My cat has his 5th abscess in 2 years,and our local vet manages to make a $10 bottle of clavamox cost $150-200 by doing additional testing etc. without my authorization for the sole purpose of milking me for every penny she can.(I've even shaved the area in advance myself to avoid their $30 charge for taking 2 minutes to shave a 2 inch square on him,and they took him in another room and RESHAVED the exact same spot)
She won't call in a prescription or fax one so I can get the medication without forking out $200,and I'm stuck between keeping a roof over my family's heads or possibly losing our kitty(This time it's on the side of his face,and I'm afraid it's so bad I doubt he'll be able to fight it off on his own).
I've tried looking into buying it online from another country or something of that nature,but from the results google came up with it appears that area has been invaded by scammers and spammers.I have no idea who to trust,what products are used to treat abscess' other than the name brand she prescribes,or what sites are real.
Is there any way to obtain antibiotics without a prescription legally,and if so could you point me in the right direction?
Is there anything available over the counter that will help him fight off the infection?
Is there anything natural I can give/feed him that will help if you can't help me with the first 2 questions?(he's extremely finicky BTW)
I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place,and any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance,and sorry it took me so long to get to the point.
abscess help please
Re: abscess help please
No Not that I am aware of. You need an RX for any antibiotic even if you mail away for it.
Please take kitty in, he is depending on you. Maybe another type of drug would work better on the abcess. Tell the vet you do not want further testing at this time, and only get the antibiotics. My vet charges about $12.00 for the liquid.
Mona, HOneybun and Chloe
Please take kitty in, he is depending on you. Maybe another type of drug would work better on the abcess. Tell the vet you do not want further testing at this time, and only get the antibiotics. My vet charges about $12.00 for the liquid.
Mona, HOneybun and Chloe
Re: abscess help please
another vet might be an option, but initial testing may need to be done there as well to establish a history. does your vet give reasons for testing every time? (i dont know much about this condition)
Re: You should try another vet......
but also, why is he getting so many absesses? An outdoor cat usually gets absesses and is more expensive and time consuming to care for. I would suggest switching him to an indoor cat. He will live longer, have probably no absesses etc. If you keep him outdoors this absess problem will probably not stop. Is he neutered? Do you have any friends who can recommend their vets to you? Don't forget to ask for your medical records if and when you do switch vets, your new vet will need to see these and they could save you money. I am sure Traci will give you great advice. I just thought maybe you were letting your kittie outdoors and this could be the constant absess problem. My indoors have never had an absess. There is nothing natural or OTC for absesses that I know. Only Rx meds and draining by a Dr. can get rid of them. They can be deadly if not treated. Try reading the links here to learn a bit about absesses and indoor vs. outdoor cats.
Sara and her 6 kitties. Clover , Saharan, Mona, Negrito, Nando and Silvestre (Vest/The Vest).
Re: abscess help please
Brad, ...unfortunately, we need to know the source of these abcesses. Jason brings up an excellent point, your kitty's history, health history.
How old is your kitty, and does he have access to the outdoors? Are the abcesses from wounds from fighting with outdoor cats? If kitty has outdoor exposure, its very likely that these abcesses are caused by bite wounds from another cat during fighting. In this case, they are soft tissue wound abcesses and require general cleaning, flushing, debriding of the skin if severe, and antibiotics, such as amoxicillin or clavamox. Depending on the severity of the abcess depends on the treatment and cost. We have a procedure we call ''clip, cleanse and debride'', this is a procedure where we clip the fur, shave, so we can see the entire skin and surrounding tissue, then we cleanse the area with surgical scrub or other antiseptic, and debride the area if necessary to remove necrotic skin and tissue, this allows for regrowth of new granulation and skin tissue. So...a typical charge would include exam fee, clip-cleanse-debride, antibiotics, dispensing fee if applicable, and additional diagnostics only if if the abcess is from another source other than a bite wound.
