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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Amoxycillin vs azithromycin for treating shelter cats with upper

By Ruch-Gallie, Rebecca A et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2008·College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed

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Original publication title: Efficacy of amoxycillin and azithromycin for the empirical treatment of shelter cats with suspected bacterial upper respiratory infections.

Species:
cat

Plain-English summary

Thirty-one shelter cats with symptoms of upper respiratory infections, like sneezing and nasal discharge, were treated with either amoxycillin or azithromycin to see which worked better. After starting treatment, 11 cats improved with the first antibiotic, while 16 needed to switch to the other one for better results. Unfortunately, 8 cats did not respond to either medication and required extra care. Overall, there was no significant difference in how well the two antibiotics worked for these cats.

People also search for: cat upper respiratory infection treatment · amoxycillin for cats · azithromycin for cat cold symptoms

Abstract

Thirty-one cats showing clinical signs of upper respiratory tract disease with a presumed bacterial component based on clinical signs were administered either amoxycillin or azithromycin to determine which drug protocol was optimal for empirical use. A clinical score was determined and nasal and pharyngeal swabs were collected for bacterial culture, virus isolation and polymerase chain reaction prior to the start of therapy. Cats failing to respond to the initial antibiotic were then administered the other drug. There were no differences in clinical scores between the two groups at the start of therapy. Eleven of 31 cats improved after administration of the first antibiotic, 16 cats were switched to the alternate antibiotic, and four cats were removed from the study for additional supportive treatments. Eight of 27 cats failed to respond to either antibiotic. The chi2 test for outcomes revealed no differences in response to therapy for either antimicrobial.

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Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18539493/