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Old August 9th, 2008, 08:50 PM
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Respiratory infection (URI)

I adopted a very tiny sick kitten from my local humane society. He was apparently born in March of this year but was a measly 1lb when I adopted him on July 8th.

We immediately took him to the vet since he was dehyrdrated from having explosive diarrhea. He tested positive for Coccidia and was put on Albon. On July 10th he was showing symptoms of a URI, runny eyes, sneezing and blowing green snot bubbles.. Back to the vet we went and he was prescribed Clavamox. 3 days into the meds he was in obvious distress, open mouth laboured breathing. His nose was completely clogged. Back to the vet again where he stayed from July 14th-July 18th under pneumonia watch.

Now onto my question.. The URI doesn't seem to be completely gone. His nose still sounds like it's stuffed every once in awhile and I noticed some clear liquid coming from his one nostril this morning. Tomorrow would be 4 weeks from when the initial URI started. Does it normally take this long to work it's way out?

As a side note.. He's now a feisty little hellion. LOL He's up to about 2-2.5 pounds.. My vet is still very concerned about his size if the humane society is correct on his age. He was found in a plastic bag as a newborn on the side of the road. How anyone can do that is beyond me. :sad:
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Old August 9th, 2008, 11:32 PM
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Can you give him some L-Lysine mixed in with some canned food? About 250-500mg a day should do it, until symptoms subside. You can pick up Lysine at any health food store.

Also, if nasal congestion is still a problem, put him in the bathroom while you run a hot shower. The steam should help loosen things up a bit. Make sure he's eating okay. Find some extra stinky food (like canned seafood varieties; Fancy Feast is good for the stink factor) if his appetite drops. Not being able to smell food can influence how much a cat eats.

http://www.holisticat.com/uri.html

Hope he's feeling better soon!
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Old August 10th, 2008, 08:03 AM
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My current fosters had a horrible URI when I got them, Malcolms eyes were sealed shut and he could not breathe out of his nose. Had to force feed him as he could not smell his food.

He was on antibiotics for 10 days amoxcil 50mg, one pill per day, it took 7 days before all of his symptoms to disappear, but started to notice a difference within 12 hours.
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Old August 10th, 2008, 08:09 AM
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Rayne,I know nothing about URI,just wanted to thank you for saving this little guy
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Old August 10th, 2008, 08:36 PM
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Awwww I hope he makes it!!! I was working in the sick room @ the shelter a few days ago and 2/5 of the kittens form a sick litter (exactly as you described your poor baby had) had already passed when I got there. The other 3 were MIA when I went back on Friday.. too afraid to ask what happened :sad:

Thanks for rescuing him and it sounds like he is going to be fine soon. I think you should do a second dose of Clavamox for 10 days. That should clear up the left over infection. There is no way he is going to be able to fight it on his own. Keep his nose clean.

How are his eyes? He could have FHV-1 which is coming out from the stress.
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Old August 11th, 2008, 10:02 AM
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His eyes are clear and I haven't seen any 'snot'. Just the odd drip of clear fluid. It's hard to describe but he sounds more wheezy than congested. Kinda like how I sound with allergies.

I called my vet and he said it's possible that it's just taking forever to work it's way out. His immune system is weak. But he won't give him his next vaccination until the URI's completely gone. Poor little guy is having a rough start.

I'll go pick up some L-Lysine.

Here's 2 pics of the little guy's the first day with us. He's a Russian blue mix. We named him Demon.. and it's suits him to a tee. LOL He was apparently 4 months old but you can see how small he is. Now that's the Coccidia is gone he's gaining weight. I'm charging my camera battery as we speak and I'll get some new pics later this afternoon.
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Old August 11th, 2008, 10:07 AM
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Wow he looks like a 6 week old kitten.
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Old August 11th, 2008, 10:15 AM
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I thought the same thing but they said they found him in March as a newborn. The only explaination I can think of is the Coccidia. If he had it when they found him or was infected soon after it might explain his stunted growth.
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Old August 11th, 2008, 10:20 AM
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I guess he looked like this when you found him:




Congrats on getting a cat that looks just like my cat and with (almost) the same life story If he's anything like my cat, he's going to grow to be about 8lb and never want to leave your side.
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Old August 11th, 2008, 10:32 AM
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The URI started 2 days after we got him. But yup he looked just like that. :sad: I did so much eye and nose cleaning he still runs when he sees the washcloth. LOL

I hope he will turn into a clingy cuddly cat, but right now he acts more like he's half feral. LOL Hates to be picked up and loves to bite. It's taking him awhile to trust and I can't blame him after what's he's been though.
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Old August 11th, 2008, 10:57 AM
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He'll be fine... here's my kitty after I got him medicine at the vets.. looks kinda like your kitty



Maxwell made it just fine, but Max is pretty calm. He wasn't that feisty of a kitten. He was a bit hyper, but nothing like Demon. Now he's just kinda weird
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Old August 11th, 2008, 04:32 PM
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Aww they do look alot alike.

