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Convenia®
Has anyone heard of this or used it? It's an antibiotic injection which lasts for two weeks. Bird got it the other day for a bladder infection. When I did a little research online, I found that it is normally given for skin conditions, no mention of UI or URI or any of those.
Bird seems better, at least. Maybe it is an off-label use, which is pretty common. |
#2
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I've heard of it, but never used it. It's in the cephalosporin class of anitbiotics.
Did the vet do a culture & sensitivity on a sterile urine sample?
__________________
"To close your eyes will not ease another's pain." ~ Chinese Proverb “We must not refuse to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies.” ~ Gretchen Wyler |
#3
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Nothing was cultured. There were clear signs of infection, although no crystals . We'll know soon enough if it's the right drug. The prospect of not having to pill him twice a day for two weeks was enough to sway me
Now one of the outside cats has some kind of throat infection, he feels very poorly, but will not be pilled. I'm pretty sure he was never vaccinated. Thanks for the link, sugarcatmom. For a URI, it looks hit or miss to me. Either which way, it's jackpot month for my vet . |
#4
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Nope. At $50 a pop...
08/09/08 New Antibiotic May Prove to be Convenient for Pets and Their People Dr. Eric Barchas, DVM Comments (4) When I diagnose an infection in a patient, I must prescribe antibiotics. For the person who lives with the pet, that can mean a week or more of giving pills (or a liquid formulation) at home. Under the best circumstances, giving medicine to pets is inconvenient. In the worst cases, it is impossible. However, a new antibiotic has been approved for use in cats and dogs. It may eliminate the need to give pills at home when pets are diagnosed with certain types of infections. The antibiotic, called Convenia, was released earlier this year by Pfizer. It is given by injection at the vet’s office. Each injection is effective for up to two weeks. Pets that receive Convenia do not need to take antibiotics at home. Convenia has two other advantages over conventional antibiotics. First, studies have shown that side effects occur less often with Convenia than with comparable oral antibiotics. Second, antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria may be less likely to develop when pets are treated with Convenia. Improper dosing (skipping doses or stopping the medication too soon) is a leading factor in the evolution of antibiotic resistance. Pets that receive Convenia are virtually assured of proper dosing. So, are vets going to stop stocking other types of antibiotics now that Convenia has hit the market? No. There are two sides to every coin, and I can see a few potential disadvantages to the new medicine. First, Convenia is not effective against all types of infections. It is labeled for skin infections, wounds and abscesses only. Also, when a pet develops side effects from oral antibiotics, the medicine can be stopped. Side effects from Convenia are rare. However, if they develop there is no way to discontinue treatment or remove the drug from the pet’s body. Finally, as a veterinarian I am wary of giving too many injections to cats. This stems from the link between some vaccines and certain types of tumors. Convenia has not been linked to tumors in cats. Nonetheless, I plan to be cautious until the drug has been on the market for a while longer. |
#5
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Hey! I might have to ask my vet about this for Patróns recurring skin infections... You should SEE the battle that ensues in my kitchen every morning to get the horse pill sized antibiotic down his throat!
Thankfully he will USUALLY eat it out of his food, but he has gotten too smart for that too. I wonder how long it can be used for before becoming ineffective....
__________________
Patrón - American Bulldog - 1 year old Jackson - Bull TerrierXShephard - 1yr 1/2 (DB's dog) Foose - Black Domestic Shorthair Cat - 2yrs old Mako - Black and white DLH Cat ( found at work one day ) Expression - National Show Horse - 12-15 yrs old. "The best kisses come from my puppy " "There are NO bad dogs, Just bad Owners " BAN BSL!!! |
#6
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Quote:
Considering what you've discovered about this drug - and - that you've indicated that no culture was done - and - that it's a bladder infection, if it were my cat, I'd follow up with a culture 4-5 days after the two week period the drug is "good for".......the last thing I'd want is an ongoing infection in that area (and probably moving up into the kidneys).
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the more i learn about (some) people, the more i luv my cats |
#7
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Quote:
I've got three with URI, including the head-snapping sore throat and the vomiting. Plus the kitten I talked about on another thread seems to have been abandoned because he's been living with me full-time for the past week - and he's definitely not vaccinated. He is spending the day outside to reduce his exposure. So I'm probably taking the one sick cat that can't be pilled to the vet for some kind of intervention (not Convenia) and hoping to cadge treatment for the others without having to pay extra for the exam. There are a couple of snufflers as well; I am ignoring them. Bill and Percy are living outside 90% of the time. Like me, they hate crowds. Whew. If anyone would like a sweet sweet tuxedo baby, with a bee-bop personality to match, PM me asap. |
#8
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side effets from convenia
Hello,
Anyone experienced any side effects from convenia, like seizures and death? I've had an unfortunate experience, and now find that 3 others have had a similar experience. Anyone know of any problems with convenia in cats? Quote:
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#9
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Can I ask you what was the nature of your 'unfortunate experience' with Convenia and what your cat was being treated for?
