My vet has prescribed Zeniquin to my 8 month old cat for a URI that hasn't responded to other antiobiotics. I started giving it to him this morning but then reading up on it found out it says not to give to cats under 12 months old because it can cause joint development issues (according to the VCA website).
I'm really not eager to give my cat a lifelong joint issue because he has a cold, so I'm not going to give him any more (he's only had one dose). But I'm debating how badly my vet screwed up by prescribing it to him. Is this a common thing and the 12+ months is more of a soft recommendation? Or is this a dangerous thing that should absolutely never be prescribed under that age and will lead to severe developmental issues?
I'm new to the area and trying to evaluate if I should be looking for a different vet because this is a major oversight or if this is a reasonable off-label prescription that many vets would be likely to make. (E.g. Cerenia is for 'dogs only' but there's a lot of research that it works well in cats so I would have no problem with a vet prescribing it.)
I'm really not eager to give my cat a lifelong joint issue because he has a cold, so I'm not going to give him any more (he's only had one dose). But I'm debating how badly my vet screwed up by prescribing it to him. Is this a common thing and the 12+ months is more of a soft recommendation? Or is this a dangerous thing that should absolutely never be prescribed under that age and will lead to severe developmental issues?
I'm new to the area and trying to evaluate if I should be looking for a different vet because this is a major oversight or if this is a reasonable off-label prescription that many vets would be likely to make. (E.g. Cerenia is for 'dogs only' but there's a lot of research that it works well in cats so I would have no problem with a vet prescribing it.)