cat with swimmer's ear?

Our vet says our fifteen year old outdoor cat has 'swimmer's ear' and that a few drops of rubbing alcohol will help.  My husband has been doing her ears for awhile now, weeks, months...it works as long as he does it every day but if there's a gap her balance gets off.  I'm worried that even a few drops of rubbing alcohol every day isn't good in the long run and there must be some reason this is chronic.  After the drops she shakes her head and sometimes a small chunk' of something comes flying out...gross and not how she would like to spend her twilight years I'm sure.  She is an otherwise very healthy cat, not overweight and very agile still.

I'm wondering about olive oil? peroxide? something systemic for a possible infection?

Ideas?

I've used olive oil in the past, though if your cat has a persistent inner ear infection then olive oil will only be a temporary relief as with the alcohol.  I found this for otitis interna, though not sure how helpful it is.  Still looking.  Poor kitty.

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/inner-ear-infection-otitis-interna-in-cats

This may be more helpful:  https://www.askariel.com/dog-ear-infection-treatment-s/1832.htm

Catherine Windrose wrote:I've used olive oil in the past, though if your cat has a persistent inner ear infection then olive oil will only be a temporary relief as with the alcohol.  I found this for otitis interna, though not sure how helpful it is.  Still looking.  Poor kitty.

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/inner-ear-infection-otitis-interna-in-cats

This may be more helpful:  https://www.askariel.com/dog-ear-infection-treatment-s/1832.htm

thank you! both links were quite helpful and covered her symptoms well...I had not thought about candida? and at the same time she has been eating so slowly we separate her from the other two cats...that apparently is a symptom also.

I have no idea about cats and "swimmer's ear" (is it an infection?) but in human children, research in the past few years has found that kids who get recurrent ear infections, temporarily cured by antibiotics, reduce recurrence if they recolonize the problem ear with a q-tip used on a healthy person's ear after they stop the antibiotics. Maybe you could try a q-tip in the healthy ear and then in the bad ear after cleaning with alcohol? Get that microbiome back in order?