Loss Of Appetite Due To Clavamox - What Can I Do In The Meantime?

stiv

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So my cat Autumn, who is 13 years old, had some incidental findings during her routine physical at the end of August. She ended up having proteinuria with a protein/creatinine ratio value of 7, but her urine culture also came up positive, so my vet is treating the infection with a 3 week course of Clavamox and retesting her urine before we move forward with any diagnostics for kidney disease because the infection could also be causing it. She has a history of frequent UTIs, bladder crystals, and idiopathic cystitis with her second-to-last vet visit being an emergency room trip for straining to urinate outside the box without actually eliminating, so this is nothing new for her. However, she's had Clavamox before, and she's usually tolerated it just fine, but this time around it seems to be messing with her GI tract quite a bit. She puked a few times, so I started making sure she eats at least a little before I pill her, but it's been a hassle some days. Mixing treats into her food sometimes works, sometimes it doesn't, adding wet sometimes works, sometimes it doesn't. She'll munch on a little bit of her portion at a time and her food often sits uneaten for several hours before she gets back around to it. I do know she ate a good portion of my other cat's wet food that she's not supposed to be eating the other day because she barfed it back up. She has periods of not eating sometimes as well when she has an infection that hasn't been diagnosed and treated yet. She eats a prescription diet because of her history of basically every bladder problem a cat can possibly have so I've been iffy about using the meat baby food method my mom used to do whenever her cats were sick and avoiding food. Otherwise her behavior has been pretty normal, almost chipper honestly. She comes running in for my attention regularly and has been playing with her toys. I was actually surprised she ended up having an infection because she was showing none of her usual signs, but she is a cat after all.
I'm just worried because of her age and weight, I work with animals and I've learned that older overweight cats are more prone to hepatic lipidosis when they don't eat enough. We had a cat boarding at my old job who unfortunately passed due to HL induced by not eating so I'm slightly neurotic about it. She's not as overweight as she used to be because I have her on a diet but also maybe because of her possible kidney problems (she's 10.8 now which is still a bit overweight for her frame, down from 14 pounds, which is what made my vet want to investigate kidney issues regardless of trying to get her to lose weight) but I'm still concerned. My vet's office doesn't have a doctor in until Thursday but I'll still call to leave a message for them in the AM. I know that sometimes drugs like mirtazapine are prescribed as appetite stimulants. I know there are other antibiotics that don't mess w their stomach as badly, and that there are subq antibiotics. I've also seen the emergency prescription food that's supposed to be really palatable but she of course didn't want to touch it one of the other times she wasn't eating when she had an infection. Am I missing any options, whether it's something the vet can do or something I can do at home?
 

shadowsrescue

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I would definitely call the vet. You might be able to get some nausea meds that will help. Cerenia is often given in tablet form and also can be given as an injection. Your vet also might try to switch the antibiotic. Did the vet get the urine directly from the bladder to confirm the UTI. Also was the urine cultured?

How much water does she get? Water water water is your friend. I add extra tablespoons full of warm water to my cat's food. I have a male kitty who has blocked 3x. Water and bladder supplements have really helped him. But it is a life long challenge.
 

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stiv

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I would definitely call the vet. You might be able to get some nausea meds that will help. Cerenia is often given in tablet form and also can be given as an injection. Your vet also might try to switch the antibiotic. Did the vet get the urine directly from the bladder to confirm the UTI. Also was the urine cultured?

How much water does she get? Water water water is your friend. I add extra tablespoons full of warm water to my cat's food. I have a male kitty who has blocked 3x. Water and bladder supplements have really helped him. But it is a life long challenge.
Fortunately I got her to eat some wet - she doesn't eat a whole lot of wet as much as i try but i do keep a stock of the rx cans for emergencies that i forgot about, one was a brand i didn't try before because she didn't used to like fish. She kept it down so crisis averted for now.
Yes, they did a urine culture using urine they took directly from her bladder. She usually pees in the carrier so they always do it that way. I can't say how much water she gets exactly because she likes to drink most of it from the tub and stopping her from that is hard because the litter box she prefers is in the bathroom but she has been drinking and started to use the fountain i got specifically for her finally. I haven't noticed an unusual increase in drinking, her drinking did increase when we started the royal canin SO last year but I was told it's supposed to do that because it dilutes urine. If anything changes tonight or over the course of the rest of the week and she goes back to not eating much I can either call my vet or take her to the clinic i work at thats open late on weekends.
 
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stiv

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My Charlie reacted poorly to an antibiotic for a UTI / Bacteria infection and was tossing his cookies. A change in the antibiotic helped a lot!

This is a list of things to try that was given to me by @Furballsmom when I had one helk of a time getting Charlie to eat something new. I hope some trick in her post will help you. She had loads of great ideas:

Charlie: The Food Trial Diaries (ibd / Food Allergy (sensitivity) Or Stress)
Oh this is all so helpful to have. Invaluable information I can save and refer to for any cat now or in the future, thank you so much!
 

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I like mirtazapine with my 15 year old. We’re dealing with fleas and lately poop problems (probably an IBD flare up.). It’s easier to treat her poop problems when she’s eating her food and eating it with the supplements I mix in. And with everything else she’s been through, I’m not letting fleas take her out.

I like mirtazapine because I only have to dose her every other day. And the pill is so small after I’ve quartered it (with a pill cutter or it turns to dust!), that it’s really easy to stuff it in her mouth and get her to swallow it. I’ve never been good at pilling her. But we’re getting it done and she’s not resisting so much.
 

daftcat75

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And the last time I gave Krista antibiotics, I mixed them into a small medicine meal of tuna with pumpkin. Tuna because she only ever gets it now to hide medicine and pumpkin to help settle her angry gut and butt. Don’t overdo the pumpkin. It will sop up the antibiotic like a sponge making less available to treat the infection. It’s a fine line because obviously she’s not benefitting much if she’s not keeping it down either. A smaller dose may be better than no dose at all.
 

daftcat75

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A smaller dose may be better than no dose at all.
No, this isn't correct. With antibiotics, what doesn't kill them gives them an opportunity to develop a resistance. If you are mixing the antibiotic with food, mix it in as little food as you can get away with and still have her finish it. Same with using pumpkin. You want her to take a full strength dose, and keep it down. A little "devil's bargain" is okay but don't over-do it.
 
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stiv

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Yeah, that was my other main concern - i wanted her to have the *full* benefit of the clavamox and that obviously wasn't happening if she was hacking it right back up. I know about antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria and i know with cats its VERY important to try your best to finish the whole course and get them to keep it down. This is especially important because there are only a few antibiotics that are safe to use on kitties compared to how many people can use. And when it comes to medical research and development they're going to develop new stuff for people first because of the crises were having w things like MRSA.
She hasn't puked for a couple of days now so I'll see if she'll eat some of her normal food. If she doesn't im calling the vet within the hour to see if they have any cans of the Purina UR in stock because that's what she was willing to eat and keep down. I'm actually at least happy i found a wet food shell eat most of even after its been refrigerated. With her urinary issues I've been trying to find a wet she'll eat consistently and it's been half the battle.
 

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My doc prescribed Mirataz in such cases which is an appetite stimulant. Maybe ask about that
 

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My Hannah does not tolerate Clavamox at all. After 2 doses, she starts vomiting. I would stop the med, call the vet and get a different one.
 

daftcat75

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My Hannah does not tolerate Clavamox at all. After 2 doses, she starts vomiting. I would stop the med, call the vet and get a different one.
Please consult the vet before stopping the recommended medicine. Incomplete antibiotic courses can encourage antibiotic resistance.
 
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