How long for antibiotics to kick in?

17 years ago

Hi Everyone,

A little background: My cat Monkey is about a year and a half old, he's normally extremely friendly and annoyingly affectionate (the type that will headbutt you for hours on end until he gets petted enough!), purrs like a motorboat, very vocal, extremely playful, not afraid of anything or anyone, even plays with his toys at the vet. He's great and I love him to death.

We moved across the state last weekend. It consisted of putting him and his brother in a large crate with food, water and a litter box for the day while the movers moved our furniture. Then we went for a 4 hour drive across the state (Monkey does NOT like cars) where we spent the night in a hotel. Then to a new place where he was locked up in a bedroom while the movers moved everything in.

While locked in the room, my brother put him on a shelf about 6 feet high that flipped over, throwing Monkey on the ground and the shelf and misc. objects on it may have landed on him (I'm not sure, it happened so quickly). He was terrified for like an hour which isn't like him. He wouldn't get near anyone and huddled in the corner. He seems ok, not limping or anything. It was probably the accident combined with so much stress that bothered him.

I noticed at the hotel that he seemed really warm in his ears, and I could feel the heat of his paws through my clothes. My family thought I was nuts, that it was just stress, but he was much warmer than usual for about 3 days. I took him into the vet (he had no fever) who looked at him and tested stuff in his ear and said he had an ear infection (lots of bacteria and some yeast) and the beginnings of a URI that may have been triggered by all the stress over the weekend.

This was on Tuesday morning, and she prescribed 25 mg of Zeniquin to give once a day, plus Chlorpheniramine for congestion. I also have medicine to put in his ears, Panolog, that I put in once a day. I also have OtiRinse ear cleaner. I clean his ears out every other day.

Here's my question: He's now had 4 of the antibiotic pills, and he's still very lethargic. He doesn't want to be petted much, he doesn't purr very much, his eyes are very bright and he's just not himself. He seems to be eating fine, and drinking. His ears are no longer hot...they're actually quite cool. I thought antibiotics usually kicked in between 24-48 hours? Shouldn't he be feeling better by now? Is this a strong dose of antibiotics? He's nearly 14 pounds so he's a big cat. He's only ever been on Clavamox and Baytril, last year.

Am I overreacting? He's supposed to take the antibiotics for 10 days, but if it's not working, I want to get him something stronger. I understand that some of his behavior may be adjusting to the new house, but like I said earlier, he's normally so cheerful in any situation, and he LOVES new places...he can't get enough of life.

Any advise? Thanks.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

jean001
17 years ago
Your questions should be asked of the vet.
Chi
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks for your response. Ideally, yes, I'd love to ask a vet but it's Friday night and his condition is far from emergency so I don't have a vet to ask. I thought that maybe some of the knowledgable people here would know how long it usually takes for an ear infection to start to improve with antibiotics so I don't worry unnecessarily over the weekend.

