I care for a feral family. I noticed green mucus the nose of the oldest cat today. Taking him to a vet is impossible. Fish mox and lysine were recommended. I’m not sure how to dose the fish mox. What can I do? I’m also concerned about it spreading to the others. Do I treat them as well for a preventative? I’ve cared for these cats for 8 years. I’m really feeling helpless
Hi Pam,
I also provided this answer in the comments section of the Amoxicillin article where it was originally posted. In general, I don't agree medically with the use of fish mox in animals it was not intended for. You should reach out to some local cat rescue groups. It would be valuable to have the acquaintence of one or more of them to help you in the future as well.
Thank you for caring for a group of ferals. Unfortunately, I can't provide dosing for fish amoxicillin. While it is easy to acquire from pet stores, it is not appropriate to give to cats. Its route is to be sprinkled/added to water, not directly ingested and any milligram dosing for fish mox does not equal the same dosage for oral amoxi. There is no approved dosing available for cats. There are similar questions I have answered that you can find in the comments section for the article. Seeing nasal discharge in an older cat does not necessarily mean it will respond well to amoxicillin at all. There also may likey be something else going on with that kitty if they are older that has predisposed them to developing such signs. Prophylactically treating the other cats if they appear healthy would also be considered an inappropriate use of antibiotics. The most likely type of upper respiratory illness that could be spread from cat to cat would be viral and treating with antibiotics would not prevent that from occurring. Providing good shelter, food, etc. would be the best way to assist the other cats in staying healthier so their immune systems can put up good resistance.
For the older cat, what I have suggested before to similar inquiries is to reach out to local rescue groups that may be able to assist with either helping to get him into a vet through humane trapping or maybe they can assist with empirical antibiotic therapy that would be more appropriate (many rescue groups carry stocks of such things).