Question about new kitty and his Upper Respiratory Infection

[MichelleCarmen]

This is bugging me. . .after I took my new cat to the vet for his diagnosis and antibiotics, they constantly kept calling me to check on him. I didn''t get a chance to return their calls, but did so after we put our older cat to sleep. I told them that the virus spread to her and she became ill. Not sure if it was a good time to call because I started crying on the phone (eh!). The receptionist took all the info down and now the vet will not return my call (when before the vet was obsessive about calling me). All I asked was if my new cat should be given another round of antibiotics or if his immune system will fight off the small sneeze he still has (he''s fine otherwise - playful, active, eats, etc., but still sneezes).

I have a coupon for a free "wellness check," from another vet (which is nice) and when in there, I''m expecting they''ll dx him with an URI, however, is it a good idea to pump him with more antibiotics?

In watching him, IMO, he''s not going to regress. . .just wondering if the sneezing will subside on its own. I''m not a fan of antibiotics unless absolutely necessary since they kill of the good bacteria as well.

Any thoughts on this?

Currently I''m feeding him wet food 2X per day and then leave dry out for him to munch on. He is eating fine.

 

[TooPatient]

My post just disappeared.

I wouldn''t bring in another vet right now. Have you tried calling your vet back again?

Not sure if it would work for you, but you could just stop by the office. If you aren''t comfortable just asking what happened, you could go in looking to buy a toothbrush (or some other little thing they carry).

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I would stop by, however they''re an hour away! I picked that vet because they work exclusively with cats and at the time, since I knew what was going on, expecting to only have to go in once for the antibiotics.

The place with the free coupon is only 15 min from me, but in that situation, it''s the not wanting to pump him with too many meds.

Okay. . .I''ll call the vet back and hopefully she calls me when she gets a chance.

 

[TooPatient]

Date: 4/28/2010 3:04:21 PM
Author: MC
I would stop by, however they''re an hour away! I picked that vet because they work exclusively with cats and at the time, since I knew what was going on, expecting to only have to go in once for the antibiotics.

The place with the free coupon is only 15 min from me, but in that situation, it''s the not wanting to pump him with too many meds.

Okay. . .I''ll call the vet back and hopefully she calls me when she gets a chance.

That would be my worry too. If you do decide to take him in, make sure they get the records from your other vet so they know exactly what he was given and when.

 

[LAJennifer]

Hi MC. If the vet determines your kitty needs more antibiotics then you might consider sprinkling some acidophilus on its food. That will help with replacing the good bacteria that is destroyed by the antibiotics.

Whenever I''ve done this it always seems to help. I used acidophilus from the refrigerator section of my health food store. Just sprinkle half a capsule on food daily. I''ve also used fortiflora with good results.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Thanks TooPatient and LA Jennifer. When I talked to the Humane Society the other day they said that most vets do not give cats strong enough anti-biotics. I should have kept the bottle so I''d know the name of the stuff.

We do have some probiotics at home. . .but they''re fruit flavored for kids. lol Wonder if the cat will eat those?