It looks the infection is back. The nostril that I noticed clear liquid coming from now has green discharge. I just gave him a dose of Clavamox (I have a little bit left from the first time)

I just woke him up from a nap to take some pics so I caught him before he cleaned his face. So far his eyes are not affected. I don't know if this is another UTI starting up or if we didn't get rid of the infection in the first place?

First pic.. See look how sweet and cuddly I am. LOL
Second pic.. Yawning.. sooo sleepy.

You can see the snot in his nose in the first pic.. Plus see how much he's grown in a month.. Don't mind his grubby ears, it's just wax, I haven't had the heart to pin him down to clean them out.
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Old August 11th, 2008, 07:41 PM
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Yeah, I'd go for one more treatment with the Clavamox. I'd also see if you can have the snot looked at under a microscope to see what it is. I'm not sure if your vet will do that but it's worth a shot. He might see something that signals it's a viral infection vs a bacterial infection vs a fungal infection. You see what I mean? They might want to shove a q-tip up his nose or under his eyelids to check for Feline Herpes Virus. That is what one of my cat has and he constantly has leaky eye boogers but another symptom of it is a leaky nose w/boogers.
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Old August 12th, 2008, 06:37 AM
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Rayne,what a little sweetheart he is
It's just sooo difficult when little ones like him are ailing,but I know he's in good hands.
he can soon live up to his name"Demon"
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Old August 12th, 2008, 06:57 AM
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This cat needs to go back to the vet for a fresh presciption. He is not the same weight and may need a stonger dose. It is imperative that the cat finish ALL the presciption, not to stop when you think everything is cleared up, the infection may return as the case here.
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Old August 12th, 2008, 09:39 AM
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The only reason I had medication left is that he stayed in the vet clinic for a week and I forgot the Clavamox in my fridge. He was given it on time for 10 days total. 5 days at the vets and 5 days with me.

My vet did increase the dose slightly. But he was already on a strong-ish dose for his size. I've given him 2 doses so far and the snot is gone at least.

I'm taking him in later today to get his weight and a new bottle of Clavamox.
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Old August 12th, 2008, 10:20 AM
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You keep Clamavox in the fridge?
What a little sweetheart, so lucky.
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Old August 12th, 2008, 11:00 AM
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I swore the bottle said 'keep refrigerated'. LOL Maybe it was the Coccidia meds that were suppose to be kept cold? Oh well they were both in there. When he was hospitalized at the clinic I was suppose to bring his meds with him and forgot them in the fridge.
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Old August 12th, 2008, 11:36 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RaYne View Post
The only reason I had medication left is that he stayed in the vet clinic for a week and I forgot the Clavamox in my fridge. He was given it on time for 10 days total. 5 days at the vets and 5 days with me.

My vet did increase the dose slightly. But he was already on a strong-ish dose for his size. I've given him 2 doses so far and the snot is gone at least.

I'm taking him in later today to get his weight and a new bottle of Clavamox.
Thank you for clarifying, I should have asked first
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Old August 12th, 2008, 11:47 AM
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No problem. I should have explained in the first place.
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Old August 12th, 2008, 03:28 PM
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Rayne,so does it look like he is improving??At least his little nose is ok.
I guess we'll have to wait until the vet sees him..
for the little one and you
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Old August 12th, 2008, 04:17 PM
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The bacterial infection is back. His lungs are clear. He weighs just over 2lbs now. He gave me another 10 days of Clavamox.

He does seem to be improving already. The green snot is gone. The discharge is back to clear now. He still sounds wheezy though. Hopefully this doesn't develop back into a full blown URI.
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Old August 26th, 2008, 04:08 PM
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Well we finished up the Clavamox 4-5 days ago and he's still occasionally wheezy. I don't know if he needs a different antibiotic or what? But I guess we are going back to the vet.

The humane society requires that I neuter him by Sept 17th. They are also not happy that he hasen't been given anymore vaccines. But he's ill, my vet will NOT vaccinate OR allow me to neuter him until the URI is completely gone.

This little guy was my first adoption ever from the humane society and they way things have went so far I'm really hesitant to do it again. He was brought to my home with diarrhea running out of his bum, no stool sample was ever checked. He was dehydrated and in obvious poor condition. Sorry I'm just frustrated and needed to vent. :sad:
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Old August 27th, 2008, 06:09 PM
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Oh yuck.

I'm going to have to bug you real quick. I had 5 foster kittens had had horrible URI's back in mid July. I did the Clavamox 2 times daily for 2 weeks and the neo-poly-bac in the yes.

They were all better but still had some type of residual sneezing. Has your vet mentioned anything like that? I've had 2 vets of 2 of the kittens I've already adopted out saying that it happens it it should go away soon and they are not contagious but their immune systems are just out of whack.

