civve scratching, clavamox 62.5mg given, ok to give??

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PeterDevonMocha

PeterDevonMocha

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My civvie cat twix has really been going at it by scratching herself to the point now where her throat has a swollen lump on it. It's right under her mouth on her throat area. I hope I'm describing this area right. I know it's tender to the touch because she stops purring when I touch it. She does however enjoy me rubbing her cheeks and her chin. She has lots of little scabs going on under her thick fur that she really gets a kick out of me rubbing. She has ALWAYS been prone to dry skin and we are getting ready to start running our humidifier this weekend for her. I want to know if it would be safe to put some neo w/ pain relief (the kind we use on mochas ears) on it for her?
 
Re: civve scratching, swollen throat

PeterDevonMocha said:
...her throat has a swollen lump on it. ... it's tender to the touch because she stops purring when I touch it.
Click to expand...

This sounds very much like a small abcess. Once a wound is made, it can get infected, which is what sounds like may have happened to your cat. These sometimes respond to the application of moist washclothes which help the circulation ... but at this point, with a possible abcess, I believe you should go to the vet for incision and drainage. Infection can become systemic if not dealt with swiftly.

Also, you might want to check the ear! I've got a civvie, Buster, who scratches his face bloody due to excessive ear wax discharge. And the teeth, too - mild dental discomfort may prompt scratching too.
 
Re: civve scratching, swollen throat

For dry skin do consider adding Omega-3 Fatty Acids to her diet.

I buy Fish Oil capsules and add the contents of one capsule to food 1x/day.

It really helped Pauline's dry flaky skin.
 
Re: civve scratching, swollen throat

thank you both for your replies. Adding fish capsules wont work with twix because she seems to have an allergy to fish products (at least in her foods) and also she eats dry, I know I know, but she broke out in rodent ulcers when on wet cat food. The food we buy her does contain Omega-3 Fatty acids (not sure if it contains more then normal but it says it contains that)

I suppose a vet visit might be in order. I was really hoping to avoid going to the vet because it is so very stressful on twix (she's a foamer at the mouth at the vets and quite often BM are made on the way there in her carrier) But I would hate for her to get an infection. Thank you again for the replies!
 
Re: civve scratching, swollen throat

Well, are you sure it's not just the fish protein she is allergic to...perhaps the fat would be OK ?

Check with a health foods store for other sources of Omega-3 Fatty Acids, I guess.
 
Re: civve scratching, swollen throat

I'm not real sure what it is about the fish that she is allergic to, but she can't have that or beef. But I did call the vet today and set up an appt for saturday. I asked the receptionist if putting some neo on it would be ok, or if it would be a no no but no answer from her on that one. I did take a warm washcloth to the area earlier today as she was sleeping curled over it was fully exposed. She woke up and took off out of her basket like her tail was on fire. She just now decided it was safe to come back to her basket a full 6 hours later. She did NOT like that at all.
 
Re: civve scratching, swollen throat

PeterDevonMocha said:
... I would hate for her to get an infection ...
Click to expand...

I think she already has an infection, it is just localized in an abcess, rather than systemically in the bloodstream. Does the lump feel warm? And/or does it feel soemwhat squishy (floculent)? Those are classic signs of an abcess.

If you can handle her sufficiently, apply a warm, wet, washcloth over the sore area (ear twiddling may help you get away with it!). This helps with circulation and may cause an abcess to come to a point or head.

If you can see an actual oozing area (like an acne cyst head), gentle massage towards the center of it may get it to release some pus from the abcess. The area may be inflammed and too vigorous rubbing will actually cause tissue damage.

Using a larger than needed carrier with lots of towels may help if you do go to the vet. Plus a plastic bag for the inevitable soilage. (been there, done that!)

