Reaction to antibiotics?

[Medical Herby]

Hello all, I need some advice after six visits to the vet with Herby, my 13y male cat.

The Friday right before memorial day, my cat started showing signs of a UTI or blockage, straining in the litterbox after frequent visits with only a few drops of urine being released. I took him to the ER that same day, and thankfully, they didn't find a blockage but did say there was some debris in his bladder.

I took him to his regular vet on Sunday and was prescribed a whole host of medications, including clav amoxicillin, muscle relaxer and pain medication for discomfort. For the most part, he took to the medicine pretty well, or as well as a cat can. He was on clav amoxicillin for ten days, ending on a Wednesday. The next day, a Thursday, I noticed he didn't have an appetite and had actually thrown up overnight. That Friday, he threw up again and was nauseous. I decided to take him to the vet on Friday, and he was given an appetite simulator while they ran some blood, urine, and fecal analysis. I got the results on Saturday, and according to the vet, they were remarkably unremarkable, except for showing some dehydration. We got him back to the vet that Saturday after the vet recommended a liquid IV and some anti-nausea medication.

On Sunday, I gave him his appetite simulator, and he seemed ok, except for seeming very tired (I might be projecting, but he was probably exhausted from all the vet visits). I also started adding some probiotics to his wet food seeing as so many cats seem to have GI issues after antibiotics.

Well, now it's Monday, and Herby ate, used the litterbox (for both processes) and was even a little playful. I went out to run errands for a few hours and came back to find that he had thrown up on my bed and floor. He seemed nauseous but was eating dry food. I just got off the phone with the vet, who is prescribing anti-nausea medication and recommending abdominal imaging.

I'm exhausted from all the vet visits that are definitely hitting my wallet, and I'm sure Herby is under a lot of stress from all of this after being relatively healthy for most of his life. I'm wondering if anyone here has experienced anything similar to this. Is it possible that this is a reaction to the antibiotics he was on or something more serious?

Thanks in advance for the support, everyone!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I doubt if it's a reaction to the antibiotics at since he's not been on them for several days if I am reading correctly. While on them he could definitely been nauseated, but once they have cleared his system, that should have gone away. His G tract could be out of whack, but that normally causes diarrhea, not nausea.

Does Herby normally eat dry or wet, or both? Was there any change in his food? Was his first dose of probiotics on Sunday? It's possible, though not probable, that the probiotics didn't agree with him and caused the vomiting. How much did you give him and what kind?

If you don't want to immediately take him back to the Vet, you could always monitor him for a couple of days and see how he does on the anti-emetic the Vet prescribed. If he does well, then see what happens if you don't give it to him. If the vomiting comes back, then you may need to bite the bullet and get that scan. Or talk to your Vet about what he might be looking for with a scan and ask if there are any less expensive tests that can be done instead, since money might be an issue.

 

[Medical Herby]

Thanks so much for the response; I wish I had found this forum with my previous kitty.

Yes, his first dose of probiotics was Sunday; I gave him 1/4 teaspoon of NaturVet Digestive Enzymes (pre and probiotic). Herby eats both wet and dry, although I'd weening him off dry after he had some dental work done last year. I just recently switched him over to a UT wet food after his UTI. Since he wasn't eating last week, I offered him some dry, and he has been eating it after having some wet and keeping it down when on the appetite stimulant.

I'll definitely see what happens with the anti-emetic and, hopefully, give him a break from the vet in the meantime, but I think you're right; it's likely I'll schedule the scan for next week if nothing changes.

 

[stephanietx]

Clavamox is known for having ill side effects on cats. My vet won't even prescribe it. I had a cat who would start throwing up after about 3 doses of it. It wouldn't surprise me if it was a reaction to the medication. Is he on a probiotic? That might help his GI tract settle down and firm up poops and settle his tummy.

 

[Medical Herby]

After reading some threads here, I started him on probiotics; I'm giving him 1/2 doses and working my way up to full. He was taking the Clavamox fine for the first few days, but near the end of the course, he would fight extremely hard against the dose. His poops were a lot softer about three days ago, but I noticed yesterday that they were slightly firmer.