I ask because someone adopted one of the other foster kittens on Monday and emailed me today asking why he was sneezing a bit and I had given them a paper about URI's prior to them adopting him... but they still sounded slightly annoyed as if I gave them a sick kitten when I didn't.

I deal with URI's all the time and they just had a nasty bug and are still a bit sneezy from it and I've had a vet tech from the shelter even agree with me that they will be okay... but it sounds like the latest adopter is mad at me and I hope I didn't make them upset
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Old August 27th, 2008, 07:07 PM
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We haven't been to the vet yet.. I'm going to call tomorrow and see when I can get him back in. I'll be sure to ask about any residual sneezing and let you know.

I have a feeling the URI is coming back.. his one eye is watering occasionally. No snot this time though.

Edited to add.. I'm not upset with the humane society about the URI, although he had to of came in contact with it while in their care.. it was the Coccidia that ticked me off. They told me the diarrhea was just because they switched his food and to feed him boiled chicken until he firmed up. I took his first poop immediately to the vet and it was loaded with Coccidia. Then they tried to talk me into bringing him back.. Uh uh.. I don't think so. I'll get him the vet care that you obviously never bothered to give him. GAH.. Can you tell I'm frustrated. LOL

Last edited by RaYne; August 27th, 2008 at 07:16 PM.
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Old August 27th, 2008, 07:55 PM
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hanks i'd like to get as many different opinions as I can. I think the kitten I just adopted out will be fine but the new owners dont appear to be thrilled about the few sneezes he let out. Everyone informed me theresnothing I can do about it anyways and that he would be fine. Sooooo hopefully that's the deal.

I hope your kitty doesn't get sick again! I had a foster with runny poo before and can totallly relate. I used albon first but it didn't work so I used nemex.
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Old August 28th, 2008, 07:07 AM
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His URI should have cleared up with the clavamox, I think it may be time for more aggressive diagnosis from your vet. He may have asthma or a viral infection in which case the antibiotics are not going help either.

No ethical vet will vaccinate or alter a cat while it is sick. Please don't be put off from adopting from a shelter, not all cats who are there are sick.
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Old August 28th, 2008, 12:02 PM
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We have an appointment for Monday to get him re-checked.

I'm pretty sure the vet did say it was a viral infection. The clavamox was for the baterial infection. He said viral part needed to work it's way out on it's own. But the original URI started in July so something is definitely not right with him.

Luckily neither of my adult cats have came down with anything. My kidney failure kitty does NOT need to get sick. After the initial treatment of the coccidia and URI I did let the kitten meet and mingle with my 2 cats. I ended up seperating them due to my cats not wanting to share food with him. A day or so later I noticed the clear fluid coming from Demons nose. So far my cats appear fine. But they are staying seperated this time.

My frustration mounted with the humane society after they said he got the URI and Coccidia from my house. I took stool samples from my 2 cats in to be checked and they were clear. They were adamant that none of their kittens (in the foster home) were sick. Then when I talked to someone else I found out they had 12 kittens with Coccidia and half of those were showing symptoms of the URI. They were all kept together with my kitten.. but it's my fault. My vet even cut off contact with them when they tried to call him and get info on the kitten when he was hospitalized for that week. I asked him what happened and he just shook his head and said your not the only one.

I know not all humane societies are like this one. It's just this experience has been unreal. I paid $120 to adopt this kitten and have spent close to $300 in vet bills since July. Don't get me wrong I'll spend whatever it takes to get him healthy.. it's just the point of it all.. and them laying the blame on me.

Regardless this kitten was meant to be mine. From the moment I first saw him I just knew he was coming home with me. I know you all will know what I mean.
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Old August 28th, 2008, 12:36 PM
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I know what you mean, it is a look that melts your heart and you know he's the one .

Admitting the kitty was sick when adopted would put them in the position of being responsible for the vet bills so I bet they will never admit that.
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Jasper RIP (2001-2018)
Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014)
Puddles RIP (1996-2014)
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In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.-English Proverb

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Old August 28th, 2008, 01:42 PM
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The thing is though.. Even though they were being awful to me. I made a point of telling them that while the whole situation ticked me off I didn't want money from them for the vet bills I've paid. I told them to use it to treat the other kittens that are sick and not to adopt them out until they were recovered. I thought that was the right thing to do, but in a way I let them get away with it.

Demon was so sick my vet told me right up front that he could recover or he could just crash. It was a hard hit for me but my 11 year old son was really upset. Luckily Demon made it through the worst part.. now we just need to get him 100%.

I'll keep you all posted on what the vet says.

Oopps I just re-read my post and his appointment is Monday as is Sept.8th. lol

Last edited by RaYne; August 30th, 2008 at 11:58 AM.
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