# Clavamox and loss of appetite



## FarmCatRescue (Aug 15, 2014)

A member of my farm cat colony got into some kind of fight with something and had some wounds, so I took her to the vet and got a rabies booster and a week's worth of Clavamox. Then I brought her back to my place, but I've run into a problem I've seen before with Clavamox: she's stopped eating entirely. I'm fully aware of how this is a problem, but none of the usual tricks (tuna water) has worked. She was eating just fine the day before (the fight had already occurred) in her usual location, so it's most likely the Clavamox in combination with getting moved to a new place (though she's been here before when she was spayed). She's otherwise in excellent health, about 3 years old. 

I recently had to discontinue Clavamox/Augmentin myself due to weird side effects, so I know what a strong an effect it can have. 

My other antibiotic option was Convenia, but I don't like the idea of an antibiotic that you can't discontinue in the event of a bad reaction. 

And, of course, it's only become clear that she's not going to eat now that it's Saturday evening, so I'd have to go to an emergency vet to get one of the appetite stimulant drugs, where it will cost me more than the first vet appointment just to walk in the door. 

It's now been about 24 hours without food. Any ideas?


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

If I were you, I'd call the e-vet, explain the situation, and ask if they'd just prescribe plain amoxicillin. Clavamox is amoxi + clavulanate. It's typically the clavulanate that causes GI upset. Straight amoxi (esp. as pills, NOT the gacky pink liquid) usually doesn't cause inappetance and GI upset.

The alternative is to syringe feed your cat until you can get in touch with your own vet on Monday. DO NOT allow your cat to go any longer without getting food into her one way or another. BTW, NEVER give clavamox on an empty stomach. It'll just make the stomach upset MUCH worse.

Laurie


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## Mochas Mommy (Dec 9, 2013)

Mystik stopped eating when she was on Clavamox; I sprinkled Slippery Elm Bark onto her food and it helped coat her GI tract. To entice her to eat, we sprinkled Flortiflora on her food. (Fortiflora is a probiotic that some don't like because it contains animal digest....it was almost like kitty crack with Mystik the way she would gobble food with it. I now use a different probiotic without animal digest, but if any of my kittens were refusing food and I was really concerned, you can bet I would be sprinkling Fortiflora on again if nothing else was working!)


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## FarmCatRescue (Aug 15, 2014)

This evening, I sat with her in my lap for a while and gave her a long brushing. Suddenly, she got up, went over to the food bowls, ate all the tuna, some treats, and a bit of her regular food. We'll see how she is tomorrow. The combination of being taken from her usual outdoor farm life to a strange place indoors, given a rabies vaccination, and given antibiotics is certainly enough to put many cats off their food.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Silvestris, 
That's good news! So glad she ate something!
And, oh yes, thats a lot for her to go through in a few short days!
My cats are always a bit "off" after any shots!
Sharon


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## FarmCatRescue (Aug 15, 2014)

Update: She continues to eat, not as much as usual, but enough that I can stop worrying about anorexia issues for the time being. I appreciate the other suggestions, and I'll file them for future reference.


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