BJ
 
Re: civve scratching, swollen throat

Poor Mocha. Last year around this time, Mystic had started scratching like crazy to the point of losing hair in some places and some mild scabbing. I took her to the vet, thinking something was horribly wrong, and he gave her an antibodic shot and a steroid shot and said it was probably from the weather changing and turning on the heat. It was only like 25 bucks for both shots. All of the scratching went away. I started also bathing her in a milk moisture bead shampoo I got from petsmart, it was like 10 bucks, and that seem to help with the danderuff and made her nice and fluffy. I think I would take mocha to the vet to get some shots to be on the safe side and until u do, i would definately put some neosporin on it to keep it from getting worse......i was using it on mystic's bald spots where she was itching worse and it helped keep those areas from getting seriously infected. by the way devon, I have more insulin for you.
 
Re: civve scratching, swollen throat

I guess I should clarify this "bump" on twix's throat. It is about the size of a nickel, not anything small like a pimple. So I don't know what is going on with her, but I don't think I can squeeze it. Perhaps it was small like a pimple but is now swollen? Perhaps the whole area is infected? I tried pawing through her fur (man does she have thick fur!) and I could see some redness, not sure if it was her skin or just a scabby area. Shes sooooo hard to man handle it is unreal. I can't believe how strong she is!

Michele, I remember you saying you had a vet that was quite cheap. I sure wish I lived closer down to where you are! Our vet doesn't do anything cheap. It's nearly $50.00 to just walk in the door. Not sure if that is cheap compared to other vets but it sure does take a bite out of our budget going there. Im sure the vet will recommend a steroid shot for her. She gets them a couple times a year now for her ulcers. I hate the thought of giving her more but I can't have her be in discomfort either. Whats a mom to do you know? Thanks for thinking of us with the insulin!
 
Re: civve scratching, swollen throat

I didn't mean squeeze it like a pimple (which you shouldn't do if it is inflamed because it will damage the underlying tissues, according to dermatologists). I meant massage gently.

If there is enough of a lump that it is pea or lima bean sized, and squishy, that is like an abcess.

If the lump is hard, it could be a lymph node full of infection (nodes trap infectious particles), or a cyst, or a growth/tumor of some sort (these can be benign).

Redness may occur with the scratching or with inflammation.

Can you shave down the area at all, to see what you are dealing with?

BJ
 
Re: civve scratching, swollen throat

I doubt it is an abscess since they are painful when touched and do not itch. They also do not last long before they rupture. Have you taken Twix's temperature? If an abscess they should be a temperature.
 
Re: civve scratching, swollen throat

You may not have a fever until an abcess goes septic into the bloodstream.
And he did note that the cat didn't like it being pushed upon.

Only a vet is going to be able to officially diagnose it, regardless.
 
Re: civve scratching, swollen throat

Thank you for all the replies. She won't let me touch the area, she moves her head all around so I can't get a good feel of it. It does however appear swollen to the eye. She would never go for me shaving the area, plus it's right under her mouth and I don't think I would even feel comfortable shaving in that area. I have never taken a cats temp but I have seen it done at the vets. Twix didn't appreciate that at all last time. Shes kinda one of those look but don't touch cats .. you can look and admire her, but she does not want to be touched. At all. I will keep my eye on her till tomorrow. Her appt is at 11:30. Thanks again for all the information.
 
Re: civve scratching, swollen throat

Right under her mouth could be a dental issue; good thing you're going to the vet! Be prepared to have a procedure of some sort done - I'm guessing there is something that needs cleaning out.

BJ
 
Re: civve scratching, swollen throat

Yes, I am preparing myself for the worst and hoping for the best (just swollen from scratching) I already have a heavy feeling in my stomach with worry.
 
Re: civve scratching, swollen throat

Devon--Goodness, if it isn't one cat scratching herself to pieces, it's the other! I hope it's a simple and not-expensive issue, for sure! While you're at the vet, ask about giving Flax Oil in his food for the Omega-3's. Flax is a plant, so you shouldn't have any of the fishy issues with it. Our old vet told us to give one cap daily to our dog for his dry skin, and it cleared it up in a week or two. For him we just give him the whole capsule, but for the cats you'd probably want to open the cap and pour the oil onto the food. The cheap way to do it is to use human flax oil capsules, but I think you can also buy a bottle of the oil at Petsmart...might be marked for dogs, but should have dosing on it for small animals (again, ask the vet to be sure). The bottle of oil might be easier than the cap, especially if they say to give less than a full capsule.

