Hello all. This may be a bit long, but I want to try to get all of the pertinent information in!
I have a cat (Tiki) who is 19 yrs old. Over the past 3 years she has been dealing with a chronic upper respiratory condition (mainly nasal). It started when she had to go into the vet for a teeth cleaning and they gave her some vaccinations (she's never had any before). The various doctors I have brought her to see have put her on different antibiotics to alleviate any secondary condition as well as occassionally giving her subcutaneous fluids to help with dehydration (during some of her more severe bouts, she stops drinking as well as eating). The treatments always seemed to pull her out of it but then within a month or 2 she was always starting back in with the sneezing, progressing to nasal disharge (clear), progressing to nasal discharge (cloudy). Finally I switched to a holistic vet in the hopes that they might have a different idea about it. They tested her for something called Bartinella's (spelling??) and said that the best treatment would be an antibiotic called Azythromicyn (40mg/day for 21 days. Then off for a week. Then 40 mg/day for another 21 days). ALL the research I've done shows that this is a very aggressive approach to the disease....most cats get 2.3 mg/lb of body weight and treatment is only given for a few days. Since my Tiki is 10 lbs, she was given almost double the dosage and for quite a bit longer. Afterwards, she was like a new cat...eating, playful...you'd never guess she was such an old girl!!! And then a few months later....back with the sneezing, runny nose, lethargy, etc. Complete lack of interest in any food or water.
I brought her back to the vet (the original vet, not the holistic one). He put her on amoxicillin (which in the past has worked but only temporarily). He did run bloodwork on her, but seemed more concerned with kidney function because of dehydration. I never heard of herpes before I came to this website, so I didn't think to ask him to check for that. I do have to call him today to get the results from the bloodwork he did run, so I'll make a point of asking if there was a test for herpes.
I need some advice. I know that the antibiotics will help with any secondary infection, but I'm also concerned that after 2-3 yrs of trying various antibiotics, she has built up a resistance to them. ALso, the antibiotics don't seem to be addressing the underlying problem. I did read in an earlier post about L-Lysine, so I want to add that to her diet (not sure how much to add though). I've been putting her in the bathroom with the shower running twice a day to help with the congestion (after the steam treatment she always is more interested in her food than before I started the routine). She is starting to drink her water again and making more of an attempt with her food (but still not eating enough to make up for what weigh she's lost). I bought a tube of NutriCal Paste but it's very difficult to get it into her mouth (she has had quite anough of things being forced into her, thank you very much!).
Sorry this was so long. I appreciate your taking the time to read it and will be greatful for any advice that can be offered. I know she's an old lady, but I feel in my gut that she's still got a bit of time left in her. At the very least, I want her to be comfortable and able to breathe properly for the time she's got left!
Thanks for "listening"!
Heather
