Anyone give their cat Enrofloxacin

countrygirl576

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This is the 2nd day my cat has been on this pill. She's been sleeping all day long. Only saw her drink once this morning. Her appetite is down a lot. She ate just enough tonight so I could do her insulin. I really do not like pills and antibiotics are the worse for pets and people. I googled it and the VCA group said the pill should not be crushed. It can upset their stomach faster and over dose them. The girl at vets said I could crush it. I sent them an email tonight so will wait until they call. Emails work better. That way the Doctor actually gets the message right. She is doing much better then what she was doing yesterday and without it she would have died from the bad infection she has but I'm a worrier and worried big now. Was planning on sleeping in my bed tonight but now I don't know if I should. I'm afraid I will find her dead in the morning but I've already gone 48 hours with no sleep and I don't really feel good now. Oh, and the VCA website said this can cause blindness if given in high doses and for longer then 30 days. I'm hoping someone on here has used it for their cats and can give me some good news about this pill. Thanks for any help.
 

fionasmom

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This class of drugs has been discussed and some members have used it; some have expressed concerns about the side effects.

Has anyone had issues with Veraflox antibiotic or other fluoroquinolones?

It sounds as if it has helped her so far; as for crushing it or not, you are doing the right thing to ask the vet. Tell him that you read the VCA article and that you have two concerns which are overdosing and upset stomach. You can also ask the vet if the dosage for your cat is higher than average and how long it will be given.

Remember that ever side effect has to be mentioned and that does not mean that legions of cats went blind from using this class of drugs, Baytril which is the brand name being quite popular in otic forms for one thing.

Try to get some sleep. Will your kitty sleep in your bed with you?
 

Stargirl0623

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I recently had to give my cat a week-long course of an antibiotic in the same class (Pradofloxacin) for a UTI, as I have a life-threatening allergy that prevents me from safely administering penicillin. It's never ideal to have to give an antibiotic, but infections can get VERY dangerous VERY fast. When it has to be done, it has to be done! Your vet wouldn't have prescribed it without having good reason, and judged that the benefits outweigh any risks.

If it's any reassurance, my boy handled it really well and it did quickly clear up the infection. He had an upset stomach and his appetite decreased significantly during treatment, but he was also incredibly stressed from a surgery and we discovered later that his post-surgical diet didn't agree with him. We experienced no other serious side effects!

In addition, I suspect any caution against crushing the pills would be due to some brand-specific formulations possibly having a coating that encourages it to release a bit more slowly (at least, that's how human antibiotics can work!). Perhaps your vet prescribed a different formulation, the dosage is low enough that they're not concerned, or it's a rare enough concern that the importance of getting the medication into your cat in any way she'll tolerate outweighs the risk? Remember, drug databases have to report and inform the public of any/all adverse effects that have happened, no matter how rare they actually are in practice.

That said, I've been there recently and know that you're probably still going to worry no matter what you hear now! I'd highly recommend calling the vet in the morning to discuss your concerns. Perhaps a different class of antibiotic would also work. If it's giving this medication as a pill scares you, it's also always an option to ask if there's a liquid formulation you can give her instead. I'd also ask about getting her on a probiotic, as that can mitigate stomach issues when on an antibiotic by replacing any good gut bacteria that gets damaged by it.

Above all else, you need rest! Caring for a sick animal is exhausting, and it's a lot harder to make good decisions on her behalf if you're so overtired you can't think straight. Stay in the same room with her if you'll feel better to be actively monitoring her, but please try to get some sleep.
 
