Help!

[nenna71]

Came home on Christmas night to a very lethargic cat, Gunther. Woke the next morning to him being the same and refusing to it and I felt that he had a high fever. Rushed him to the Emergency Vet where they took blood and urine samples. Did imaging as well. Nothing came back as odd except his white blood cells were a little off. His temp was 105 so they gave him sq fluids and an injection of Baytril. We came home and he was still refusing to eat and was just hiding and sleeping. Come to Wednesday AM and I take him to my vet because he is still not eating. They prescribe a fever reducer and an appetite stimulant. But no one can tell me where this fever is coming from and we are now into Thursday and he still is lethargic but walking around more. His eyes are runny and goopy, his meow sounds different and last night he started sneezing. Fever of Unknown Origin was thrown around.
My question is, has anyone ever had a pet hold a fever for four days? Is this normal even when taking Veraflox for the last two days? Am I just panicking and not giving the meds time to work? I am in panic mode due to losing a cat to FIP and I am in the middle of a trauma response because I have never not seen Gunther bounce right back from being sick. I appreciate all the insight you may have.
Thank you all!

 

[gemmamiso]

Did your vet run any tests before prescribing the medication, or were they looking just to treat the symptoms?

 

[nenna71]

Did your vet run any tests before prescribing the medication, or were they looking just to treat the symptoms?

Yes, did a blood panel, urinalysis and X-rays. The only thing that stood out was slightly elevated white blood cells.

 

[FeebysOwner]

How old is Gunther? Has he been tested/vaccinated for FeLV or FIV? His symptoms are more than just a fever, given his runny eyes and sneezing. The two antibiotics he has received are of the same class of drug, so I am guessing Baytril was given via injection and Veraflox as a follow-up oral med - they are 'fast acting', but only two days into the Veraflox might not be enough time to see improvement. Both meds can cause lethargy, btw.

Most antibiotics can also cause stomach upset, so it is important to get him to eat, especially when he takes the Veraflox. Is he eating some now? If not, you can try to jump start his eating with some baby food meat (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut). It seems many cats, even ones who are not feeling well, like the taste enough to eat.

Other testing to ask the vet about, if Gunther doesn't start to turn around, are blood antibody/antigen levels and PCR tests to help identify whether a viral, bacterial, or protozoal infection could be causing the fever. That could help narrow down if another antibiotic, or a different medication altogether, might be tried after finishing the Veraflox.

I'd also ask about what else he can take to help keep the fever down if it is still pretty high.

 

[nenna71]

Yes, he was tested for both and both tests came back negative. He is UTD with all vaccines and sees our vet yearly for a wellness check. He will be three in a few months.
He is eating now, both wet and dry food but he threw up the dose of Veraflox that I gave him earlier. But no where the amount of food that he normally eats. But he seems to be more alert this afternoon and following me and my husband around.

 

[gemmamiso]

How is Gunther doing?