If your kitty does NOT have outdoor access, then additional testing would be required to find other causes of these abcesses. Such conditions might include flea allergy dermatitis, food allergy, fungal disease, immunological disease, cryptococcosis, pemphigus, eosinophilic granuloma, infectious disease, etc. All of which would of course require bloodwork, cultures, etc to determine the cause.
If the abcesses are from bite wounds, they should clear up within one course of antibiotics. However, if improperly treated, and left to fester, the infection can actually get into the blood stream and cause sepsis, an internal infection that warrants stronger antibiotics.
Amoxicillin and Clavamox are prescription antibiotics only. They must be dosed on weight of the kitty, as well as nature of the condition, type of abcess, and take into consideration kitty's sensitivity, if any, to any antibiotics. You shouldn't have to pay over $8-10 for a 14 day course of antibiotics, but if kitty's abcess doesn't respond, then another antibiotic must be approached, or, if the abcess is caused by another cause, additional testing is required to find out what that cause is. The problem, as you see it, is you're paying for an exam every time the abcess occurs or isn't responding to antibiotics, that does tend to add up.
Nothing natural will heal an abcess. At home care only includes cleaning the wound and giving the prescribed antibiotic. Keeping him indoors only, and asking for an e-collar during recovery may help greatly. Your vet can also give you gauze soaked in antiseptic solution which you can use to clean the wounds yourself.
I'm sorry, but you can only get antibiotics from your vet, or through prescription only. As reasonably priced as they are, they are an effective and efficient approach. The most important thing at this point, is knowing the SOURCE of these abcesses so that kitty is getting the most appropriate treatment.
How old is your kitty, and does he have access to the outdoors? Are the abcesses from wounds from fighting with outdoor cats? If kitty has outdoor exposure, its very likely that these abcesses are caused by bite wounds from another cat during fighting. In this case, they are soft tissue wound abcesses and require general cleaning, flushing, debriding of the skin if severe, and antibiotics, such as amoxicillin or clavamox. Depending on the severity of the abcess depends on the treatment and cost. We have a procedure we call ''clip, cleanse and debride'', this is a procedure where we clip the fur, shave, so we can see the entire skin and surrounding tissue, then we cleanse the area with surgical scrub or other antiseptic, and debride the area if necessary to remove necrotic skin and tissue, this allows for regrowth of new granulation and skin tissue. So...a typical charge would include exam fee, clip-cleanse-debride, antibiotics, dispensing fee if applicable, and additional diagnostics only if if the abcess is from another source other than a bite wound.
If your kitty does NOT have outdoor access, then additional testing would be required to find other causes of these abcesses. Such conditions might include flea allergy dermatitis, food allergy, fungal disease, immunological disease, cryptococcosis, pemphigus, eosinophilic granuloma, infectious disease, etc. All of which would of course require bloodwork, cultures, etc to determine the cause.
If the abcesses are from bite wounds, they should clear up within one course of antibiotics. However, if improperly treated, and left to fester, the infection can actually get into the blood stream and cause sepsis, an internal infection that warrants stronger antibiotics.
Amoxicillin and Clavamox are prescription antibiotics only. They must be dosed on weight of the kitty, as well as nature of the condition, type of abcess, and take into consideration kitty's sensitivity, if any, to any antibiotics. You shouldn't have to pay over $8-10 for a 14 day course of antibiotics, but if kitty's abcess doesn't respond, then another antibiotic must be approached, or, if the abcess is caused by another cause, additional testing is required to find out what that cause is. The problem, as you see it, is you're paying for an exam every time the abcess occurs or isn't responding to antibiotics, that does tend to add up.
Nothing natural will heal an abcess. At home care only includes cleaning the wound and giving the prescribed antibiotic. Keeping him indoors only, and asking for an e-collar during recovery may help greatly. Your vet can also give you gauze soaked in antiseptic solution which you can use to clean the wounds yourself.
I'm sorry, but you can only get antibiotics from your vet, or through prescription only. As reasonably priced as they are, they are an effective and efficient approach. The most important thing at this point, is knowing the SOURCE of these abcesses so that kitty is getting the most appropriate treatment.
..........Traci