My own cat seems to have recovered without any problems but I am keeping a close eye on him in case it didn't do the trick. |
#10
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My little man Seth received Convenia for his mouth infection around the end of January and I haven't noticed anything amiss...his mouth 100% better now...of course he had a steriod shot at the same time, so I don't know if it was the combo? Maybe Convenia needs to be "mixed" with something...or perhaps if certain cats have certain levels of certain chemicals or whatnot already in their systems, it may affect how the body reacts to it. We think Seth is around two...maybe age makes a difference?
Mommy gets to crate him again at the end of the month to go back to the vet for a follow-up..woohoo
__________________
Mooki & Jaeger Mom to Seth - Brown Tabby Messina - Blonde Tabby |
#11
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Poor Wheezy, he had to have a hematoma (accumulation of blood) on the inside of his external ear drained this afternoon. The vet wanted to put him under but because of Wheezy's breathing problems we decided that he would simply drain it right there and hope for the best. Plus antibiotics, eardrops, and more Revolution (because he still has mites). When I said no way was I going to pill this cat since my chances of getting seriously hurt are way too high , he immediately offered Convenia. I let him go ahead but reading back in this thread, I am a bit worried. Wheezy won't be going anywhere tonight so I can keep an eye on him. Oh, and I just looked at my bill - are you sitting down? - $46 - bloody hell. I'd like to see some stats on how effective Convenia is, leave aside the side effects.
Wheezer-man was so brave, after we got him out of the cage |
#12
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Imteresting to read about Convenia in case any of my cats should need it.
for Wheezy Badger
__________________
"The cruelest animal is the Human animal" 3 kitties,Rocky(r.i.p my boy),Chico,Vinnie |
#13
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Our cat PJ had a shot of Convenia last Wednesday, also had a shot of Depo at the same time. So far so good. My vet only charged $25 though. for Wheezy badger.
__________________
Ray along with; Dixie, Angel, Dex, Leroy, Babygirl, Harley, Chubby, Jasper, Katie and ole buckethead; Samson Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. Robert A. Heinlein |
#14
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My cat has UTI problems and also chronic sinus infections. From what I know about this drug, it's a broad spectrum antibiotic. It has helped my Persian cat's sinus problem some, but it's not completely gone and he had the shot one week ago. I think he took Batril once before, but I'll have to get his file out to make sure that wasn't for his UTI. Baytril is excellent for UTI problems though. Koko is sick of his runny nose though.
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#15
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Beware of Convenia
My otherwise healthy 9 year old cat received an injection on Convenia last week for a UTI. He proceeded to go into shock requiring intubation and aggressive resuscitation. He lost his vision, was altered, and his hind legs were paralyzed. He regained his vision and use of his legs about 14 hours later. It broke my heart watching him struggle like that. He spent three days at the vet evaluating all his organ systems to determine what happened. The scant literature demonstrates no adverse reactions, BUT please beware that this may not be a benign medication. Thank god I had a great vet who acted to save his life. I'm sure any antibiotic would have cost less than the $2200 I spent for this reaction.
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#16
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Convenia
My newly adopted old lady cat had it, apparently Normal Saline would have worked better. No problem with her..luckily from what others have said. She had a MDR strain of bug and after I finally got a vet to C/S her, culture and sensitivity test, found out $$$ wasted. Now on a different med, first dose last evening, so no 'report' on it yet.
Why wont vets almost routinely do that test when the 'first' tried med doesn't work? Had to threaten to grab cat and run to lawyer to get them to do that. |
#17
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rare but serious cases plus a response.
Quote:
I also am new to this thread of thought about convenia. It is still a fairly new drug in our world, but it is very commonly used (especially in emergency medicine for how many abscesses we see). I have not once seen an adverse reaction to the drug myself, but was confronted with a phone call from a concerned owner the other morning describing the symptoms listed on this forum the other morning. I decided to research myself as none of my other co-workers had any experience with any side-effects of the sort either. I would like to point out that we have to keep in mind that while these side-effects (while quite horrid) may seem common as they are all on here from different people, we must think about the fact that this drug is given to innumerable cats each day who do not have these side-effects. I will, however, continue to look into this matter, as I have cats myself and love them dearly. |
#18
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Welcome to the forum, alexia642!
