Do cats have tonsils? er.. or something

[purrfectcatlove]

I had all three meds befor to give my Snowball

, however each cat react different to different meds . All 3 are good Sicy .

I will be praying that Zoey don't need any more meds at all and that nasty thing will go away by itself

 

[mzjazz2u]

Glad to hear things are going better.

 

[cat-tech]

Sicycat, clindamycin is usually well-tolerated by most cats and will probably target the infection better than clavamox. Baytril doesn't have to be a scary med for you, since the new dosing guidelines have been adapted, there is less potential for reactions.

For you and other readers, it is good you took her in when you did. Lymph nodes can be checked by you at home on a regular basis. Now that you know the location (of the primary lymphs, next to and below the jawline), if ever you feel them swollen, never wait to get them checked. Sometimes they are reactive, as in, an allergy reaction, or infection, or in more serious cases, immunosuppression. As long as the labs didn't indicate abnormally high white cells, the infection will probably clear in due course. It is when the WBC is out of normal range or inflammatory conditions are detected that you want to explore further.

Hope this helps, hang in there and try not to be afraid of new antibiotics, if ever kitty vomits or seems lethargic after an antibiotic, always cease it until you can contact your vet for further instruction..................Traci

 

[sicycat]

Thanks Traci. The vet said the same thing about the Clavamox though, that it was well tolerated.

Her blood cells were fine.. her node was just really inflammed and probly had an infection. I hope the rest of it goes away by itself. I just really dont want to have to put her back on meds, I am scared now. I hated seeing her not eat. It just ripped my heart out.

 

[cat-tech]

I know it's scary when they develop anorexia, but some of that may be contributed to the actual infection, also the location (painful lymph node so close to jawline, eating becomes difficult). Infections can also cause a kitty to just feel blah and not want to eat.

Clavamox is such a wide spectrum and common antibiotic, we'd like to think it wouldn't leave side effects, but some kitties do have vomiting, diarrhea or other mild effects. This could be said of any antibiotic, not every one will be appropriate for every cat.

I've had good experiences with clindamycin, low-dosed and for a temporary course, it will do the job. If you can, get it in oral form, where you can administer it quickly through a syringe or eyedropper, sometimes suspensions are easier on kitty.

Again, if it comes to that and you switch to another antibiotic, just monitor her closely and at the first sign of an ill-effect, cease it's use until you can contact your vet. You can also opt for injectable baytril, which may only need to be given once, and would be least likely to cause anorexia or lethargy. If you are giving any oral meds, try feeding her at least a half hour beforehand, so she has something in her stomach to absorb it. ................Traci

 

[sicycat]

Well she's officially back to her old self again, after about 36 hours stopping the meds. Eating fine and now running around the house like a freak with Saki.

She was fine before the meds too. I dont think the node itself is causing her any discomfort at all. It's pretty small. It's the meds, I'm sure of it.

Hopefully if I have to put her back on meds she wont have such a bad reaction as the Clavamox.

Thanks for all your advice

 

[3blackcats]

Well she's officially back to her old self again, after about 36 hours stopping the meds. Eating fine and now running around the house like a freak with Saki.

Yay, glad to hear Zoey is doing better!

 

[amberthe bobcat]

Sicy, yes, homeopathic medications are for infections. Here is the best part. Antibiotics work only for bacterial infections, where homeopathic can work on both, virus and bacteria. Antibiotics work on a broad spectrum, killing a wide range of bacteria, where homeopathic medication targets your immune system to fight the infection. I have 2 proven results, I have many more, but I will only explain 2. When I first Aurora, my female Pixie Bob, she arrived here with a mild upper respiratory infection. To make a very very long story, approx 2-3 months worth, short, Aurora was treated with all 3 antibiotics that I have seen mentioned here, along with a tracheal wash. The tracheal was was performed because NO antibiotic was working, the vet needed to determine what bacteria was there. Well, it was back to the antibiotics...again, still, no results. I spoke with the breeder, whom I purchased Aurora from. She introduced me to homeopathic meds. So, I said what the heck, after 2-3 months, nothing else was working. So, I treated her, I won't explain in detail, this is long enough. After 2 WEEKS, much to my surprise back then, Aurora was cured! No caughing, no sneezing and no thick mucus coming from her poor nose.

