Cat not getting over URTI.

Dr. Marie replied:

This sounds like a frustrating problem!

I do have a number of cats in my practice who are dealing with chronic upper respiratory tract issues.

You may want to ask your vet about putting him on an amino acid supplement called lysine. Lysine is known to have effects that help an animal fight respiratory viruses.

Has he been on antibiotics? It would be great to culture some material from his throat, trachea or even nasal discharge to see if there is a resistant infection present. If so, the test will tell us which antibiotics may be effective in clearing up the problem. It may be that it started as viral and now he has been fighting a resistant infection all this time.

I do have some cats with this issue that I put on a rotating schedule of antibiotics called pulse therapy. This is a little controversial because it can potentially lead to antibiotic resistance.

Has your cat also been tested for feline leukemia virus? Cats with this virus can be susceptible to illness and not recover well.

I hope he does ok.

Dr. Marie.

---This question was asked in our Ask A Vet For Free section.---


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