look on website BNT for dogs, alot of damage! - Page 1

My dog had perfect hearing.  He had re-occuring ear infections every few months. He did well on antibiotic pills. Our vet told me he was  putting a wax type antibiotic in his ear & would dissipate over 2 wks. He told me nothing about BNT or the side effects.  By the time we got home, my dog was violently shaking & banging his head. I called & they told me that was normal because the sounds were muffled.  By the next day he was stone deaf!  I called several other times and repeated the problem. I was assured it was "normal". When we took him back for a final checkup they tried to tell me it was a coincidence.  We were, and still are devastated!  I went online to BNT for dogs and was mortified to read how many dogs lost their hearing. We've gotten 3 other opinions, including a dermotologist & audiologist. It's definitely the product! The vet later admitted that it was a "rare side effect of the product".  The vet & the company would NOT take responsibility.  My dog is totally deaf because of BNT, and it has greatly changed ALL of our lives.

I have used bnt and never had a problem. Reocurring ear infections can cause deafness. What are you doing to address the ear infections?

I agree admin, I had posted something similar on one of the many same posts the OP made.

Possible it was the reoccurring infections.

Ketoconazole can cause serious side effects and this is well known.  The vet is a dope or a liar or both.  Some individuals go into shock when treated with Ketoconazole and would likely die without treatment.  The dog had a severe reaction to having ketoconazole in the ear and most likely the damage and loss of hearing was caused by a severe ketoconazole reaction.  It was not a coincidence that the dog went deaf .. ketoconazole can be a bad actor in some individuals so whether others can use it without side effects has nothing to do with it.  The vet and the company BCT are both covering their butts and know full well what happened in this dog's case.

Hypersensitivity

A 72-year-old female with a Candida albicans infection experienced a severe reaction of refractory anaphylactic shock coincident with ketoconazole therapy. She was initially given oral ketoconazole 200 mg twice daily. She developed hypotension over the first 2 days of treatment (BP 136/82 mmHg at baseline; 90/50 mmHg on day 2). Severe hypotension (BP 90/49 mmHg) unresponsive to fluid therapy or high-dose dopamine developed on day 4 of treatment. When laboratory tests revealed a high level of plasma tryptase, anaphylactic redistribution shock was diagnosed. Her vital signs became more stable after therapy with hydrocortisone and epinephrine infusion.^[Ref]

Frequency not reported: Anaphylactoid reaction, hypersensitivity reactions (including urticaria), anaphylaxis (sometimes after first dose), cross-sensitivity between imidazoles, drug hypersensitivity (presenting as rash, erythema, pruritus)
Postmarketing reports: Allergic conditions including anaphylactic shock, anaphylactic reaction, angioneurotic edema^[Ref]

Enrofloxacin ( Baytril Otic) is also known to cause hearing loss in some sensitive animals and is another component of BNT and other generic brands of ear treatments with the same components .. 1% enrofloxacin 2 % ketoconazole 1% Triamcinolone

Did the vet flush the dogs ears with a bulb syringe?  Just curious.....

There is/was also a BNT product containing neomycin which has also been shown to cause deafness in dogs.  Not sure which one your dog got are you??  I think the neomycin containing product was phased out and replaced by the BCP BNT type product and it's generic equivalents due to less side reactions and better profits for the vets as the new BNT is prescription.

JHC;  WHY is it still on the market? 

It's still on the market, Nans, because it works against resistant Pseudomonas otic infections when nothing else will. The risk of hearing loss is present with most of the otic preparations that are effective against strains of Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus which have become resistant to products which are less oto-toxic, especially if animal has a ruptured eardrum, and with extremely severe ear infections, or in an animal which has a history of recurrent infections, there can be so much inflammation and scarring of the ear canal that the vet is unable to see that membrane and ascertain that it is fully intact.  In such situations, it can be necessary to risk the possible presence of a rupture to the eardrum against the need to give the animal relief from the effects of the infection itself, and it's not a decision made lightly.

Generally speaking, BNT is considered a 'big gun' medication that is used only after attempts to eliminate an infection with milder products have been tried and were unsuccessful, or for patients where the owner is unable or unwilling to put medication in the animal's ears as needed in order to have the desired effect--in the latter instances, the advantage of the BNT treatment is that the ear can be 'packed' with the ointment and no further handling of the animal's ear is necessary for two weeks, as the basically administers itself over that length of time.

All that said, in such circumstances the vet most definitely should advise the owner of the risk of temporary or even permanant hearing loss in ADVANCE of performing the treatment, so the owner can make an informed choice.  Sometimes the owner isn't willing to consider other treatment options because those can be more expensive, as they usually will require the animal be anesthetized, however, so it's either the BNT or the animal continues to suffer the infection.

Don't know how long it's been since the OP's dog was treated, but in some cases as long as 6 months to a full year later, the dog's hearing gradually returns to normal; there's no guarantee of it, or any way to predict it, but hopefully the OP's dog falls into that category...and hopefully the dog also can be kept ear infection-free using a regular weekly ear health maintenance program.

Thankyou for the heads up though, very important information to share.  So sorry for the dog loosing his hearing.  That just stinks.  And does not sound like owner was informed prior to treatment which also stinks;  find another vet.  Please.  Nan