My cat has URI, congested, mouth breathing. What helps & is drooling from Doxycycline?

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. In regards to the test results, I would contact your vet to find out what the results were. For the cats you havestarted on doxycycline, the respiratory symptoms may not be due to a bacterial infection but rather a viral infection, in which case, an antibiotic won't treat if it is purely a viral infection. Sure it will treat secondary bacterial infections that may be going on as a result of the primary viral but I wouldn't rely on an antibiotic solely to treat this. I recommend using lysine supplementation. Many times in kittens, they pick up the herpes virus from the mother. Lysine works by lessening the severity and possibly shortening the duration of a herpes viral infection. Duralactin with Lysine is the supplement I recommend to help treat the infection which can be found online. If the infection worsens, a nebulizer may help and sometimes antibiotics are nebulized in severe cases. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

Doxycycline can cause nausea and affect appetite. You may want to ask whether you can stop the Doxy and either not replace it or replace it with another antibiotic if needed. It is really important that your kitty drinks her kitten milk otherwise she will not survive due to dehydration. The other problem is if she is so congested that she cannot smell her food that will not eat. I can only suggest that you keep her warm and massaged, speak cat to her if you can (no this is no joke, try purring like a cat mama does) and often try to offer warm kitten milk. I hope she will start eating for you again.

It can take several days for an antibiotic to take effect against a bacterial infection, but not all upper respiratory infections are bacterial in origin. Many are actually viral which will have to run their course with supportive care. The drooling and foaming at the mouth can sometimes be seen shortly after administering oral medications such as Clavamox since they taste badly to cats. Matted fur could be caused by not feeling well enough to groom. Not eating is common in cats that can't smell well since they are smell-driven when eating. I would recommend that you try to give Sam water or pedialyte to stay hydrated, and try "smelly" cat food such as canned cat food or canned tuna. If he isn't better tomorrow, becomes profoundly lethargic, or you cannot get food or water into him, then he should be re-evaluated by your vet for other treatment options or even hospitalization.

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!

Hello. The shivers could be from his body fighting the infection, & the drooling is either a reaction to his medication or nausea. How is his appetite? Is he eating & does he seem to feel better overall? If not, I would take him back to see the vet, but if he does seem to be improving by eating & drinking fairly well, then you can give the antibiotics a little more time. But if his appetite is poor & he does not seem any better, try to have him seen as soon as possible. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I’m so sorry to hear about Misty. If the medication had caused the vomiting, I would have expected it to cause vomiting days ago when you started it. That leads me to believe it is less likely related to the medication and more likely related to something else. That being said, double check that you are giving the correct amount and do shake the bottle well each time you give it. Just like in people, there are dozens of reasons vomiting occurs including: infection, dietary indiscretion (eating that piece of plant or human food, or dead mouse), GI foreign body (eating that hair band which is now causing problems), toxin, non specific nausea, diet change or new treat, and the list goes on. If it was just the three times in a row, I would just withhold food and water for 2 hours, then reinteoduce water. If she holds that down well, offer a small bit of food 8-12 hours after the last episode of vomiting. Don’t repeat tonight’s dose of medication. I am concerned in the back of my mind that something else is going on since her appetite had started decreasing. Is it related to the disease we are treating with the doxycycline or some other problem? Certainly if the vomiting continues or she is not ready to eat in the next 24 hours, or you see any new signs, please head to your vet or an emergency vet for re-valuation. Best wishes to you and Misty!

When a cat has its tongue sticking out it is generally a sign that they are not breathing well at all. And upper respiratory tract infection, if untreated correctly, can lead to pneumonia or severe bronchitis. I urge you to contact your regular veterinarian and make an appointment for them to do a full physical examination on your cat as soon as possible. Your vet will be able to put you on the correct regimen of drugs such as antibiotics, steroids, bronchodilators, nebulizers, etc. that will help eliminate your disease and help the cat breathe better. I appreciate you reaching out to our service and taking a proactive approach to your cats healthcare.