Good luck!

Oh, and I take it that Mocha's neck scratching issue is all cleared up? :-D
 
Re: civve scratching, swollen throat, a few more ??

Thanks for the replies everyone. Mindy, yes thanks for asking, mochas neck did clear up. I feel the culprit was her plastic autofeeder.

Today we are taking twix to the vet, for her itchy skin/swollen neck area. I can feel lots of small scabs in her fur, not sure if that is from something going on with her skin, or from her back nails really digging in and scratching herself to the point of bleeding. Anyways, I know there is a possibility of her having fleas even though mocha is not scratching, I have yet to see anything flea dirt wise in twix's fur/skin, I haven't seen any around the house, she's strictly indoors (even though I know she can still get them) and she is only scratching herself around her neck/throat area. So if the vet thinks we should do a flea prevention just in case, I thought I read in my previous post about poss. fleas that advantage was the best stuff to use? There was one brand several people mentioned to stay away from, but for the life of me I can't remember it. Also, I know theres quite a bit of controversy on the convenia injection. Would this be something the vet would recommend for her dry skin or no? If so, I should pass on that right? And what is the reason for that again? Sorry for so many questions, I just really want to be prepared and I always seem so lost at the darn vets and what is coming out of their mouths sound like foreign language to me!
 
Thanks sue. We are back from the vets. The vet saw how stressed out twix was and wanted to know if we would be able to give medication at home. We told her no, she has never taken a pill before. She said, your cat looks like she might be OCD! We agreed and talked a bit about future possibilities of medication that I guess you can rub on their ears to calm them down? Anyways, for today she gave us clavamox 62.5mg to give twice a day and she gave us free samples of the pill pockets by greenies. We are realllllly hoping twix will take these treats because we didn't know what else to do for her. The vet did say since the clavamox are not specifically prepared for twix we can bring them back for a refund if she won't take them. That was a nice surprise! So now my question is this, is clavamox safe to give kitties? And does this dose sound right for a 13.6lb cat? I just want to make sure this pill is safe for cats. Thanks guys!!!
 
Clavamox has worked well in my civvie cats when they've needed it. That dose sounds familiar from when I treated a 12 lb cat.

Depending on how she does with pilling, you may want to get a pill gun (a long pill holder with a pusher to push out the pill), or you may want to get a 3 cc oral syringe, drop the pill in it, suck up a couple cc's of water, then administer that way. In fact, if you don't dissolve the pill, making sure she has a few cc's of water afterwards to help get the pill out of the throat, where it may stick and irritate, down into the stomach.

Some cats get digestive upsets on antibiotics, because the drug may take out beneficial bacteria at the same time. Products like FortiFlora may help with this, given a few hours after the antibiotic.

Compounding a product to rub in the ears can work very well if the cat vehemently objects to pilling. I had a cat who had an antidepressant given that way for what actually turned out to be food allergies, not OCD licking.
 
thank you for the reply. Since you didn't mention anything negative about clavamox, she will get her first dose tonight inside her pill pocket. Twix has only ever taken one pill and that was when she was a kitten and we had just gotten her. Took her to the vet for an initial check up and after countless attempts to get her to take the pill the vet finally got it down and within seconds she foamed the whole entire pill back up out of her stomach. That was the only and only time a vet even got close to getting a pill down her.

Can fortiflora be given with dry food? Twix is on a dry food diet because her rodent ulcers became much worse on wet cat food. We are not doing the ear medicine right now, but if twix gets any worse we might consider it. She is the type of cat that will be sound asleep and if we even so much as put a finger on her, she wakes up and begins to obsessively clean herself over and over and over again for a good 20 minutes to a half hour until we can finally stop her. When she is done eating she will "lick her chops" for up to an hour after eating. If the toys in her basket are in a different order then what they were in the day before, she will back away from the basket and not get in it until her toys are in the proper order. Even then she will look at the basket for hours before deciding she can get back in it. I wish I was making this stuff up, but I really do believe twix suffers from some type of cat OCD.
 