I should mention also that he walks slower than usual and doesn't run and jump as much. He also lays down a lot instead of sitting when he wanders around the house. I guess this could also be attributed to the ear infection affecting his balance?
Related Discussions
Allergic to Antibiotics and Sick - Albuterol Not Helping Much
Q
Comments (26)
The new guy helped, I'm back on prednisone, but no antibiotic. He said it's definitely coming from my sinuses. I'm on several antihistimines as well as nasal steroid, prednisolone and Mucocet DM. He has me using a NeilMed nasal wash twice a day which seems much better than a netti pot and then lubricating my nostrils with K-Y afterwards. The cough has substantially subsided, and I can feel relief on the horizon! Although I am still wheezy, the Mucocet DM has certainly loosened my chest congestion so I can cough it up. He also wanted me to take Tussinex with codeine in it at night but I'm allergic to codeine and was too afraid to take it even though he said I was on plenty of antihistamine to block it. I'm sleeping pretty well now anyway. Better safe than sorry. talk about attacking this problem from every angle! He said he'd help me and he is!
...See More
How long to recover from antibiotic nausea?
Q
Comments (2)
He may just be sick & tired & disgusted & he'll get over it pretty soon, but I'd have another consult with the vet; if Mason doesn't get better today, & tomorrow is Saturday, & the next day is Sunday... it'll be Monday before you can get him back to the vet. I'd pull up on the skin on Mason's back & release it; if it goes back quickly, he has enough fluids in his body, if it kind of stays there & gradually settles back, he's dehydrated & needs fluids. You can give him water with a medicine dropper or syringe, & feed him NutraCal to get some calories into him. NutraCal, available at pet stores, is a brown goo that comes in a tube like toothpaste; you squeeze a small blob onto your finger & offer it to the cat. If he won't lick it from your finger, you have to open his mouth & smear it on the roof of his mouth. It's loads of fun & makes your cat love you. hah!
...See More
How do you kick-start your passion for roses after the winter?
Q
Comments (43)
Jackie that's crazy that you had 8 straight days of rain! We both live in the Bay Area... but in my neck of the woods we only got about 2 good rainy days. Now there's no rain scheduled for at least the next 2 weeks. Sigh. Kelly I swear by mulch mulch mulch and more mulch for both winter and summer in my climate. But be careful with your sources. I'm not sure, but I think the grub problem I recently have been dealing with may be in part from the "free" mulch I got from tree trimmers in the area. Sometimes they trim healthy trees, but often they are cutting down unhealthy trees infested with things like beetles. You could probabaly feel safe using free mulch if you also used a systemic soil killer for grubs underneath (poisonous and not so great for invertebrates though) or predator nematodes (I bought mine through Natures Control and think they would have worked better if I applied them BEFORE the grubs hatched and took over). In the end, it may be cheaper to buy mulch instead of using free mulch and treating it. Just my opinion from my recent grub infestation though. I used free mulch before this year and never had any problems until now... so who knows!
...See More
RENO HELL - toilet flange - how far out & toe kick vent - ugh issue
Q
Comments (5)
"he cut the toe kick so my arm is between the bottom of the cabinet and the top of the vent." So you can remove the old toe kick and replace it with a new one? Then I'd (1) remove the vent cover, if any; (2) remove the toe kick; (3) carefully measure the width, height, and location of the duct; (4) cut the new toe kick for the duct (example); (5) slide the new toe kick over the duct; (6) attach the toe kick to the cabinet; (7) attach the vent cover to the toe kick. "contractor installed a copper pipe...and it's sticking out pretty far" The pipe IS going to be copper. The finish on the fixtures is irrelevant. It's better that the pipe be too long than too short. If you ever have to cut off a valve to replace it and the remaining pipe is too short, you'll be in trouble. (Here's a video that shows how to replace a valve.)
...See More
Elly_NJ
17 years ago
Friday or no, he needs to get to the vet. Antibiotics take about 2 days to work. You are not worring unnecessarily. He needs to see a vet tomorrow.
Chi
Original Author
17 years ago
Okay, he's at 3 1/2 days so I'll call her tomorrow morning and see what she says. Thanks.
Elly_NJ
17 years ago
Good luck.
Chi
Original Author
17 years ago
He seems better today, actually. He woke me up at 4 am to insist on 20 minutes of petting while he purred madly the whole time, which is definitely his old self. He also seems a little more active, though he's still laying down a lot.

I talked to the vet and she said it should have taken effect by now, but she's having me stop the Chlorpheniramine since he's not too congested anymore, since that can cause drowsiness like Benedryl which may explain why he's lethargic. She said if he doesn't improve by Monday, to bring him in.

Thanks.
sue36
17 years ago
Could be that the pills are making him not feel good? I am not a vet, but as a person who has been on antibiotics for the last week, I can tell you that sometimes they make you not feel too great.
scryn
17 years ago
usually takes 48 hours for antibiotics to really start working. However that doesn't mean your cat will be feeling right by then! My dog is prone to bladder infections. the first day of meds he sleeps and sleeps and sleeps. The second day he is much better but not really "right" and by the third day he is his happy self again.
I assume cats may take a little longer than dogs because they seem to not handle stress as well as dogs.
Also, antibiotics can cause stomach-aches!
Chi
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks everyone. Over the weekend he was at 90-95% of his old self so I was happy. But then late last night he threw up yellow foam. I have been watching his bathroom habits the last few days and I haven't been able to see him poop. I have 2 cats and a litter maid so it's hard (seperating them doesn't work well). I took him in this morning and they did x-rays and he's moderately constipated and he has some trapped gas. The decongestant that they gave him apparently sucks moisture out of mucus membranes so it may have caused it. He had an enema and an IV for some fluids as he was a little dehydrated.

I got home and he was foaming at the mouth a little. I don't know what's up with that, guess he tasted something bad. He ran to the litter box then 15 minutes later he threw up his breakfast. The vet said the constipation probably caused the vomiting cause there's not a lot of room for things to go. I'll mention this latest vomiting when I call this afternoon. I forgot to ask if I'm supposed to start his medicine today, or if they gave him some already

So I guess that's why he's been lethargic. Poor thing was all cramped up and probably didn't want to move much. Hopefully we'll get all this straightened out.

I'm so glad I have pet insurance...I'm almost at $400 and she wants to see him again tomorrow if he doesn't poop more.

How long for antibiotics to kick in?

Comments (9)

jean001

Chi
Original Author

Related Discussions

Elly_NJ

Chi
Original Author

Elly_NJ

Chi
Original Author

sue36

scryn

Chi
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

How long for antibiotics to kick in?

Comments (9)

jean001

ChiOriginal Author

Related Discussions

Elly_NJ

ChiOriginal Author

Elly_NJ

ChiOriginal Author

sue36

scryn

ChiOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Chi
Original Author

Chi
Original Author

Chi
Original Author

Chi
Original Author