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countrygirl576

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She is doing so much better this morning. Not sure now if it was the medicine making her so sleepy yesterday or maybe she was just so tired out from no sleep Sunday and then at the vet Monday and she had started meowing last week. Maybe yesterday she was catching up on lost sleep but so far so good this morning and I'm not so worried now. The vet office did call me early this morning and I can crush their pills. Some are coated and some are not and I can give her half the dose in the morning and the other half at night which if it was the medicine yesterday giving her half at a time should help her out. They also wanted to know if her pee was still bloody and I told them I'm still working on getting a sample from her.
With all their pills I dissolve them in water in an oral syringe to get the medicine down. I can't pill them and they just will not eat food/treats nothing with a pill in it and if they do they some how eat the food in their mouth and spit out the pill.
My cat won't sleep with me. Have four of them and only two will. I know she needed this medicine because her infection did go bad really fast Sunday night and without it she would have died by Monday night but I worry the medicine will kill her too but think that is because of my other cat. Old vet gave her steroids' for a long long time for her asthma which an inhaler could have been used for but they never mentioned it and I was to stupid to think of it and long story short I had to put her down because of it. After that I told them no more steroids' unless they were going to die but they push steroids' for everything and gave two of my cats steriod shots last September for their asthma without asking me. I couldn't go in because of Covid and they would do what ever they wanted to without asking me. I've lost trust in vets because of my old vet. Would have lost 2 cats last year instead of one if I had stayed and listened to them. Kept saying my cat suddenly had arthritis to where she couldn't use her back legs. I kept telling them no. Arthritis doesn't work that way. it's a slow progression. 21 days later (I know...I waited to long) I found the vet I have now and they saved her life because she was diabetic and they knew that without even doing anything to her. If I had not taken her there she would have been dead by Christmas.
I did go to bed but didn't have a peaceful sleep. Was listening for her. Didn't cut her nails so I could hear her walking but I haven't really slept at all since September 9th 2020. September 10th I found out one of my cats had cancer and she only had 2-3 days left. This is also part of why I don't trust vets anymore. I took her 4 months before because she wasn't pooping, she burped a lot and her stomach was always making noise. They did an x-ray and said she was just constipated. They gave me poop medicine but she still wasn't pooping right or eating right but I believed them...yet again and then she wasn't acting right that morning and I knew....I knew it was something bad and since then it has been one thing after another with all of them. One week after that I took this cat now on antibiotics because she was losing weight. Paid for blood work and they said all was fine but she wasn't. Took her to the new vet and found out she did have a thyroid problem. Then 3 months after that my other cat suddenly went almost blind for good. Which I paid for testing to find out why and what they told me was wrong. They said she was born with the gene and Found out when I took her to the new vet she had high blood pressure and she didn't have to go almost completely blind or blind at all. She had been meowing almost non-stop for a long long time and they told me she was just lonely and play with her more. She kept me up many nights with her meowing and she clung to me also. Then 2 weeks after that the other cat with the walking problem happened. It's been a boom..boom...boom almost non-stop and then my mom's cat was sick twice in between mine. Plus I worry without me they are doomed. No one else to take care of them. I did ask someone if they would take care of them if I died and they said yes but I don't believe them. Plus mine are scared of people so doubt it would work out even if they really did try to do it. I decided last night I had to get some sleep. My headache has turned into a pounding migraine, my eyes hurt and I was falling asleep in my chair to where I was falling over sideways which has never happened before.
Oh, that's a good idea about the probiotic. They have been on those before so I can give that to her again. Thanks for the reminder. Think my brain is just mush at this point.
Thank you so much for the help! I really do appreciate it and other kitty parents understand how stressful and the worry there is with them. Most everyone I know tell me how stupid I am for spending the amount of money on do on them and spending the time and no sleeping. I think of them as family and care for them as if they were my kids. Yes, if I spent the money on myself instead of vet bills/medicine/food/liter and toys I could have nice cloths, hair, get my nails done ect but I'd rather have my fur kids then material things. Have always been that way.
 

