By Grace Bathery
At age 12, Gracie, a cocker spaniel, started experiencing inflammation and infections in her ears secondary to her allergies. After numerous vet visits and treatment trials, Gracie’s owner, Colleen Kelly, was referred to UW Veterinary Care’s (UWVC) Dermatology service for specialty care. She made her first trip to UWVC in May 2024.
According to dermatology resident Callie Miller, Gracie had significant bacterial infections and evidence of end-stage ear disease in both of her ears, causing extreme pain and hearing loss. End-stage ear disease occurs when the ear canals start to mineralize and close-up after long-term ear inflammation and usually infection. This long-term inflammation is typically secondary to underlying allergies, as was suspected in Gracie’s case.
“Bacterial infections in end-stage ears are difficult to treat because it’s often very difficult, or even impossible, for owners to get medications in their pets’ ear canals due to the significant narrowing,” Miller says. “Understandably, these patients can also be sensitive or painful to manipulation of the ears, making treatments even harder for both the pet and the owner.”
There were three treatment options discussed at Gracie’s initial visit: attempting medical management, referral for a surgery called a total ear canal ablation and bulla osteotomy (TECA-BO) to remove both of her ear canals, or CO2 laser ablation to attempt to remove excess tissue and open the ear canals.
“If an owner is unable to provide these treatments moving forward, then the TECA-BO surgery is the best option for that patient and their owner,” Miller says. “Gracie’s owners were very willing and able to perform maintenance ear treatments, so they elected to move forward with medical management.”
Gracie’s ear canals started to open up on the oral steroid and topical medications, so her owners opted to continue with medical management. Currently, Gracie is being maintained on oral medication along with three ear cleanings a week and administration of a topical steroid ear medication three times a week.
“We don’t know how long it will work, but we’re just thankful for every moment with her,” Kelly says. “She barks at the mailman and any Amazon folks, so she is quite entertained even if her hearing is muffled.”
The team at Visit Madison provided a different kind of care, helping Gracie’s family navigate Madison during her visits. Ellie Westman Chin, President and CEO, and Sarah Werner, Senior PR & Communications Manager, helped the family find dog-friendly activities and hotels, ensuring Gracie and her family were comfortable while they were in Madison for treatment at UWVC.
“Everyone should know how dedicated the UWVC staff is and how blessed we feel as a family to have been a part of their work,” Kelly says. “We are thankful that they took interest and helped us figure out a way for her to not only live but have a really awesome quality of life.”
Thanks to the collaboration between Gracie’s owners and the UWVC dermatology team, Gracie has been able to enjoy nearly three more years of a comfortable, happy life.