Cat question for fishndvm or other vet

[crazy charlie]

We have had our Mainecoon for almost 2 years now.When we got her she had a dark substance in each nostril.The vet did not think much of it so I cleaned it with a Qtip every day and it always came back.It is very easy to spot because she has a pink nose.So I brought her back to the vet in a few weeks when she started sneezing.The vet gave me Clavimox(spell check)to give her every day for 2 weeks and then switch to every other day and eventually every third day.It was 99.9% gone when the Clav.ran out.The boogers reappeared a few weeks later and when I called the vet she said to come in for more clav.I have just run out again and she still has this problem.The sneezing stopped pretty quick.Is my cat going to have to live witha respiratory ailment forever or should I seek a second opinion.Charlie

 

[fishndvm]

Re: Cat question for fishndvm or other vet

Charlie,<br /> These things can sometimes be a real problem. Some cats get either a bacterial or viral upper respiratory infection as kittens, and then they essentially recover except for the chronic nasal discharge. Some vets will stick a culture swab in the nostril in an attempt to be able to grow the bacterial culprit and do an antibiotic sensitivity to see which one(s) will work best. The problem is that this is rarely very useful. I would first try changing the antibiotic empirically and see what happens. If things go well, don't stop too soon. Go for three weeks minimum, and possibly longer. If you once again get a relapse, we generally recommend that the nasal cavity be scoped. If your vet doesn't have this equipment, he or she can usually refer you to someone who does. Through the scope, the operator can get a first hand look at what's going on in there, and samples can then be taken for histopathology, cytology, and culture. Although I wouldn't expect the problem to get much or any better on antibiotics as it already has, fungal infections are always on the rule out list, and can usually be detected through the use of the scope.

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: Cat question for fishndvm or other vet

Thanks for the reply!!!!! I just picked her up another pack of Clavimox tabs and going to do twice a day for a week and then every other day after that.My vet reminded me that she want to do bloodwork in December.Thnks again and any other thoughts and suggestions are appreciated.Charlie