Stargirl0623

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She is doing so much better this morning. Not sure now if it was the medicine making her so sleepy yesterday or maybe she was just so tired out from no sleep Sunday and then at the vet Monday and she had started meowing last week. Maybe yesterday she was catching up on lost sleep but so far so good this morning and I'm not so worried now. The vet office did call me early this morning and I can crush their pills. Some are coated and some are not and I can give her half the dose in the morning and the other half at night which if it was the medicine yesterday giving her half at a time should help her out. They also wanted to know if her pee was still bloody and I told them I'm still working on getting a sample from her.
With all their pills I dissolve them in water in an oral syringe to get the medicine down. I can't pill them and they just will not eat food/treats nothing with a pill in it and if they do they some how eat the food in their mouth and spit out the pill.
My cat won't sleep with me. Have four of them and only two will. I know she needed this medicine because her infection did go bad really fast Sunday night and without it she would have died by Monday night but I worry the medicine will kill her too but think that is because of my other cat. Old vet gave her steroids' for a long long time for her asthma which an inhaler could have been used for but they never mentioned it and I was to stupid to think of it and long story short I had to put her down because of it. After that I told them no more steroids' unless they were going to die but they push steroids' for everything and gave two of my cats steriod shots last September for their asthma without asking me. I couldn't go in because of Covid and they would do what ever they wanted to without asking me. I've lost trust in vets because of my old vet. Would have lost 2 cats last year instead of one if I had stayed and listened to them. Kept saying my cat suddenly had arthritis to where she couldn't use her back legs. I kept telling them no. Arthritis doesn't work that way. it's a slow progression. 21 days later (I know...I waited to long) I found the vet I have now and they saved her life because she was diabetic and they knew that without even doing anything to her. If I had not taken her there she would have been dead by Christmas.
I did go to bed but didn't have a peaceful sleep. Was listening for her. Didn't cut her nails so I could hear her walking but I haven't really slept at all since September 9th 2020. September 10th I found out one of my cats had cancer and she only had 2-3 days left. This is also part of why I don't trust vets anymore. I took her 4 months before because she wasn't pooping, she burped a lot and her stomach was always making noise. They did an x-ray and said she was just constipated. They gave me poop medicine but she still wasn't pooping right or eating right but I believed them...yet again and then she wasn't acting right that morning and I knew....I knew it was something bad and since then it has been one thing after another with all of them. One week after that I took this cat now on antibiotics because she was losing weight. Paid for blood work and they said all was fine but she wasn't. Took her to the new vet and found out she did have a thyroid problem. Then 3 months after that my other cat suddenly went almost blind for good. Which I paid for testing to find out why and what they told me was wrong. They said she was born with the gene and Found out when I took her to the new vet she had high blood pressure and she didn't have to go almost completely blind or blind at all. She had been meowing almost non-stop for a long long time and they told me she was just lonely and play with her more. She kept me up many nights with her meowing and she clung to me also. Then 2 weeks after that the other cat with the walking problem happened. It's been a boom..boom...boom almost non-stop and then my mom's cat was sick twice in between mine. Plus I worry without me they are doomed. No one else to take care of them. I did ask someone if they would take care of them if I died and they said yes but I don't believe them. Plus mine are scared of people so doubt it would work out even if they really did try to do it. I decided last night I had to get some sleep. My headache has turned into a pounding migraine, my eyes hurt and I was falling asleep in my chair to where I was falling over sideways which has never happened before.
Oh, that's a good idea about the probiotic. They have been on those before so I can give that to her again. Thanks for the reminder. Think my brain is just mush at this point.
Thank you so much for the help! I really do appreciate it and other kitty parents understand how stressful and the worry there is with them. Most everyone I know tell me how stupid I am for spending the amount of money on do on them and spending the time and no sleeping. I think of them as family and care for them as if they were my kids. Yes, if I spent the money on myself instead of vet bills/medicine/food/liter and toys I could have nice cloths, hair, get my nails done ect but I'd rather have my fur kids then material things. Have always been that way.
Oh, hon! You've been through the wringer with your fur babies, and I don't blame you for being so worried! That's so much to have happened in a short span of time, and it's not a surprise that you're exhausted and on high alert now.

Your cats couldn't ask for a better parent and advocate, and you're doing the best you can for them! I'm glad it sounds like you've found a vet office that seems to be a better fit for them, and I'm so sorry it's been such a struggle to make sure they've got adequate care.

