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My cat has chronic feline herpes. Why aren't antibiotics working?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Male | neutered | 2 years and 7 months old | 15 lbs

Hello, Gattino has feline herpes and has had it since he was a kitten. My vet and I have tried multiple antibiotics with him to ease the symptoms and for the last 5 times, we have used azithromycin for him. It worked well the first few times, minimizing symptoms but they were still present, but now this antibiotic barely touches the illness. Will this ever get better for him? His nose gets so clogged with boogers and sneezes so much and has runny eyes. Has to take antibiotics once a month

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on January 3rd, 2020

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would recommend making sure he does not have an underlying disease that may be predisposing him to these infections. Test him for feline leukemia (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) at your veterinarian's clinic to rule these possible causes out. Some cats will have chronic viral infections their entire life and we just treat these as they come. If you are not giving lysine supplementation and not giving Purine Fortiflora, I would definitely recommend doing so as both of these have been shown to lessen the severity and duration of the herpes virus flare ups. I would also consider an upper respiratory culture to make sure that there are no other bacterial causes that may be resistant to the antibiotics currently being given. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on June 2nd, 2019

    Has he been tested for FeLV and FIV? I would start there. That could be why he is immune system is not responding. The other option is herpes virus in which case, antibiotics do not work to kill the virus - antibiotics are prescribed to treat secondary bacterial infections. He would need antivirals (which has varying degrees of helpfulness). I suggest you speak to your vet about the possibility of herpes infection and get him tested for leukemia and FIV. ( https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/feline-herpesvirus-infection-or-feline-viral-rhinotracheitis )

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