Can you give duramycin to a cat? please help!

[buckabucka]

My cat is just over 20 years old. She is frail, but still walks around a little, has a healthy appetite, etc. We would like to keep her comfortable and have her die at home, if possible. She had problems with ear wax build-up, and now both ears are infected.

I hesitate to bring her to the vet, - it has always been extremely stressful for her, I'm worried they will want to vaccinate (she gets bad side-effects), and I think a trip there might kill her. I'm sure she needs an antibiotic though. I know we can get antibiotics for other animals at TSC. Are these safe for cats? I am wondering, since they give them to other mammals, if they are ineffective for cats, or if they don't recommend them because of some pact with the veterinary industry.

If anyone can recommend any over-the-counter remedies (or sources for cat antibiotics), effective ear treatments, etc., I would like to try those things first. A vet trip will be the last resort.
I appreciate any advice about dealing with a geriatric cat! Thanks.

 

[spish]

could you ring the vets and ask for some advice? or even a home visit? you can always decline vaccination and im sure they're not gonna give her something that will harm her in her frail old age, perhaps though they can give her something to ease the discomfort.

 

[featherz]

I'd call the vet and ask and also tell them you don't want vaccination. A lot of vet experts state vaccinations can be really hard on extremely geriatric cats and honestly, not necessary. For my kidney failure cats, I was able to get a waiver on rabies vaccines even due to it possibly causing harm to the cat.

I am thinking your vet will not insist on vaccinating an ill cat. Worst case you'll get a stern reminder to bring the cat back when better.

And your vet may just have you come get the medicine - mine has done that from time to time.

(And no, I am not anti-vaccination - I do it for a living..

)

 

[buckabucka]

Thanks for the replies! I suppose it would not hurt to call and see what they say. I would love it if they do home visits, although I imagine it could be prohibitively expensive.
I am not anti-vaccination either (we were up-to-date for years), but just not with this ancient cat. This vet did have a policy about vaccination, but maybe not in this situation. It is hard to know what is best for her in the state she is in.

 

[hoppy]

Quote:
to get the wax out of her ears, using your finger wrapped in a guaze pad dipped in rubbing alcohol. this will dissolve the wax. if it is deeper down in her ear, a dropper full of mineral oil, massage the base of the ear and let her shake her head. this will loosen up any gunk. if she has bumps in her ears, it can block the wax from being removed from the ear. she will probably be more bothered right after you clean her ears but should settle down. she doesn't need oral antibiotics and they will do nothing for ear wax. if it's oozy and yellowy, she needs to see the vet.
hope this helps.

 

[buckabucka]

Thanks. We did finally succumb and bring her to the vet, and she survived. We had been using mineral oil, but then her ears definitely got infected. She's only been on the antibiotics for one day, but already she is acting more perky (if you can use that word to describe an ancient cat

)