we adopted a cat knowing he had an upper respiratory infection & need advice on what to do next.?

Question

Knew he was sick when we adopted him, 6 yr old neutered cat
vet gave him clavamox drops 15mL twice daily until finished. didn't work, took him back 8 days later and now he's on orbax pills 22.7mg once a day for past 7 days, 3 days of prescription left. still not any better.

i wanna take him back to the vet but don't know what to do or ask for?
sounds really congested, runny eye (not eyes, just the one), sneezes, coughs alot (like choking on food but isn't) , is it allergies? or still respiratory?

Answer 1

The antibiotic is only to help prevent secondary bacterial infections--it will not make the virus go away. It is important to be sure he is eating and drinking well while it runs its course. Medications can help him feel better. Keep in mind some cats become carriers of respiratory virus for their whole lives, and can have recurrent outbreaks. Was he checked for FELV/FIV viruses? They can be causing delayed healing.

Answer 2

Sometimes calicivirus or feline herpesvirus can look similiar to upper respiratory. But, they take longer to get over and they're also a virus so pretty much all you can do is antibiotics to prevent secondary infection. I would assume with the eye being involved that it's probably one of those. A bad case of that can take 6 weeks to run through. Just keep doing supportive care to keep his strength up. Syringe him some water, sit with him and make sure he eats. Feed him canned food for the higher moisture content. Twice a day, run the shower on hot till the bathroom steams up and then put him in there for 15 minutes to help unclog his nasal passages. That's pretty much all you can do, but, your vet will probably recommend something for his eye. Probably Terramycin cream.

Answer 3

Upper respiratory infections can be a real big deal in cats. Finish out his meds, and take him back if they don't seem to help. It could be that his type of infection has adapted to the antibiotics that he's on, and so he needs to be tried on a different type.

He also could have gotten something secondary. But only your vet can run the proper test to determine what needs to be done.

Answer 4

you can give him 1cc of triaminic liquid. If he is eating mix it with his food. If he is not eating try anything canned with fish. The smell is stronger, and they eat it better.To get the medicine down his throat, hold his head at the back of his neck, pulling his head back a little, put he medicine in an eye dropper, and feed it to him slowly. This sometimes causes them to foam at the mouth, but will not hurt him. He will be able to breath better. If need be, you can buy a terramycin ointment, at a feed store. This will help his eyes. cost is about $9.00. Hope this helps.