Well, you may thinking, it is a coincidence, the antibiotics finally worked. I admit, so did I back then, but not now. Here is another example and I will stop, I promise. I have many more, but this is one of the best. Last summer, Aurora became very ill again. She came down with pyometra. I don't know if anyone is aware of what pyometra is, but to those who don't, it is a serious and often deadly, if not treated, infection of the uterus. This infection is so serious, that most often, the only thing a vet can do is spay the female. Aurora was so sick, she had pus running out of her!! But, since the pus was draining, this is called an open pyometra, we had time. A closed pyometra is worse, because no pus drains and the tubes will rupture! Before deciding to get her spayed, the breeder and I treated her once again, with homeopathics. Again, the results were fantastic, she was cured and NO antibiotic was given.
Now, don't anyone get me wrong, I AM NOT telling everyone to stop going to the vet. In every case where I have used homeopathics, my cats did go to the vet FIRST. Once I knew exactly what they had wrong, I treated them with homeopathics. You can use both too, they will not interfere with each other or cause the antibiotic to stop working. By the way, I use homeopathics on myself too. I get migraines and I have cures for those. I no longer use the over the counter stuff. When the headache is gone, I don't have that medicine head feeling either. Ok, I am done, this was just some very good advise

 

[sicycat]

So what specific kind do you recommend? I went to look online and it seems there are many different "kinds" that target different things, but I didnt see one for swollen lymph nodes.

 

[cat-tech]

Reference Articles

Please read before considering homeopathics...You're dealing with a lymph node infection, there is no homeopathic remedy that can "cure" that infection. Most are homeopathic remedies are anecdotal at best.

Most pet owners don't understand the action of broad spectrum antibiotics and their usefulness. While they don't specifically target a VIRAL, they DO target secondary bacterial infections that are common with any primary disease or infection. Secondary infections can cause more problems than the intitial primary problem. This is why antibiotics are prescribed, to help halt those potentials.

 

[amberthe bobcat]

Sicy, I have 2 very good books here. The first is, Cats: Homeopathic Remedies by George Macleod and the second one is,Homeopathic Care of Cats and Dogs by Don Hamilton. Both of these authors are DVM's. I looked in the first book and they have a few treatments for enlarged lymph nodes, but these were all due to other diseases. From what I have read here, it doesn't seem like Zoey had anything else wrong, other than an enlarged lymph node? There are remedies for general infections, but I would need to know ther other synptoms, like, does Zoey have a fever? Is she listles? Are her gums pale? These are all the things the books asks and then gives you specific remedies. I am not sure if you have a store near you that sells homeopathic meds. If not, you can also get them through the mail and they do arrive really fast. I have store I go to, but if they do not have what I need, I mail order. One more thought on homeopathic meds. If you do give the wrong remedie, there are no side effects, it just doesn't work.
I will look in my books more, to see if I can find anything else. They are good to have, since you could look at your cat while reading, to see what remedy you would use.
I have to also mention, I am not a registered homeopath (Doctor of Homeopathic medicine)but the authors of the 2 books mentioned are. There are homepathic vets in Ohio, but the closest one for me is near Columbus, Ohio, but that is a 2 1/2 hour drive for me. I NEVER diagnose my own animals condition. I always go to my vet and after finding out what they have, I use the homeopathic meds to help the cure.
By the way, for all you party lovers out there. I have a good remedy for that "hangover"

Not that I recomend going out and over indulging in alcohol, but I am sure, at one time, most of us have done it

 

[amberthe bobcat]

