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Has anyone used Cerenia off-label for upper respiratory symptoms?
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Cerenia For Uri Symptoms
- Thread starter furrypurry
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Upper respiratory symptoms in cats need to be treated properly by diagnosing the exact infection causing the symptoms and then using the appropriate medication to eradicate the infection. Most vets will simply prescribe clavimox or something similar which is considered "broad spectrum" for treating URIs. The problem is most of the time this is effective and clearing the symptoms, it is often a temporary solution and the symptoms come back after the course of antibiotics is completed.
I always vote to have a Respiratory PCR panel done to identify which infection you are dealing with. It could be viral or bacterial and then there is a long list of infections for each. I made the mistake with my poor Richard of just "guessing" what the infection was and after he was on clavimox THREE seperate times within a 2 month period of time, his infection kept getting worse each time he stopped the antibiotics. Finally we took him to a new vet and he ran a respiratory PCR panel. Once we got the diagnosis back we treated Richard with Doxycycline because it was the ONLY medication that was effective against his infection. We also had to treat all other cats in our house.
Cerenia is great for mild appetite loss and nausea issues but it really just masks the underlying issue to give the cat time to recover. It will not fix any infection or illness on its own unless the cat's immune system just needs time to fight whatever is going on.
I always vote to have a Respiratory PCR panel done to identify which infection you are dealing with. It could be viral or bacterial and then there is a long list of infections for each. I made the mistake with my poor Richard of just "guessing" what the infection was and after he was on clavimox THREE seperate times within a 2 month period of time, his infection kept getting worse each time he stopped the antibiotics. Finally we took him to a new vet and he ran a respiratory PCR panel. Once we got the diagnosis back we treated Richard with Doxycycline because it was the ONLY medication that was effective against his infection. We also had to treat all other cats in our house.
Cerenia is great for mild appetite loss and nausea issues but it really just masks the underlying issue to give the cat time to recover. It will not fix any infection or illness on its own unless the cat's immune system just needs time to fight whatever is going on.
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I'm not sure why you would use Cerenia? Is it possible you're confusing it with a different medication?
Here are recent guidelines concerning antibiotics for URI in dogs and cats. Doxycycline is the #1 choice for cats (not Clavamox). If you are dealing with stubborn URI, I think it's worth reading through the report for their detailed recommendations and comments.
Antimicrobial use Guidelines for Treatment of Respiratory Tract Disease in Dogs and Cats
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jvim.14627
Here are recent guidelines concerning antibiotics for URI in dogs and cats. Doxycycline is the #1 choice for cats (not Clavamox). If you are dealing with stubborn URI, I think it's worth reading through the report for their detailed recommendations and comments.
Antimicrobial use Guidelines for Treatment of Respiratory Tract Disease in Dogs and Cats
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jvim.14627
