UTI, antibiotics, and hairloss

Hi,
My cat has been diagnosed with UTI and CRF in late May at age of ~12 (we did not get her as a kitten). We first tried the fluid Clovomax (62.5mg), and the cat got better, but every time we pulled her off antibiotics she would crash in 2-3 days. Putting her back on she feels a lot better.

The fluid Clovomax was not effective and she would spit half of it out. Our kitty is very gentle so we learned to give it the pill and make sure she swallows the entire pill.

We did 4 weeks of the Clovomax fluid, and now we are on our 3rd week of the Clovomax pill. The original prescription was for two weeks, but 3 days after that the cat started feeling sick so we resumed the therapy for another 2 weeks.

We had the Vet run the Clovomax to see if it was effective against this bacteria, and the culture proved it was.

For her CRF, we started to give the cat Sub Q every other day (or every day while my parents are here, but I am alone taking care of the cat).

One thing I noticed is that the cat has lost a lot of hair, especially in the lower abdomen region. I read somewhere (via google) that this is not so uncommon with UTI.

A couple of questions:
1) How long will she need to be on antibiotics? If after this therapy is finished she still has bacteria, what is the recommended treatment? I know amoxicilin is quiet simple, but I wondering if its not effective and if we should maybe try another antibiotic.
2) Should I be concerned about her hair loss? Will her hair return if she gets better?
3) Besides the Sub Q, is there anything else you would recommend as a treatment?

Thank you so much for your advice and help!

Kind regards,
George

I'm sorry I don't have any experience with CRF, someone who is more experienced with this will be along shortly, I'm sure.

Prayers and

She might be on antibiotics for a few months. My Coco just finished hers last week and had her Urine test on Sat. She was on them for 2 months. Like your Cat after they are stopped her problem comes back. Can the Vet try another Med. We had to switch to Baytril with Coco because she would throw up the Clavamox and the Cefa Drops. Your Cat might be like Coco where it takes months to get rid of. She also chews fur off herself. Did your Vet ever take a Utrasound? To amny Bladder infetions can go to the Kidneys. My Vet told me that with Coco. Is your Cat on food for her problems? You can pm if you want more info. Coco has alot of bladder infections.

Hi mews2much,

Did you get the tests results from Saturday? I hope the antibiotics are working for Coco and she beat the UTI infection. My cat's lower abdomen is very bare, I am not sure if she licked all the hair off or it just fell out.

She is responding to Clavamox ok in the pill form (for now), but she hates me every time I give it to her (though she does not bite or scratch me).

Maybe its stress related too.. I am just concerned if I have to elevate the hair loss to my vet or not, and if the antibiotics will kill all the bacteria.

The change in diet do to CRF is more of a long-term adjustment, provided she pulls from UTI ok.

Thanks!

Cocos test was good. I posted it seperate because I didnt want to hog your thread. I know alot about Crf also. My Stripe I lost to it and Stormy Cocos girl I lost at age 5 last Dec from Kidney Problems. I did see alot of hair fall out on Stomy but it grew back. Stripe nevr lost hair from Crf. Do you see any rash on her? Coco had a Rash from the Clavamox. Sounds like she chewed it off from bladder pain. Coco licks her self there alot.

pred02-

UTIs in CRF kitties can be particularly difficult - read: more difficult, not impossible - to treat. They can move deep into the bladder and take longer to eradicate; they can move deep into the kidneys and again, take longer to treat successfully. There is an amazing CRF website where you can read about UTIs and kidney infections with more here.

I noticed that Baytril was mentioned...just a word of caution for you. Baytril can be a very effective antibiotic for certain difficult-to-treat infections ("deep" infections: kidney and inner ear) BUT, unlike most antibiotics, can have serious side effects if not very accurately dosaged......more here. If it should be prescribed, double/tripple-check the dosage.

Many people who unexpectedly find themselves dealing with chronic health conditions are getting amazing practical help from people who have already been doing this with success for some time - in many cases, for years. Groups of these people meet online and share problems & solutions...all the while discovering that their collective experience and knowledge most often surpasses that of their Vets. If you think that kind of experience might help, you'll find one group 24/7/365 here.

Now, a point about Vets...if you haven't experienced this already, many of us are well aware that all Vets are not "created equal". For many reasons, not all Vets are adequately knowledgeable nor experienced in treating CRF kitties. Some people who have found Vets with excellent CRF competence have listed their Vets on this website. (I'm not suggesting that you have any reason to question your Vet's abilities - I'm only laying out that resource for you.)

My Vet knew about the side effects of Baytril and Coco only got half a bill.
It can cause blindness if to much is given. We wre out of options when she got it also. She is allergic to so much Meds.

Originally Posted by BLAISE

pred02-

UTIs in CRF kitties can be particularly difficult - read: more difficult, not impossible - to treat. They can move deep into the bladder and take longer to eradicate; they can move deep into the kidneys and again, take longer to treat successfully. There is an amazing CRF website where you can read about UTIs and kidney infections with more here.

I noticed that Baytril was mentioned...just a word of caution for you. Baytril can be a very effective antibiotic for certain difficult-to-treat infections ("deep" infections: kidney and inner ear) BUT, unlike most antibiotics, can have serious side effects if not very accurately dosaged......more here. If it should be prescribed, double/tripple-check the dosage.

Many people who unexpectedly find themselves dealing with chronic health conditions are getting amazing practical help from people who have already been doing this with success for some time - in many cases, for years. Groups of these people meet online and share problems & solutions...all the while discovering that their collective experience and knowledge most often surpasses that of their Vets. If you think that kind of experience might help, you'll find one group 24/7/365 here.

Now, a point about Vets...if you haven't experienced this already, many of us are well aware that all Vets are not "created equal". For many reasons, not all Vets are adequately knowledgeable nor experienced in treating CRF kitties. Some people who have found Vets with excellent CRF competence have listed their Vets on this website. (I'm not suggesting that you have any reason to question your Vet's abilities - I'm only laying out that resource for you.)

Click to expand...

Thank you so much for the invaluable situation. It is good because the list references major pet centers/hospitals in my area, including the center where we are currently treating Djidji - Angel Memorial. I noticed that Dr. Douglas Bloom is referenced from Angel; I will try to get in touch with him and see if he can review the results and let us know of the treatment.

Per what I read on the CRF site, it seems that it might that a longer dosage to treat cats with UTI and CRF; this is consistent though the earlier vets recommended 2 week dosages with two week pause which was not able to eliminate the bacteria. I will have Djidji tested before she gets off her last dose to determine if she needs to continue the dose. They tested the bacteria to see if its resistant against Clovomax, and it is not (antibiotic is effective). However I want to make sure that the bacteria does not grow resistant and consider other options.

I will let you know once I get an answer back from Dr. Bloom. Today I did my first Subq alone. I missed the first two times, but then was successful. I was not able to give her the full dose (50ml) but only 30ml. Still pretty good considering I stung her 3 times to get it right. She is a lovely cat, and I hope she will understand this is going to make her feel better.

Kind regards

Your better then me at it. I had to take Stripe to the vet 2-3 times a week for Sub Q's because she went crazy everytime. I hope your Cat will be ok.