It sounds like the antibiotics are helping, at least, so that's a relief to hear! Between an infection and exhaustion, it's not surprising she needed a bit of extra sleep. I'll keep fingers crossed your girl continues to stay on the mend.

Please try to be easy on yourself, too, as you're navigating this! You deserve to be well, and you'll have any easier time making decisions when you're not running on fumes.
 

fionasmom

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Please try to get some rest. If you need medication for migraines (don't know if you do) take it if you need it. You have been through it with your cats and nothing is your fault. You are doing what most committed pet owners do when something happens, such as the loss of a cat, and replaying it backwards which allows you to put the blame on yourself. Most of us are in a position where we have to trust our doctors, and when you found out that the first vet was not qualified, you changed. You were proactive for your cats.

None of this gets better without some rest and your mind will continue to spin through all these scenarios. I mean this very kindly, but step away from the "if I die my cats will be lost" nightmare. This is a sign of real stress and you need to try to factor in some care for yourself. Yes, many TCS members have posted about concerns about who will take my cats. But it is a logical question that can be approached much more clearly when you have not been up for a month.
 

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Lie down, tell yourself you are sleeping for the protection of the cats. Because that is exactly what you are doing. Remind yourself that you have a better vet now. Count to 200. Every time a thought comes in, start over at one and count again. In time you should fall asleep. If you wake up, check on the cats, if they are all right lie and count again. Sleep is important, you need to rest to take care of the cats, to be a safe and good driver if you have to take them to the vet.
 

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Yeah, it has been prescribed for my Persian girl after her pyometra operation. Baytril 50mg half tablet every morning for a week. It does make her lethargic, drowsy and not wanting to eat. I guess it gives then nausea as they want to eat but would not because of nausea. I too saw on the net that it should not be crushed and given as whole but when I asked my vet about it, he said I could crush it and give her. I give her whole with the pill popper. From the looks of her stitches, I think she is healing well. The only thing that concerns me is when she eats and drinks less. I think the more they sleep, the better they heal given they are eating and drinking well. You can ask your vet for a different safer anti biotic if you are concerned about its side effects. But given in the right dosage it would seldom have any concerning side effects as of such. You can try nausea medicine if your girl is eating and drinking less. It helped my girl. My vet has prescribed her ondansetron for nausea.
 
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countrygirl576

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Yeah, it has been prescribed for my Persian girl after her pyometra operation. Baytril 50mg half tablet every morning for a week. It does make her lethargic, drowsy and not wanting to eat. I guess it gives then nausea as they want to eat but would not because of nausea. I too saw on the net that it should not be crushed and given as whole but when I asked my vet about it, he said I could crush it and give her. I give her whole with the pill popper. From the looks of her stitches, I think she is healing well. The only thing that concerns me is when she eats and drinks less. I think the more they sleep, the better they heal given they are eating and drinking well. You can ask your vet for a different safer anti biotic if you are concerned about its side effects. But given in the right dosage it would seldom have any concerning side effects as of such. You can try nausea medicine if your girl is eating and drinking less. It helped my girl. My vet has prescribed her ondansetron for nausea.
She actually didn't need it and has one pill left that the vet said not to give to her. It wasn't an infection after all but her interstitial cystitis. She was in such bad shape because she was very very dehydrated and in pain. It is keep her home and not stress her out. Only thing is I haven't seen her drink anything in 24 hours. She will go to the water fountain dish..sniff..look and walk away and yet (if I let her) she would drink water from the toilet and dishwasher so have no clue what to do about this now. I have to crush to dissolve all their meds because I can't pill pop them. To afraid I'd do it wrong and it would get stuck and they would choke to death. Heard stories of that happening even at a vets office.
My cats were never given an antibiotic after surgeries and the old vet said there were only two kinds.. Clavamox and a shot. None of them could do Clavamox so it was always the shot but found out with the new vet that shot doesn't really do anything.
Glad to hear your kitty is mending well after surgery. All but one of my kitties get nothing but canned food. Two are diabetic and canned food is best for them plus the intersystial cystitis problem too.
 
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