Hello!

I recently had a harrowing experience with my vet when I noticed dirt building up in my dog's nose fold and his ears were in a terrible state. It wasn't like this overnight, but it happened pretty fast. I'll share our sad story about treating the wrong thing with the wrong product.

I bought Otiobiowet for a pretty affordable price of 228 rubles (sometimes it's cheaper, depending on where you buy it from).

The packaging comes with a tiny instruction sheet - a piece of paper with almost no information. All the details are also on the box.

The drops have a strong spirit smell, are liquid and transparent, and dry quickly.

I insisted on taking a scraping and swab for fungal infections and bacterial flora, but they told me it was a waste of money - you know what's in there. Yeah, I did know what was in there, but I trusted the vets and decided to apply the product first without checking the ingredients, although they're right there (if you put on glasses like a blind Chubukha).

I somehow decided to buy another pack when this one ran out (it took a lot to clean the fold), but I never opened it. I really wanted Ketokonazole, for the fungus, but the vets looked at me strangely (and we did end up replacing it with another product, leaving some as a reserve, since it had the highest sensitivity - that's the 'good' one).

The treatment was almost over, but my ears still bothered me, which were still covered in a brown crust - less than before, but the dirt didn't go away completely (I cleaned them separately with lotions). What I liked about the product - it reduces inflammation and itching well.

The fold normalized while using the product, but literally within 7 days after stopping the treatment, everything went back to its original state.

I decided to go to other vets, who just shrugged and told me to do the swabs and scrapings, since what's the point of treating everyone if you can just do the sensitivity test. I don't know what I was waiting for - I knew that myself, but you know how it is. Give me a Pina.

I won't even talk about how my wallet was pretty much empty from those swabs, and I had to go all the way to the end of the city where the double 'Gis' was lost.

I was expecting a clear result, but the sensitivity of S. intermedius and M. pachydermatis to AB was a surprise. And then it hit me - what was I treating my dog with? I looked at the ingredients, and although I wanted to forget the whole experience, I wasn't impressed with the presence of gentamicin. This is a medication that's usually prescribed with caution, and I was surprised to find that the sensitivity was only 18mm, when we had seen sensitivities of 45mm before.

There's a lot of debate about gentamicin's effects on hearing and balance when used topically. I've read different sources, including pharmacology textbooks, but I couldn't find a clear statement on the potential risks. From what I've seen in practice, there have been cases of hearing loss and dizziness associated with gentamicin ear drops.

Ototoxicity refers to the destructive effects of certain medications on the sensitive cells of the inner ear and the auditory nerve.

The risk of a medication affecting hearing is indicated by symptoms of neurosensory hearing loss, which can occur when the medication is used. These symptoms include a constant ringing in the ears, hearing loss, and problems with the vestibular system.

Honestly, I'm just not comfortable using this antibiotic on my dog, even topically. If something goes wrong, the consequences could be devastating. I couldn't find any information that suggests it's completely safe to use.

This antibiotic didn't help with the ear infection, but I'll write about the other medication we used in a separate review.

In short, this isn't a medication you can use as a last resort, and it's budget-friendly. But don't skimp on the tests and choose a good medication! It's not worth putting your pet through unnecessary suffering and ineffective treatment. You might need to take a more systemic approach, like we did with our dog's condition, which was caused by common pathogens that live on all dogs and cats, and can be triggered by a weakened skin barrier and immune system.

Of course, we only used one course of this medication, and I'm glad we didn't have to deal with any long-term consequences.

Always check the ingredients, even if you trust your vet. If something doesn't seem right, ask questions. It's better to get a second opinion from multiple specialists.Don't be stingy with the tests, even if your vet says they're not necessary. Effective antibiotic therapy requires knowing the sensitivity of the bacteria, and if the problem is elsewhere, using antibiotics might not be the best course of action.Never try to treat your pet on your own - 'it'll probably go away' is not a good approach.

Even if I didn't find this medication effective for my dog and I'm not a fan of gentamicin, there are some positives:

It's easier to use than suspension-based medications. It absorbs quickly into the ear, unlike thicker formulas.It can be used as a lotion on the skin for topical applications.It dries quickly without leaving a greasy residue.It reduces inflammation, itching, and redness.

I'm not going to recommend this product, but it's definitely not the top choice. More like 'when there's no other option'. Today, my husband is healthy thanks to a combination of his own efforts (sometimes you just need to) and consulting with knowledgeable doctors. And they even let me add ketoconazole to his shampoo, which I was really hoping for.

Thanks for reading this review and taking care of your furry friends!