A Cautionary Tale for Pet Parents: What Really Happened with Surolan
add_circle Pros
- Surolan is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial and antifungal agent that can be used to treat otitis and skin diseases in dogs and cats.
- The product comes in a standard veterinary packaging: a box, instructions, and the suspension itself.
- The main active ingredients in Surolan are miconazole, prednisolone, and polymyxin B.
- Miconazole is a local treatment for most fungal infections, including dermatophytes, yeast, and external forms of candidiasis.
- The suspension of Surolan doesn't have any strongly pronounced aroma, but it does have a murky and pretty oily consistency.
remove_circle Cons
- The oily consistency of Surolan can be a real pain to deal with, especially if your cat is trying to lick it off.
- The product stains the fur really badly, making the cat look like a mess.
- The cat can feel the stuff on its skin, which can be uncomfortable and even painful.
- The product didn't make any difference in treating the dermatitis on our cat's paw.
- Visiting an unfamiliar vet clinic turned out to be a costly mistake – we ended up wasting around 10,000 rubles, including the unnecessary Surolan medication.
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Editor's Summary
A cautionary tale for pet parents: don't rush into buying a product that's being pushed on you at the vet's office. Take a deep breath, and you can save yourself a lot of money and potential harm to your pet. My review of Surolan universal suspension for external use is a result of a misstep with the vet and the clinic we chose for our kitty, Tosh. We thought he'd ripped off a nail, and in a rush, we ended up at a new clinic in Moscow. The vet prescribed us to apply Surolan suspension to the affected area, but it didn't make any difference in treating the dermatitis on his paw. After a week of using Surolan exactly as prescribed, we didn't see any improvements. Today, we finally went to our clinic and got referred to a real dermatologist, who prescribed us a new treatment that doesn't involve Surolan at all. Visiting an unfamiliar vet clinic turned out to be a costly mistake – we ended up wasting around 10,000 rubles, including the unnecessary Surolan medication.
Specifications
Hey fellow pet parents, I'm sharing a hard-won lesson: it's crucial to identify the root cause, not just the symptoms. Unfortunately, my review of Surolan universal suspension for external use is a result of a misstep with the vet and the clinic we chose for our kitty, Tosh.
Notice how the vet clinic review lists this product as "ear care," but the creators of the review didn't grasp the full functionality of the product – they only saw their own needs.⚠️⚠️⚠️
How it all started
Tosh's issue with his hind right paw began on April 14, 2023. Maybe the problem started earlier, but it became visible that fateful Friday morning.
Hind right paw on April 14, 2023Tosh was acting out, crying, and trying to hide when we tried to figure out what was wrong with his paw. I was convinced he'd ripped off a nail, and in a panic, I started searching for the nearest clinic or vet's office since our regular vet, Dmitry Alexandrovich, wasn't available that day.
So, Tosh and I ended up at a new clinic in Moscow.
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The diagnosis
A kind-eyed woman examined Tosh's paw for a few minutes, pressed on the affected area, and said the upper skin layers were severely inflamed. She then administered two shots: an antibiotic (which we continued for two more days) and the infamous dexamethasone, supposedly for allergies.
The "prescription" for shotsIt wasn't until later that we learned we shouldn't have given Tosh dexamethasone, which has a prolonged effect and hinders normal treatment for allergic skin reactions. And, as it turns out, cats with eczema or dermatitis can't tolerate anything on their skin and suffer even more. But that's a story for another time. Meanwhile, alongside the shots, the vet prescribed us to apply Surolan suspension to the affected area.
The "prescription" for Surolan⚠️⚠️⚠️
Cost and product description
Looking back, I didn't really have a choice, so I bought Surolan at the clinic's pharmacy for 1353 Russian rubles.
Suspension packaging I was surprised to find that this product is available online for under a thousand rubles, with some sellers offering it for as low as 800 rubles. So, lesson number one: don't rush into buying a product that's being pushed on you at the vet's office. Take a deep breath, and you can save yourself 500 rubles.
I guess that's a good thing.
The product comes in a standard veterinary packaging: a box, instructions, and the suspension itself.
The product description on the packaging is written in both Russian and Ukrainian:
The main active ingredients in Surolan are:miconazole (antifungal component)Miconazole is a local treatment for most fungal infections, including dermatophytes, yeast, and external forms of candidiasis.
The antifungal effect of miconazole is due to the disruption of ergosterol synthesis - a component of the fungal cell membrane. Miconazole binds to individual links in the ergosterol biosynthesis chain, resulting in fungistatic activity.
prednisolone (anti-allergic drug)The anti-allergic effect of prednisolone is due to the fact that the drug alters the body's immune response to allergens. The hormone suppresses the synthesis of biologically active substances - allergy mediators. Reduces the number of cells responsible for immunity. Inhibits the formation of antibodies.
polymyxin B (antibiotic)Polymyxins are a group of antibiotics that disrupt the cytoplasmic membrane and have a narrow spectrum of activity against gram-negative flora.
Veterinary product Surolan is intended for the treatment of otitis and skin diseases 'of bacterial and fungal etiology in dogs and cats':
The drug has a broad spectrum of antimicrobial and antifungal activity, exhibits anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects.
Weekly observations on 'effectiveness'
The suspension turned out to be quite conveniently packaged in a 15ml plastic bottle with an extended nozzle: such a presentation is good for both ears and treating skin lesions in pets among their fur coat.
The suspension of Surolan doesn't have any strongly pronounced aroma, but it does have a murky and pretty oily consistency: Oily consistency Using this oily stuff instead of an absorbent liquid was a real pain:
the cat could feel the stuff on its skinif it didn't have a cone on, it would constantly try to lick it off, making the skin irritation even worsethe stuff stains the fur really badly, making the cat look like a messBecause Tasha couldn't handle the 'salty stuff' on its paw, we had to put a 'Elizabethan collar' on it:
Despite all the discomfort Surolan caused the cat, it didn't make any difference in treating the dermatitis on its paw:
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Aftermath
After a week of using Surolan exactly as prescribed, we didn't see any improvements.
Today, 22.04.2023, we finally went to our clinic and got referred to a real dermatologist, who prescribed us a new treatment that doesn't involve Surolan at all.
Being stingy and impatient costs you twice. Visiting an unfamiliar vet clinic turned out to be a mistake that cost us a lot (around 10,000 rubles) including the unnecessary Surolan medication.
Thanks for reading. Wishing you and your pets good health.
And our story with Tasha is to be continued…