Hi Devon,

Just catching up on things here....

Zoe has been on Clavamox several times....and she is a tough one to pill. We had great success dissolving the pill in water and mixing it in her wet food. Maybe just a little spoonfull of wet food would work for Twix - I know you are hesitant to give her wet food because of the rodent ulcers, but possibly a small spoonful wouldn't hurt. Maybe one of the limited ingredient wet foods, like Duck and pea....from Natural Balance. Just a thought.

I am sorry you are dealing with this! Hope Twix feels better....quickly!!
 
thanks sherry, maybe we will try the pill pockets and see how she does with that, and if all else fails maybe a little bit of that duck and pea wet food you mentioned ... but I am glad to hear of another kitty using clavamox without problems!
 
Good luck with the Pill pockets.....I really, really hope they work for you...would be so simple that way! Zoe is so bad with them, she picks the pill pocket apart, eats it and leaves the pill laying on the floor..... :roll:

The Duck and greenpea from natural balance would be a new protein source and has limited ingredients, so maybe Twix wouldn't have a reaction to it...there is also a Venision one.

Good luck, with it, Devon! Fingers and paws crossed it works and Twix feels better!
 
we have victory!! Gave twix a pill pocket last night which she promptly ate, leaving her pill to the side. Tried it again and she ate it whole pill included! I waited for it to come up but it never did (or at least we haven't found it) This morning she walked away from the treat a few times but eventually ate it up with the pill in it. I cannot honestly even believe we are doing this. Im calling the vet tomorrow to give the good news! I will keep trying for as long as needed and as long as she will eat them until we are done with the pills. But I still can't believe our luck. I bet I just jinxed ourselves!
 
Whoo Hoo!!! Congrats on pilling the cat!

Wondering if some [lightly or un-] cooked chunks of low carb meat/poultry would avoid triggering the rodent ulcers while improving the diet.

FortiFlora may be sprinkled over dry food; in fact, if you just put it on a bare plate, it may get licked right up. I think I read its flavored with animal digest.
 
That is a good idea about trying to get some low carb meat or poultry into her. I will also look into the fortiflora as well. Today she took her 4th pill without any problems. We are giddy beyond belief she is actually taking them!
 
Re: civve scratching, swollen throat

Mindy & Max said:
While you're at the vet, ask about giving Flax Oil in his food for the Omega-3's. Flax is a plant, so you shouldn't have any of the fishy issues with it. Our old vet told us to give one cap daily to our dog for his dry skin, and it cleared it up in a week or two. For him we just give him the whole capsule, but for the cats you'd probably want to open the cap and pour the oil onto the food. The cheap way to do it is to use human flax oil capsules, but I think you can also buy a bottle of the oil at Petsmart...might be marked for dogs, but should have dosing on it for small animals (again, ask the vet to be sure). The bottle of oil might be easier than the cap, especially if they say to give less than a full capsule.
Click to expand...

As I told you in our PMs about this Mindy, I am glad you commented about checking with the vet, but that is something a vet might not know right off the top of his/her head (or might not consider such a big deal that s/he would research it). I remembered that I had recently read that one shouldn't use Flax oil for cats. I found it on Tanya's CRF website. Tanya is highly regarded for her research.

Flax Seed Oil (Linseed Oil) and Other Omega 6 Oils

It amazes me how many people recommend flax seed oil for cats, CRF or otherwise, because it is of limited nutritional value to cats. There are two essential fatty acids for cats, linoleic and arachidonic (both are Omega 6 fatty acids). These fatty acids are essential in the sense that a cat cannot produce them within the body, so must obtain them through diet.

Flax seed oil contains around 13% linoleic acid but no arachidonic acid. Cats do not have the pathways to convert linoleic acid into arachidonic acid, so another source of arachidonic acid is necessary. Cats can only obtain arachidonic acid from animal products, so if you want to give your cat an essential fatty acids oil, consider a fish-based oil instead.
Click to expand...
 
