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Expert: - 7/31/2010


Question
Our cat is 13  yrs. old.  He had a UTI several years ago and we were told not to let him have tap water, only bottle water.  He started urinating outside the litter box a couple of months ago, went to the vet and was given an oral antibiotic, which he only partially swallowed.  He got better, but now his infection must be back urinatinating outside his box.

I have a bottle of Silver Biotics.  It is unopened but has an expiration date of 2/2010.  The bottle says: 10 ppm, 8 fl. oz. (236 ml.).  Would it be safe to try this on him?  How much would I give?  How would I administer it?  Do you think this bottle would still be good past this date?       

Thank you very much,  

Mr. Kitty and Becky

Answer
I would not give your cat ANY type of human medicine or even a homeopathic one.More cats die because of this than you can imagine. Many, many human drugs and the like are very toxic to cats.

Your cat didn't get well because he wasn't given his full doses of antibiotics. You need to have the vet or a technician show you how to properly give him drops or a pill. I hope that you also changed his food to a more bladder and age friendly diet. That goes a long way in preventing these things.

Call your vet and get another bottle of antibiotics and ask to be shown how to give them correctly.
Only by doing this is Mr. Kitty going to get better. At his age you do not want to wait or mess around with other things.

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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