Why is my cat still congested with green snot after antibiotics?

Hi and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am sorry that Miso is not feeling well. From the medications that Miso has been put on it sounds like your veterinarian may suspect Miso may have a virus causing the upper airway congestion, we sometimes use Lysine to help with viral upper airway congestion. The Herpes virus (along with some other viruses) causes chronic upper airway congestion. This can cause watery eyes (not always), sneezing and nasal discharge (not always)-recurs with stress. It can have a secondary bacterial component to it that responds to an antibiotic like Clavamox. Or this can be just a bacterial upper respiratory infection that is not responding well to the antibiotic of choice. Clavamox is typically an antibiotic that does well with upper respiratory infections. My biggest concern with your note is the looking bloated. I would have Miso evaluated by your veterinarian for looking bloated and discuss an alternate antibiotic, an antihistamine or I will even sometimes use saline nasal drops with a humidifier to help with moisturizing the airways. I hope this helps and good luck with Miso!

Hello, I am sorry for your concerns about Bert. Since Bert just finished 2 rounds of antibiotics for a respiratory infection, & still has a nasal discharge, either the wrong antibiotics were prescribed, or this is a viral infection. You might discuss this with your veterinarian suggesting either culturing the discharge to see what antibiotics will clear the infection, or to try an antiviral medication, like famcyclovir. Sometimes, administration of intranasal saline ( 0.25-0.5 ml saline ) into each nostril has been helpful in breaking up the discharge. And finally, there has been some work done that shows cats with existing rhinitis have been helped when a commercially available FHV-1 & FCV intranasal vaccine is used. I would discuss each of these with your veterinarian at your earliest convenience. I hope Bert is well soon. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Chronic upper respiratory issues in cats can be frustrating. At this point Jaxson may need further diagnostic testing. Your vet may consider a sedated exam to look for nasal pharyngeal polyps or a foreign body. If there is an infectious component blood tests may be used to try to find out what the cause is. If no answer is found referral for imaging such as a CT scan may be able to determine if there is a mass or foreign body in his nasal passages.

Upper respiratory infections in cats are caused by viruses as well as bacteria, so if Jade has a respiratory infection caused by a virus, antibiotics will not help. In addition, some cats have ongoing problems with these infections, and will have bouts of illness throughout their life. You can take her back into the vet for a health check, as she may benefit from some medications, but I will also give you a few things you can do at home for Jade as well. First, you can try starting her on an L-lysine supplement - this is an amino acid that has been shown to help the immune system fight off respiratory infections more effectively. Enisyl and Viralys are both good brands, and can be purchased over the counter without a prescription - just follow the dosing instructions on the label based on your cat's weight. If she's congested, you can also try using a humidifier or bringing her into the bathroom with the door closed while you take a hot shower - the steam and humidity help to break up congestion and temporarily relieve symptoms associated with respiratory infections.

Clavamox and Convenia are not suitable antibiotics for this type of infection, azithromyacin is a very good option and should solve the problem, if it doesn't i would recommend asking your vet to try Doxycycline or Veraflox next.

Poor guy. I would have him re-evaluated in this case. It sounds like he may need another round of antibiotics or the same antibiotic given for a slightly longer period of time. It is tough sometimes with kitties with URI's, because without culture we are hoping that our broad spectrum antibiotic will clear up the infection entirely. You also have the option of asking for your vet to do a culture, so that we know exactly which antibiotic will clear things up for Cairo. Your other cats immune system is likely better than Cario's, which is why he/she isn't affected. I would also consider keeping Cairo on anti-viral supplements (Lysine powder) long term to help boost his immune system to hopefully decrease the amount of infections in the future. You can find Lysine at any pet store or online retailer. Best wishes with your pet Cario and I hope that he feels better soon! Take care.

Poor Romeo! Cats are prone to upper respiratory infections that can cause the symptoms you are describing. These are often viral, but can be mixed with bacterial infections as well. Stress reduction and proper ventilation can sometimes help in these cases. Cats need at least one litterbox per cat plus one extra to help reduce stress associated with the litterbox. They should be placed in separate rooms, away from the food and water bowls, must be scooped at least daily (preferably multiple times a day)and washed out at least weekly with a mild soap, followed by thorough rinsing. Cats need a lot of space to explore, but keeping them indoors is much safer than letting them outside, due to the risk of injury from cars, wildlife, other animals, etc. The key is providing space (particularly vertical space for climbing, such as cat trees, ledges, and the like) inside the home. Visit http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=T&C=33&S=2 and https://indoorpet.osu.edu// for tips on stress reduction. Also look into Feliway, a synthetic pheromone that is available in a diffuser and spray form that promotes calm feelings in cats http://www.feliway.com. In some cases, persistent nasal discharge can be causes by a polyp, mass or foreign object stuck in the nose, which would require further veterinary care. Your vet may recommend imaging to see if there is anything visible in the nose that could be causing this. If you notice Romeo having difficulty breathing, exercise intolerance, or pale gums, have him seen by a vet right away, as this can be dangerous respiratory distress. God luck to you both!