Interesting. My Khan has been scratching his neck for some time now.. but the hair is finally growing back but some of the scabs are still there. I massage his neck and I also put on antibiotic -neosporin 2x/day- just enough to cover the scabs.. it is working. He is eating the Fancy Feast canned: Savory Salmon Feast -grain free mainly. He has bad allergys and had been on several prescription foods, 2 steriord shots.. Last shot brought me eventually to this site..since he now has diabetes. Now Fancy Feast Savory Salmon Feast because I was running out of options and felt one food-one insulin--keep it simple for a while.. lets see what happens since change takes time.. His hair on his belly is FINALLY growing in.. it hasn't been there for 2-3 yrs or longer. Now I'm beginning to add one food at a time to his diet..each being grain free. Currently added: Fancy Feast Turkey & giblets grain free-- so far all is good-all low carb canned. Still some scratching of the ears but much much better than past 2-3 yrs! I did also have luck with EVO herring and Salmon however it isn't availabe in canned right now..so I stopped the dry to focus on regulating his insulin.
 
Very interesting pepper .. I did ask the vet about putting neo on some of twix's scabs but she said that it is rather greasy and might clog up some more of her pores. She thinks this is related somewhat to feline acne. I can't say I believe that because I have done some research on the feline acne and twix does not have the typical appearances of feline acne. Not saying she doesn't have some form of it, but I don't see the things on her that I see on the sites where Im reading about it at. So I decided to forego the neo on twix. Today twix too her 6th pill without any problem ... She walked away from her pill last night a few times but finally gave in!
 
Just curious, are you feeding out of a bowl that is NOT plastic? Plastic harbor bacteria which then many cats get chin acne. I know Hydrogen peroxide in a paste at 1% solution I believe is over the counter and works great on kitties chin acne. I've use hydrogen peroxide on a cotton ball and dab on the chin acne and it works.. also tea tree oil in a 1:5 water or more solution works great.. don't need much since tea tree oil is a natural healer. I've been dealing with ringworm in my house and I put on walmart anti-fungal cream (2%) Clav... something or other.. well it is very cheap ~$4 and works great. I have it when i spot check so anything on the chin I go ahead and put that on as well..works great.

For me clogging pores vs healing the scabs -- scab healing is more important since if he scatches those open he could infect them. ECID--and every Vet is different.
 
As for pilling.. have you tried this: put a small bowl of water on the floor, get my cat between my legs -cat's bellyon floor paws out if possible.. petting, loving her/him up-trying to get him/her relaxed.. then I kneel over the cat, rub cats' chin-give cat water on lips and a drop or two on nose from my fingers-cat will instinctly lick then I dip the pill in the water, gently rub cats chin and move head up, open jaw, place pill in back of throat real fast, shut mouth, blow gently into cat's nose.. cat's will swallow -instinctively-well ECID.. then give a few more drops of water,, put treat on floor and walk away. I've used this for all 10 cats so far and it works. at first it maybe difficult but once you get the hang of it the cat will know you mean business and it will go by fast and he/she gets a treat! hope that helps.
 
My Khan did well for a while on natural Balance - but now with the diabetes I'd be worried about the amount of carbs as well as grain ingredients. As for the steriod shots-- my opinion..never give a steroid shot to a cat.. always pill so you can regulate the dosage and the impact on the body.. My khan was diabetic induced from steriod shot.. It took 2 different shots 4 yrs apart to understand this.. yet the emergency clinic 4 yrs ago never said a word.. even after 1500.00 spent.. I really learned about it from the my cat clinic and cat only vets I talk with and now confirmed it with my own vet. Khan has horrible allergys by mid summer.
Very strange but true.. This actually hit me square in the face when i was looking at my cat medical book the other night and the emergency clinic card fell out with 7/26/06 dated on it with Khan's name! so now I'll be pulling Khan's records from way back then to confirm.
 
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