About

MAXI/GUARD® Zn 4.5 Otic™ provides veterinary medicine with its first complexed zinc ear care topical for otitis externa. The formula delivers the essential micronutrient zinc, complexed with select amino acids and the proven Malassezia agent, Boric Acid. Active ingredients are delivered in a well tolerated propylene glycol vehicle at a pH of 4.5.

How Does it Work?

MAXI/GUARD® Zn 4.5 Otic™ targets problem ears by restoring the integrity of natural defense mechanisms. J. Bruce Addison, President of Addison Biological Laboratory, Inc. has stated that, “If, by the use of Zn 4.5 Otic, we are able to restore the integrity of the otic epithelium, will we not provide the patient with a natural means of resisting secondary infections and be able to decrease the use of antibiotics and steroids? This is the essence of what we are striving to accomplish and we have demonstrated this phenomenon with related compounds for oral tissue maintenance and dermatological applications. Healthy hosts naturally resist disease more effectively than compromised hosts (or tissues).”

MAXI/GUARD® Zn 4.5 Otic™ is the first water soluble ear maintenance topical offering veterinary medicine the essential micronutrient zinc, complexed with two select amino acids, Taurine and L-lysine, in combination with boric acid, a proven anti-Malassezia agent. The amino acid complex stabilizes the zinc ion for better topical utility.

Zinc is an essential trace element and is a component of about 300 metalloenzymes systems. Many of these enzymes play key roles in extra-cellular matrix remodeling; wound healing, connective tissue repair, inflammation, and cell proliferation.

Read our FAQs section on Zn 4.5 Otic™

Usage

MAXI/GUARD® Zn 4.5 Otic™ is not an ear cleanser. Boric acid combined with amino acid complexed zinc, is very effective for Malassezia otitis typically associated with allergic ear disease. It can be used on acute or chronic ears. Zn4.5 Otic™ offers these positive benefits:

• calming pruritic and painful ears for 2-3 days prior to cleansing;
• clinical and home use post-cleaning in dogs affected with otitis externa; and
• home maintenance after control of chronic, severely affected ears with powerful antibiotics and steroids (‘First-Line’ therapy).

Zn4.5 Otic™ is ‘First-Line’ for fostering healing or returning the micro-environment of the ear to normality. Chronic Pseudomonas ears require powerful antibiotics and steroids, but Zn 4.5 Otic™ can be used as an adjunct in these situations for restoration in a shorter period of time.

For initial application, cleanse the ear canal with a suitable cleanser. Fill the ear canal with Zn 4.5 Otic™, massage the base of the ear canal and let dry. For subsequent applications, apply 5-8 drops in the ear canal twice daily. Ears should be re-evaluated by a veterinarian on a regular basis. If undue irritation develops or increases, discontinue use and consult your veterinarian.

Safety

MAXI/GUARD® Zn 4.5 Otic™ is a very safe product. Zinc gluconate and the amino acids Taurine and L-lysine have wide margins of safety.

Tolerability

Due to the zinc and amino acid utility, this product works well without the extremely low pH or higher concentration of boric acid in other ear car products. Zn 4.5 Otic™ is well tolerated in most ear care situations.

Does Your Pet…

• Scratch its ears often?
• Have an unpleasant odor coming from its ears?
• Have a discharge coming from its ears?
• Have red, swollen ear canals?
• Shake its head often?
• Show signs of sensitive/painful ears?

If you answered yes to one or more of the above conditions, please schedule an appointment with your veterinarian soon. Your pet may have Otitis Externa or another condition which requires immediate veterinary care.

How do I apply Zn 4.5 Otic™?

Please follow the detailed instructions on the bottle. The ear should be cleansed before a regimen of treatment is started. Instill 5-8 drops twice daily into the vertical ear canal, gently massage, then wipe away any excess with a tissue. The attending veterinarian may desire to initially immerse (flood) the ear canal fully in the clinic before sending the product home with the owner.

Interesting Fact:

Veterinary and medical journals offer substantial documentation that zinc has been used from antiquity to the present for its anti-pruritic and healing benefits. Calamine lotion, modern medicine’s most popular anti-pruritic, is a zinc-based topical. Zinc oxide, a very popular skin healer and protector, is of course zinc-based, but is only 20% bioavailable and not water-soluble.