Cat was given clavamox for urine infection and it hasnt gone away!

Peaches101

I noticed my 4 year old female cat going to the litter often and licking her bum alot so I brought her to the vet.We did a urine test and found out she of course had a UTI and also had a small amount of crystals .So we gave her clavamox for 10 days twice daily,A week later I was told to bring her back in just for a follow up urine sample to make sure everything was normal.They called me back and said that they see blood and bacteria still in her urine aswell as a whole lot more crystals have formed. They want me to bring her back in for an injection of some sort and Im a little nervous! Originally she had a small infection with very little blood and 2 or 3 crystals,now after giving her antibiotics it's gotten worst instead of better?? It's stressing me out and costing me a fortune! I'm wondering if this injection will get rid of it finally.

ceres

It depends on what the injection is of course, but I would think that they wouldn't inject her with something they thought would make her sicker.

The thing about antibiotics, even wide-spectum ones, is that they aren't going to take care of every kind of bacteria. It's just like in people.. sometimes they need to try a few different families of antibiotics before they get the one that will work on the kind of bacteria you have.

Urine crystals are not necessarily related to the infection. Cats are prone to kidney and urinary tract problems, most often caused by not getting enough moisture. For most cats feeding wet food is enough if they're getting enough of it, and for cats fed dry food they need a constant, always-available supply of fresh water to drink or it's a matter of time before they're full of those crystals. If this is the problem, antibiotics won't magically fix it, and you need to make sure she's drinking enough water. Aside from getting rid of the bacteria, making sure she has enough to drink is the best thing you can do for her.

Peaches101

I'm aware that crystals aren't always related to an infection I just found it odd that when I originally brought her in they said she had a mild UTI aswell as 2 or 3 crystals ,then I give her meds for 10 days ,bring her back and the infection has gotten worst PLUS her sample showed that she has ALOT of crystals now. I guess what I'm trying to figure out is if this has happened to anyone before? And if this "injection" is more or less going to get rid of remaining infection.
As for available water at all times,not only have i purchased a fountain but I also leave the bathroom tap on aswell as leave a few glasses of water in various places around the house.

azith28

http://www.catster.com/lifestyle/cats-drink-more-water-health

This might help too.
I hope she responds well to it.

mts

well not all infections are teh same. they may have given a dose of somethng thinking she would respond, but it turns out the bacteria was resistant/ or the dose wasn't strong enough. that is why they had you bring her back. medicine isn't a guarentee success.

are you sure she is actually drinking out of the cups etc? a lot of cats are finicky when it comes to bowls etc.

Peaches101

the vet did mention what you said about the bacteria being resistant.I guess I'm just really hoping that this injection does the trick! My poor kitty is stressed out from being to the vet a couple times this past 2 weeks:( As for if I'm sure she's drinking from the cups : I use a medium sized glass and fill it right to the top,that way I can tell just how much she drank from the glass that day..usually always atleast half gone by night. She does have a few licks of water out of her fountain when shes around it... Wish me luck on this injection working! I don't mind changing her food to help with the crystals but I'm worried about the bacteria

mts

we have our youngest on proplan urinary diet, havent had any issues since switching

he had crystals too, but it is way more serious in male cats than in females

Mad Jazz

Yeah, it just sounds like the bacteria is resistant. Making a guess based on the name, that first antibiotic is in the penicillin family, which a lot of stuff is resistant to. A lot of the non-penicillins don't have an oral form (either they don't penetrate the gut wall or they get broken down by stomach acid or some other thing), so I would bet that the injection is a different flavor of antibiotic. Antibiotics are tricky since you kinda have to guess at the most common bug when you prescribe them at first and then figure out what bug is responsible later on. I wouldn't sweat this other shot much, just keep an eye out for any further changes.

Magic Pink

Stress is a huge factor too. My cat had the same thing and it wouldn't go away until I calmed his life down quite a bit.

bowen

If the clavamox isn't fighting the infection they'll probably need to change it, clavamox is just a fancy amoxicillin that has an additive to help it fight bacterias that are immune to it (B-lactamase inhibitors).

Weird they gave it to a cat for a UTI, usually reserved for dogs only. Since the clavamox isn't working they'll probably give you a fluoroquinolone like enrofloxacin. I'm guessing because it's a cat it has pseudomonas, which is actually resistant to clavamox but super common in cat UTIs which is why they default to a -quinolone, I thought.

Bring it back to the vet post haste, don't try and wait it out. If it is a UTI with resistant bacteria, you don't want them to reach the kidneys.

Peaches101

When i spoke to my vet over the phone we had set an appointment for tomorrow to have my cat get a injection,I was so nervous I forgot to ask what the name of the injection was,then when I got off phone I went online to see what the most common injection is used for UTI in cats and came across CONVENIA.. THIS IS MY MAIN WORRY .. As i browsed the internet I came across wayyyyyyyy more cons then pros. Some cats have even DIED from this injection! The worst thing about this shot is that it stays in the cats system for 2 months, so the cat is pretty much screwed if turns out to be allergic to it. I read one guys cat died because the shot decreased his appetite so much to the point he died of starvation!!! .. My cats appointment is tomorrow for the shot and I really dont know If I'm even going to let it happen I might ask if they are any other pills i can try besides clavamox

bowen

cephalosporin seems like an odd choice for an animal that has already shown to have an infection that is not well fought off with a pencilling with B-lactamase inhibitors.

Ask about floxins/quinolones since it showed now reaction to the pencillin/culvinate combination drug, they are unlikely (though wouldn't surprise me) to try a similar type of drug, so, convenia would be a no go (or should be).

I'm no vet, and I'm no doctor, but it doesn't hurt to ask about it.

mts

honestly you need to stop playing armchair vet and relax. if you don't trust your current vet to do the right thing, then find a new one

Mad Jazz

Yeah. Also, if you have concerns, ask your vet before he injects mystery stuff into your cat. Seriously, you're allowed. He'll explain what it is, why he's giving it, and what it could potentially do (at least, he should). After that, you either trust the guy or you don't, and if you don't, you should go find someone you do trust.

ceres

mts wrote: »

honestly you need to stop playing armchair vet and relax. if you don't trust your current vet to do the right thing, then find a new one

This. You should definitely stop going to the internet for the answers to your questions and start asking your vet at this point, because you're getting a little hysterical about it. If you feel like your vet has no answers for you, find a different one. Eventually though, you're going to have to pick one and let them do their job, because whatever you may think or read of an injection you aren't trained to use and aren't even sure its identity, not a whole lot is more deadly to a cat than the health problems yours currently has.