the problems associated with many ear infections.

Where can I buy Canaural and do I need a prescription?

Canaural can be bought from Viovet.co.uk along with a huge range of other veterinary medications (prescription and non-prescription) and pet care products. Unfortunately Canaural itself cannot legally be sold in the UK without a valid veterinary prescription. However, there are a few things which you can do to save money. One is to use the non-prescription ear cleaners, such as CleanAural, for mild ear problems, as well as periodically when the ear appears healthy. Many dogs suffer from recurrent ear infections, and regularly receive courses of Canaural drops, often along with antibiotic and steroid tablets. This can be because the ear never completely settles down, so future infections establish very easily. Lots of dogs tend to develop ear infections because of some feature of their ear canal. It might contain a lot of hair, or tend to produce excess wax. Maybe they enjoy swimming and get dirty water in the ear. Often a dog receives a course of drops which settles the ear, but the ear can take a few weeks to get completely back to normal. During this time, it takes very little to trigger another infections. (Many ear infections are not "picked up" from elsewhere, but they are instead an overgrowth, or imbalance, of organisms found in the ears in small numbers of normal, healthy dogs or cats. Therefore a non-prescription ear cleaner, such as CleanAural, used once a week or so, even when all seems well, can prevent a lot of discomfort and expense in future. Repeated ear infections can also be because of an underlying food allergy, or other form of allergic disease. It is always worth talking to your vet about an exclusion diet trial, or other treatments, for any animal which suffers from repeated ear infections. Viovet sells a large range of exclusion diets which are effective in the diagnosis and treatment of allergic illness.

Side effects from Canaural

It is rare for an animal to react badly to any of the ingredients, but this is always possible with any medical treatment. Most vets would not advise using any medication applied into the ear if there is a possibility that the ear drum is damaged. Severe infections of the ear will often damage the ear drum, so your vet should check the drum before prescribing Canaural, or any other topical ear treatment. Antibiotics and other medicines can theoretically damage the ear and affect hearing ability if they get past the ear drum. Having said that, Canaural rarely causes significant damage even if the ear drum is not intact. Ear problems are the commonest reason for dogs to be taken to vets, apart from routine vaccinations. Canaural is the most commonly used ear treatment in the UK. Undoubtedly it will have been used sometimes despite there being a damaged ear drum, and Canaural is still reported as being safe to use.

It is also important to remember that Canaural contains a corticosteroid. These drugs are immensely useful for many ear infections, but can have wide ranging effects in the body if used excessively, or for long periods. The amount which is absorbed into the body in a typical course of ear treatment is minimal, but it is enough to have a mild effect on the natural steroid levels. This can sometimes be noticed when treatment is suddenly stopped. Continuous treatment for long periods is not advised, though up to 3 weeks is regarded as safe. It is also sensible to reduce the amount of Canaural used gradually over a few days, at the end of a long course of treatment (3 weeks or more). The effects of steroids include delayed wound healing and reduction in the immune response. This is unlikely to occur with Canaural. However when it is used every day, the body will in effect take into account that this amount of steroid is present, and will reduce the amount of natural steroid made every day in the body. (Some steroids are vital every day for normal functioning of the body.) When medically dosed steroids are suddenly withdrawn, the body might not be able to step-up its own production immediately, so the body might be deficient for a few days. This is why it is worth slowly tailing off a steroid course to allow the body to adjust making more of its own again. Many vets advise that Canaural is given continuously for 7 days, then stopped for 7 days, then repeated. This will be effective in treating ear mites and some other persistent infections, but will reduce the chances of any side effects. If in doubt, is is always discussing all aspects of treatment with your own vet.

Article written by:
John Cousins BVSc MRCVS - A veterinary surgeon from VioVet - Online Pet Store & Pharmacy.

The article reflects the opinions of the author and should only be used as a guide. It can only be taken in conjunction with advice from your vet. No liability is accepted for accuracy of content or any other matter.