My cats have URI. Is Doxycycline working, or is it a viral infection?

This is a great question. Doxycycline falls into the category of antibiotics called tetracyclines. Other tetracyclines- namely oxytetracycline- are shown to disturb bone and teeth developement in fetal skeletons or in young growing animals. Doxycycline is MUCH less likely to do this than other tetracyclines. Even so, the formulary recommends considering the risks and benefits before prescribing. Though I don’t routinely give this to kittens (I prefer clavamox) I do often give it to puppies. I have not yet seen or heard of a case of abnormal bone developement with doxycycline in kittens or puppies - but it could theoretically happen. In my opinion, doxycycline is a great drug for upper respiratory infections in cats- especially in a shelter situation which may not have the labor, funding, or storage abilities of my suburban clinic. I also feel that - especially in a shelter situation - the benefits far outweigh the risks. I am far more worried about a kitten in a shelter dying from complications from a URI than I am about the minuscule chance of affecting bone development. Of course, if your shelter had plenty of liquid clavamox and people to administer it, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to switch the young ones to something like that. Hope this helped clarify some things! Thank you for all you do!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would recommend making sure he does not have an underlying disease that may be predisposing him to these infections. Test him for feline leukemia (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) at your veterinarian's clinic to rule these possible causes out. Some cats will have chronic viral infections their entire life and we just treat these as they come. If you are not giving lysine supplementation and not giving Purine Fortiflora, I would definitely recommend doing so as both of these have been shown to lessen the severity and duration of the herpes virus flare ups. I would also consider an upper respiratory culture to make sure that there are no other bacterial causes that may be resistant to the antibiotics currently being given. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hello, sorry to hear about Tig. You can try to wipe his nose often and make sure the air is humidified majority of the time. Most often the signs can last up to 5 days and then improve. In regards to the drooling, yes Doxycycline may cause nausea and vomitng which can present as excessive drooling. Additionally in cats, doxycycline can cause esophageal changes, so make sure when administering this medication you are chasing it with plenty of water. Give him the medications before or after a large meal to limit his GI signs. Hope this helps and best of luck.

I'm so sorry that Sally is having this problem. We commonly see viral infections in young cats that have secondary bacterial infection that respond to antibiotics, but it is less common that older cats will develop viral upper respiratory infections unless they are exposed to other cats. I have attached more information on upper respiratory infections in cats below. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=613 There are other antibiotics that we will sometimes try for some of the other upper respiratory infections we see, as well as anti-viral or Lysine treatment for Herpes virus. I would recommend discussing with your veterinarian if there are any other testing or treatment options that they would recommend for Sally since she does not seem to be responding to Clavamox. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Hello, sorry to hear about Gimli. It is really dependent on what kind of infection you kitten has. Most upper respiratory infections are viral which antibiotics cannot treat. Therefor, you must await for the virus lifecycle to end. You may talk to your vet about using lysine gel or topical anti-virals to help shorten the virus life cycle. Hope this helps.

I'm very sorry your kitty is sick. Respiratory infections are very common in kitties and almost all are caused by a virus, not a bacterial infection. Therefore, we do not recommend antibiotics if we are dealing with an upper respiratory infection. There are several things you can do at home though. To help with nasal and sinus congestion symptoms, I recommend using the shower to fill your bathroom with as much warm steamed air as possible and then place your kitty in the room for 10-15 minutes at a time. You can do this several times a day, the goal is to help humidify the air and allow your kitty's nasal passages to drain and clear some. You can also purchase over-the-counter treats or a gel formula containing the amino acid supplement L-lysine made for cats. These can sometimes help clear a viral infection. Follow the label instructions to know how much and how often to give to your kitty. If your kitty stops eating or drinking, you will need to have it examined by your veterinarian to avoid complications such as dehydration.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Silvester. Since he has FIV, the recovery period may take a little longer for this URI. If this was a suspected or confirmed herpes virus infection URI, I would advise using famciclovir if it doesn't start resolving. Famvir is an antiviral and helps to disrupt viral replication, thus directly treating the viral infection if that is the cause. Another thing I would try is humidified air treatments. Turn on a hot shower in a bathroom and let the room fill with the steam. Place Silvester in there for 10-15 minute treatments. This will help to hydrate his respiratory system. Sounds like everything else you are doing is exactly what I would recommend. I definitely prefer Doxy especially in these stubborn URI cases. You may also consult your vet about using some type of saline nasal drops also. Good luck with Silvester. I hope he gets over this soon. Another thing I always try to address is the intestinal parasite issue because intestinal parasites will affect the nutritional status of the pet, which will ultimately affect their overall health and their ability to fight off disease.