My cat is on Clindamycin for an infection

[pettbear]

Two weeks ago, my cat sneezed blood for the first time...He was sneezing before  I thought because he had a cold..Next day I took my cat to my family vet and she said it could be a couple of things that caused the sneezing of the blood.  A tooth in his mouth looked infected..The root of the tooth was hitting the inside of his nose. I asked the question to vet if she thought it be cancer. The vet took blood work  for some test...Most of the results were negative..She said two of the tests there were some count of white cells.. The  vet put my cat on two drops of liquid Clindamycin.  Now it is two weeks now..I have been giving my cat the drops.  The sneezing has not really gone a way yet...I called the vet and the vet lab worker told me to give it more time and to finish the medicine. The vet gave me two bottles to finish... I am really worried about this whole thing ...Hoping that Clindamycin will work...If the Clindamycin does not work...is there another medicine that could do the trick?

[pettbear]

This is a comment from pettbear....I went to the vet this morning...The cat got an x-ray of his head...yes there was something there.in the left nostril ....Doctor said not life threating...but suggested that I can go to a specialist to get a nasil test...to see if it is cancer.  The vet gave me more antibiotic medicine to give to the cat.  Orbifloxacin the antibiotic and Polymyxin eye drops...The vet instructed me to finish all the medicine...The vet will call me next week to see how my cat is doing with this new medicine...and he gave me the x-ray to take with me when I go see the specialist.  The vet said he had cat with similar problem and survived for a couple of years.  Hopefully this time the meds will work...I did ask the vet about Cryptococcosis, he said that infection is very rare for an indoor cat...

[pettbear]

Thank you for the useful information.  Tomorrow is his last dose of the Zpack antibiotic.  It seems there is no improvement yet.  I will get him to the vet soon to explain to them no improvement and to be tested for Cryptococcosis...I hope that this may solve the mystery...He functions normal..eating, sleeping and running around.  The symptoms listed seem to equal what they have there...There is no swollen around the neck..but there is some redness around his neck and ears...not really severe...Anyhow I will let you know the conditions soon.  Thank You.

[Jade59]

Sorry, mistyped earlier...Cryptococcucus is a fungal infection CAUSED by the inhalation of bird droppings.  

Common symptoms of cryptococcosis include;

    Sneezing & snuffling
    Raspy breathing
    Nasal discharge;
    >>>Hard, nodular skin swellings, most often over the bridge of the nose
    Skin lesions on the head
    Swollen lymph nodes
    Lethargy
    Loss of appetite


Other symptoms may be present depending on what organ systems are involved. These may include;

    Neurologic abnormalities (seizures, incoordination, behavioral changes)
    Eye disorders (chorioretinitis; inflammation of the choroid and retina of the eye)

[Jade59]

Hello, pettbear.  If kitty isn't better at the end of the z-pack, please ask to be tested for Cryptococcus.  This is a fungal infection found in bird droppings.  Infections typically arise when a cat inhales the fungal spores from the environment.  Even if your kitty is exclusively indoors, the spores can be tracked in on your shoes.  

My kitty had this when we first took over her care.  We pilled her twice a day with Fluconazole (human anti-fungal med) for 3 solid months.  I am reading an article in the pet section in my morning paper today and it suggests 6mos of dosing, however.  We were initially advised to medicate Jade for 2mos, but we went one more month just to be sure.  We were successful in getting rid of it - this was 6yrs ago.  

Very best of luck!

[opus88]

of course wishing you and kitty tons of luck, keep us posted and Merry Christmas:))

[pettbear]

Thank you for your reply and comment...I will give the cat the Z pack meds starting Saturday morning...this will  be for five days...I will.see how this works......I took Z pack meds for a bad cold...it started to get better after the dose was finished.  I am hoping and praying that this works. The vet said it is a much stronger antibiotic then clindamycin.  I am sorry about the spelling of this med...wish me luck...thank you

[opus88]

worth a try for sure...don't feel guilty, I don't think a bump on the head would have anything to do with whats going on here...
No don't go to an emergency clinic they wouldn't do anymore than what your Vet is already doing..re tests and meds...he needs a referral from your Vet to see a specialist if there is any in your neck of the woods?

IMO a teeth cleaning isn't going to solve or correct any of what is going on now...IF the sneezing and blood clears up that cross that bridge when you get there, putting your kitty through a cleaning now is just not right. If it is a dental infection of some sort than what he needs later is extractions...and cleanings can be done at that time, just not now...just a thought has your Vet checked with a light source just to be sure there isn't something lodged up in his nose? something there that could be irritating and festering...??
good luck♥

[pettbear]

Thank you for your response...I just call the vet...she told me there was another medicine to take...Zpack...another antibiotic...it is drops and to give to the cat for five days...I also thought it could be cancer too...I would have to go to an emergency vet ctr to get a better diagnosis....This could be an expensive venture...I noticed when the cat sneezes...it goes to itch its neck ....and his eyes tear up....I remembered last year that he had bumped his head ....when I accidently opened the door ...it hit his head...gee I feel guilty about it now...I don't feel any lumps in his neck or any where in his head...The vet said maybe the cat should get a good teeth cleaning...anyhow thanks again for your response...

[opus88]

hi and welcome.....sorry to hear abt your kitties troubles..clindamycin drops are a very good choice for dental infections...however I am concerned you've not seen improvement in 2 weeks...they are not recommended for use for more than 14 days!!! I will give you a link to this info...

I think your kitty really needs to see a Vet specialist...is there a teaching Vet hospital nearby? they would have a variety of specialist to look more thoroughly into whats going on.....kitty needs a good xray at the least and by the sounds of it some dental work. I don't want to scare you until you've seen the proper doctors but this could very well be a tumor/cancer. One of my kitties had the same symptoms years ago, we saw the specialist..did all the tests and was told it was a malignancy and b/c of the location(nasal passages) she had to be put to sleep...
but don't panic until all other possibilities have been explored..are you able to take kitty to those that can better deal with these issues?
sending you both our love and well wishes, keep us updated please♥