My cat has feline chlamydia, will it ever go away?
Posted on September 10, 2008
Filed Under Cats |
Chlamydia is a repritory dieses with cats. He sneezes and coughs all the time and often has runny noses. About a year ago I rescued an abandond kitten in a barn, and brought it home, I put about $3500, into trying to get her better, she ended up passing away, but also passed on the diese onto my other two cats. I have taken them both to the vet several times, and they keep giving them the same medicines and treatments, and they are not working. I have been to 8 differant vets. And my family keeps telling me that I am crazy to be spending so much on my cats, so far i have spent close to $7000, on them trying to get them better and nothing has worked yet. Any one have any advice?
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4 Responses to “My cat has feline chlamydia, will it ever go away?”
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If your vet cant cure it it might be better just you put the cat out of its misery.
Sorry.
Are you sure its Chlamydia? If it is something else that looks like Chlamydia then that could be why the medicine isnt working. Like bronchitis or fluid in the lungs or something.
Chlamydiosis usually is mild enough to be treated with antibiotics on an outpatient basis. Tetracyline eye ointment is usually prescribed to treat the infection. Cats generally need to be treated for several weeks, sometimes as long as 6 weeks. In cases of chlamydiosis outbreaks in multicat households or pet adoption shelters, all the cats may need to be treated. Pet owners should keep their cats eyes and nostrils clean and clear of discharge.
Infected cats should be separated from other cats and kept indoors to prevent the spread of infection, and to minimize the cats exposure to outdoor stressors, like fights with other cats.
Some veterinarians recommend that infected cats be vaccinated. Vaccination can reduce the severity and duration of the disease. Some cats may experience a slight adverse reaction to the vaccine (i.e., a short-lived, mild, clinical disease).
Supportive nutritional therapy (e.g., feeding the cat through a tube or intravenously) generally isnt necessary unless the infection occurs with another URI, and the cat becomes anorexic.
Prevention
Cats that live in multicat households or pet adoption shelters should be vaccinated. Vaccination may not prevent infection, but it can reduce the severity and duration of disease. Cats should receive one vaccination at their initial visit, and annual vaccinations thereafter.
Veterinarians generally recommend that cats that live in single-cat households not be vaccinated because the incidence of disease is so low.
More here:
Unfortunately, there are many diseases in cats that are chronic (meaning long-term illness). Chlamydia is one of them. You can only treat them as symptoms occur, but it’s not possible to ever fully cure them. If you are OK with the vet bills, then ignore your family, only you know if your cats are worth the money you spend on them. Definitely keep them indoor only and don’t get any new cats while you have them. If you do decide not to keep them, wait at least 6 months to get a new cat to reduce the chances that it’s still in the environment. Any new cat that you get should be vaccinated before you bring it home. Wish I had better news for you, this is a sad story I’ve heard many times.
Chlamydia in felines is a bacterial infection, and it can be successfully treated with a course of oral antibiotics. Only certain antibiotics are able to penetrate inside the cells where Chlamydia resides. Treatment must be continued for a minimum of 4 weeks and for at least ten days after the eyes appear normal. In some cases, topical antibiotic treatment in the form of eye ointment may also be given.
Also, talk to your vet about giving your cat a treatment of Zithromax if he/she hasn’t tried it already. It’s a single-dose treatment, as opposed to the standard treatment of four weeks of Vibravet; many vets are unfamiliar with Zithromax as a feline treatment, as it may not have been promoted to them as an animal drug. The dosage of Zithromax for cats is 20mg per kg of body weight.
Good luck!