My kitten is losing appetite. Can I give antibiotics after deworming?

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Laila. I would advise taking her to your vet immediately if she won't eat. She may be running a fever, have some pain/discomfort, etc. Your vet can take a detailed history, perform an examination, and recommend a diagnostic/treatment plan. Once a diagnosis is made a sound treatment plan can be implemented. You can try cyproheptadine if you have it but I'm concerned she may be running a fever from a viral infection, not sure how much the cypro will help. The normal dose is 2 mg every 12 hours in cats. Good luck

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Without seeing the cats, it is hard to say. I recommend taking them to the vet with a fresh stool sample to rule out other parasites. Not all deworming medications treat all intestinal parasites. If negative, I would have both cats tested for feline leukemia and FIV. These are infectious diseases that could cause poor growth. Good luck and kisses to the kittens!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Just like you pointed out, it is possible that this is all related to the trip. I would recommend to just continue with the current plan for now. If it is just related to the trip, she should start feeling better soon. If her appetite has not improved by tomorrow, let your veterinarian know as the other possibility would be that the antibiotics are causing her to lose her appetite which is a common side effect seen with some antibiotics. Good luck! I hope this is just transient and she goes back to normal.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Since you are in day 1 of the antibiotics I think it would be fair to give it a bit more time to see if Musika gets better. You can try to entice his appetite with things like tuna, tuna water and chicken. If his appetite does not improve by tomorrow, let your veterinarian know as anorexia can be detrimental to a cat's health. Good luck and have a great day!

Some loss of appetite/lethargy can be normal after a deworming, especially if there was a heavy worm load that is now dying off. You can try to entice eating by offering some plain boiled chicken or wet food warmed up as cat's appetites are driven by smell. However, if it's been several days and Layla still isn't back to normal, isn't eating or drinking at all, or is very lethargic, it is best to let your vet know to make sure there isn't another underlying issue that needs to be addressed.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am so sorry for the loss of Kitty! The most common side effect of antibiotics is tummy upset: vomiting, diarrhea or not wanting to eat. My concern is that there was something else going on with Kitty. If she had a large parasite load maybe when the dewormer killed them it caused an obstruction or intussusception. I also wonder what symptoms she had when you took her to the vet and what the other injections she received. Antibiotics are not typically prescribed for just worms. I'm assuming more than just worms were affecting Kitty. Again I am sorry for you loss. Feel free to post again with further details or questions. I hope this helped in some way.

It is possible that the worms were the reason why he wasn't eating, and the deworming treatment itself can make him feel nauseous and unwell. It's the result of the dead worms moving through his GI system. I would recommend offering him a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) in small amounts to try to tempt him to eat. You can also soak his dry food in tuna juice, or offer him gently warmed really smelly wet food, such as sardine or fish based. If he still isn't eating in the morning, I would have him seen by the vet again. It will take at least two deworming treatments to kill all the worms.