Cat-Tech, I wonder why antibiotics NEVER worked for Auroa, but the homeopathics DID work for her when she had a serious up respiratory infection (lasted 3 months) and pyometra? Now, I know there is no cure for everyhting and I always take my vets advise. But, everytime I have used homeopathics, my cats always got better and most of the time I stopped the antibiotics, because I was tired of making my cats vomit. Antibiotics kill bacteria, where homeopathic meds work by stimulating the immune system to make it work. I would NEVER go against my vets advise and risk my cats health, but homeopathics DO work and much better than people who never tried them realize. We Americans are blind. We are told for years how things should be and never look to the alternative. I don't use conventional "over the counter medications" for myself any more. (I am not talking about prescription drugs that my doctor would prescribe). But, I get migraines, I have a remedy that works BETTER than anything I have bought over the counter. I no longer have that "empty" or "medicine head" feeling after the pain is gone. I can not take over the counter meds for colds and sinus. The stuff that works makes me so tired, I would die in a car crash or fall asleep at work. When it does work, my sinuses get so dried out, that the mucus blocks tem and I can not breathe for a month after. The non drowsy stuff doesn't work. Yes, I DO have homeopathic meds that work for this as well, with greater results and NO side effects.
Again, I am not a doctor or a vet!! But, we should not be so closed to new ideas. There are other ways.

 

[cat-tech]

As I said, most of it is anecdotal....in other words, tincture of time explains the majority of it.

Your cat was already on antibiotics, probably long enough for them to have targeted the infection to some degree. The rest was probably simply tincture of time.

A repected vet said recently, "we put blinkers (blinders) on our horses, but alternative minded people seem to put the same blinders on, accusing the rest of us we are narrow-minded and closed-minded." You are welcome to interpret that any way you like.

As for the pyometra, in all the years in my profession, I have heard one other person say her dog was treated successfully with homeopathic remedies. But, guess what, the dog had been previously treated with correct antibiotics and other veterinary care PRIOR to healing...it was proven that the initial treatment was the success, the owner simply wanted to believe her homeopathic remedies worked.

For your own personal health, you can make choices in what you want to medicate with, but why people want to take those risks with their pets is beyond me. Veterinary science is much more complicated than human medicine, there is much to learn, research and develop safety margins for our pets. The physiology of pets is is on a totally different level than humans.

If you check some of the links on the url I posted, you will find various resources including PubMed that question these modalities and have often proved they do not work, as well as contraindications of many of them.

In the long run, it is your choice, I'm not here to argue your point...just as you have chosen alternatives to treat yourself and your cats, I have chosen conventional, based on evidence-based medicine...............Traci

 

[sicycat]

Originally posted by cat-tech
Please read before considering homeopathics...You're dealing with a lymph node infection, there is no homeopathic remedy that can "cure" that infection. Most are homeopathic remedies are anecdotal at best.

That's what I thought, and was saying.. which is why I am skeptical.

Zoey has NO OTHER SYMPTOMS. It's simply an inflammed node most likely due to Saki biting her on or around that area with his razor sharp teeth. She has no illness, no disease, as confirmed by the slide sample... and no sympotms at all. The only time she has had symptoms is when she was on the medication

This kind of thing would be like a last resort for me. I would never try to treat my cat myself, I would always first go with whatever the vet tells me. I just want what's best for my boo.

As of today it seems like the swollen node is getting smaller. I am still hoping that she had enough antibiotics (7 days) to have treated this and I will keep monitoring her

 

[hissy]

Sicy I am glad she is getting better! I know how worried you were about her. You did the right thing by her, every step of the way. Every cat should be as fortunate as she is to have someone who cares as you do in their corner.

 

[sicycat]

Aww hissy.. thank you so much. That means a lot coming from you

 

[amberthe bobcat]

Traci, Aurora's pyometra was treated with homeopathics, nothing else. She had kittens 5 months later.
Don't get me wrong folks, my cats do get the very best care. From a standard non homeopathic vet. If you read my posts, I do not diagnose what is wrong with my cats, I only help the cure. I was just here to given PROVEN advise. Homeopathics DO work, there is NO proof that they don't.