My sick kitten isn't eating on doxycycline. Is it making her worse?

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!

Yes, pedialyte is safe to give to kittens. You can offer this 3-4 times a day. Let her drink as much as she wants and then offer her plenty of fresh clean water. Alternatively, you can mix oral rehydration salts in water as directed by the manufacturer and give this free-choice along with fresh water. Ideally, you should consult your vet if she is having problems. Doxycycline can cause damage to the esophagus and stomach, which will decrease her appetite. In these cases we usually advise to stop the doxycycline and switch the antibiotic. You can help the congestion by giving him a steam bath. There is a link below that has good information about how to do this and other helpful tips for this condition. http://www.wikihow.com/Help-Your-Cat-Breathe-Easier It's best if you can get her to a vet within the next day. While these infections are often due to a virus, they can become complicated with bacterial infections, which will make things much worse. The vet would be able to prescribe the necessary treatment to make her feel better and keep the infection from getting worse. I hope this helps and she feels better soon.

Hello. I am afraid this may be the only way to save this kitten. Your shelter vet may be financially constrained to administer whatever antibiotics are on hand, & as I said earlier, doxycycline is contraindicated in such young animals. I hope you can have her seen soon. Thank again for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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!

Poor Baby! She looks quite weak in that picture. It is fine to wipe her down but I would not give her a full bath right now. Make sure she is also staying warm after her "sponge bath". I would keep her on her formula right now until she is a little bigger. You can try to see if she will take some gruel out of a syringe - if so, then this would be okay as well. Since she isn't eating well, I would have her rechecked by your vet. She likely needs some fluids to help keep her hydrated. I would also talk to your vet about testing her for feline leukemia and feline aids. If she is positive for one of these then you know that she is going to have a hard time getting over this illness. It is just information to have. You may also talk to your vet about whether or not a change in antibiotics may help her especially if she isn't improving on the current meds. I hope this helps and she starts to feel better quickly.

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.

An upper respiratory infection often involves nasal discharge or swelling of the mucous membranes which can then disable the sense of smell and then cats do not want to eat. One way of helping that is to 1) remove any discharge from the nose as often as possible with a moist tissue. 2) feed her fishy canned food, preferably pate style, and warm it up in the microwave. This will intensify the aroma of the food. Clavamox tastes not so good, and sometimes it can also make a cat not hungry. However, it is absolutely necessary that your kitty eats at least a little bit every day in order not to get a serious liver disease. Try to hand feed her, if she will not eat from the bowl. If she does not eat at all she will need to be seen by your vet for a recheck.