antibiotics: 7 or 10 days?

Hi,
Because of Bugsy's dental problems (immune gingivitis), his vet put him on a course of antibiotics, along with the steroid treatment. The vet said to give it to him from 7 to 10 days, and when I asked if I would give it to him for 7 or 10, she said that it depended on the symptoms. Well, the antibiotics were given as a prophylactic treatment, so checking the symptoms will not apply. She said when in doubt, give it for 10 days. I don't necessarily agree with it, specially because of the risks of liver damage for both drugs. I also don't agree in giving antibiotics unnecessarily, risking him to become drug-resistant.
So, for how long should I give it to him, 7 or 10 days? He is on ClinDrops. The vet left it up to me... What do you think?

I'm hoping that in this situation this information will be helpful to you

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/P...tomatitis.html

That is hard to say what to do.
Can you call another vet and get advice from them?
Just do not say who you are.

Originally Posted by Violet

I'm hoping that in this situation this information will be helpful to you

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/P...tomatitis.html

Click to expand...

Immune gingivitus is not the same as Lymphocytic-Plasmacytic Stomatitis, although a weakened immune system can play a part in either one of them. My Stumpy has LPS, and that is a horrible disease.

Do you know if Bugsy's condition is viral or bacterial based? If viral related, antibiotics are often given with gum diseases as a preventative measure to ward off bacterial infections when their systems are stressed. That's why the vet left it up to you. If the symptoms go away, there is no need to continue them. If it was a bacterial infection, I suspect that they'd prescribe the full 10 day treatment. There's no way we can give you any sound advice. I would call your vet back and ask them if it's viral or bacterial based.

Momofmany, have you ever tried Interferon?

Edit: Sorry, one more question. Did your kitty have any extractions?

PS I only posted Boot's Story for information. Hoping something might be helpful. There is a tremendous amount of information there.

Momofmany, one more for you. Have you seen this article?

http://www.veterinarypracticenews.co...tomatitis.aspx

Originally Posted by Momofmany

Immune gingivitus is not the same as Lymphocytic-Plasmacytic Stomatitis, although a weakened immune system can play a part in either one of them. My Stumpy has LPS, and that is a horrible disease.

Do you know if Bugsy's condition is viral or bacterial based? If viral related, antibiotics are often given with gum diseases as a preventative measure to ward off bacterial infections when their systems are stressed. That's why the vet left it up to you. If the symptoms go away, there is no need to continue them. If it was a bacterial infection, I suspect that they'd prescribe the full 10 day treatment. There's no way we can give you any sound advice. I would call your vet back and ask them if it's viral or bacterial based.

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He doesn't have an infection; the reason why she prescribed antibiotics was that his gums were so inflamed, and in some parts raw, that she was afraid of them getting infected, so she prescribed it to prevent an infection. Because of the depo-medrol shot, his gums are much better, but I am afraid the symptoms will never really go away, since this is a immune disease...

Originally Posted by Violet

Momofmany, have you ever tried Interferon?

Edit: Sorry, one more question. Did your kitty have any extractions?

Click to expand...

All of his teeth have been extracted, and it was done in 2 surgeries about 9 months apart. He's been toothless for over a year now. Interferon is difficult to get in the U.S. as its not certified for pets here. It's readily available in the U.K., and a vet has to get it thru foreign sources in this country to get it.

Originally Posted by carolinalima

He doesn't have an infection; the reason why she prescribed antibiotics was that his gums were so inflamed, and in some parts raw, that she was afraid of them getting infected, so she prescribed it to prevent an infection. Because of the depo-medrol shot, his gums are much better, but I am afraid the symptoms will never really go away, since this is a immune disease...

Click to expand...

There are different types of immune diseases that attack the gums. If this continues, you might ask your vet to do a biopsy for you to see if it truly is LPS (the link earlier). I did find a great yahoo group that deals with chronic stomatitis issues if you find this is chronic and want support specific to the topic.

I'll give you my opinion, but this is only my opinion, and it can't be replaced by sound advise from a vet. If you are dealing with an auto-immune disease, the least amount of antibiotics you use is better. If this is a lifelong problem, you don't want to build an immunity up to them now, as there is a chance that your baby will be on them on and off the rest of her life. It's frustrating at first, but you can control it with the right regime.

Originally Posted by Violet

Momofmany, one more for you. Have you seen this article?

http://www.veterinarypracticenews.co...tomatitis.aspx

Click to expand...

No, I hadn't seen that one before. It makes sense - thanks for the link!

Originally Posted by Momofmany

There are different types of immune diseases that attack the gums. If this continues, you might ask your vet to do a biopsy for you to see if it truly is LPS (the link earlier). I did find a great yahoo group that deals with chronic stomatitis issues if you find this is chronic and want support specific to the topic.

Click to expand...

Yes, since he got the steroid shot, and that is going to buy him sometime, I had decided to get a biopsy done next month, to get to the bottom of it. I Don't think it is LPS, as it is concentrated only to his gums, and not to the whole mouth...

I'll give you my opinion, but this is only my opinion, and it can't be replaced by sound advise from a vet. If you are dealing with an auto-immune disease, the least amount of antibiotics you use is better. If this is a lifelong problem, you don't want to build an immunity up to them now, as there is a chance that your baby will be on them on and off the rest of her life. It's frustrating at first, but you can control it with the right regime.

Click to expand...

This is exactly my thought as well - I don't want to give him anything more than the absolutely necessary... I will stop it tomorrow, which is the 7th day.

Originally Posted by carolinalima

Yes, since he got the steroid shot, and that is going to buy him sometime, I had decided to get a biopsy done next month, to get to the bottom of it. I Don't think it is LPS, as it is concentrated only to his gums, and not to the whole mouth...

Click to expand...

Stumpy's LPS started in the bottom right portion of his gums. Early stages can be very isolated. I don't want to scare you, but also don't want you to dismiss it because it doesn't look like the typical pictures you see of LPS.

Sending vibes that the depo helps and you get to the bottom of this soon.