Quote:
You've cloaked yourself very generally as "we in the veterinary field".....are you a Veterinarian/Technician/other? While you may not have received reports from your clients of serious side effects associated with Convenia, my understanding is that such reports/discussions exist - some on VIN - and I am aware of others in open discussion boards/forums. I give you one example http://www.felinediabetes.com/phorum....php?8,1964921 Without the benefit of any veterinary education, even I can recognize from the generally available literature that this is NOT a drug to be given willy-nilly (as appears to be the general practice now) (and quite obviously peddled as such by the manufacturer - read the name of it again!)...the "official" info from the maker listed on drugs.com states "Warnings: To limit the development of antimicrobial resistance, the extra-label drug use of cefovecin is not recommended http://www.drugs.com/vet/convenia-in...phile-can.html From the UK's National Office of Animal Health: "It is prudent to reserve third generation cephalosporins for the treatment of clinical conditions, which have responded poorly, or are expected to respond poorly, to other classes of antimicrobials or first generation cephalosporins. Use of the product should be based on susceptibility testing..." http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/Pfiz...ts/-43050.html Finally, inconveniently burried in the manufacturer's data sheet is this Quote:
__________________
the more i learn about (some) people, the more i luv my cats |
#19
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Thank's Rusty,I think we all need to be informed,to be able to make the right choice for our cats and question any treatments we are unsure of.
__________________
"The cruelest animal is the Human animal" 3 kitties,Rocky(r.i.p my boy),Chico,Vinnie |
#20
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Creamsicle's Gone
My cat was given a dose of Convenia last Tuesday for a cold. By last Wednesday night he was mouth breathing and dead by Thursday morning. I've cried for a week and just checked the vet's receipt to learn what exactly he was given. Convenia is for skin infections, not a respiratory infection. I think he went into a severe reaction from it. I read about Convenia's contraindications ans side effects. One of them is anaphylaxis.
I intend to go to the vet and let them get an earful from me. Not only was the cat killed, but I paid them $154 for that. The I paid another $137 to have him cremated thru that same vet's office. Not only have I been ripped off, but he's DEAD and I can't stop crying. And my birthday is tomorrow - as if it can't get more pitiful...I'm using the anger for energy. Last edited by Ford; March 30th, 2010 at 12:18 PM. Reason: spelling error |
#21
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convenia reaction?
My first post here, hope it gets through.
My old neutered male, about 11-12, is very laid back. He loves being outside in good weather but stays inside when it's cold or raining. He's trained to go to the door when he needs out to use the bathroom and since we do not use a litter box inside, if he has an emergency in the night, he hops in the bathtub. Our neighborhood has a few feral males that do roam and sometimes my cat encounters one of them. Last Thursday, he was limping just a bit and excessively licking his right foreleg. I took him to the vet and sure enough, there was a puncture wound and the old boy had a fever. It was abcessed. The vet, whom I like a lot, kept him overnight, lanced the infection and gave him a shot of convenia. I picked him up Friday and he spent the rest of that day plus all day Saturday sleeping. When he did wake up, he was a little shakey on his legs. He did not want to eat or drink but I wasn't concerned too much because we had real bad weather all day, drizzly rain. On Sunday, he was not any better although the area of surgery was healing very nicely. Old Garney was even more wobbly. Monday I took him back in as he was not urinating or defecating and he could not stand up on all fours. It was as if he could not control his two front legs He did manage to urinate in the vet's office and the vet was able to do a culture. Blood in the urine. Since Garney already had the convenia in him the vet said it would work for the urinary problem. He also gave him a shot of metacam and sent us home with oral of that same med. Tuesday, today, Garney's front legs are totally useless, he falls over frontwards when he does try to stand. He's not interested in going to his food bowl but when I took it to him, he did eat some. Same with water. I've been using a syringe which he takes but he cannot raise his head enough to actually eat or drink. He cannot get up enough to move around and he tries to scoot using his back legs but they are very weak too. I did get a litter box for him and he used it for urine but still has not had a BM. Course, he's not eating more than a couple of tablespoons. Now, tonight, he cannot sit to use the box and I'm afraid he's going to die. It's as if he is paralyzed in the legs. He moves his tail and head. Could he be having a reaction to the convenia?? Sorry this is so long...I just wanted to get all 6 days in. He was OK except for the abcessed bite wound which was treated, and is still healing really well. Started getting shakey on Saturday. He walked at first like he was a staggering drunk!! Now can't walk at all. |
#22
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garneycat- a quick welcome here...but you need to get Garney to a Vet ASAP - those symptoms are very serious and no one here can diagnose what's going on. One of the reactions that's been noticed lately after this drug's use is an onset of anemia - and, that's life-threatening..
If he were my cat, I'd get him to an emergency clinic immediately. Again, if I were in your position, I wouldn't take him to the same Vet - here's why: there has apparently been much discussion on the Vets' discussion forums over the last several months about severe, adverse reactions to this drug - one would think that any Vet worth his/her weight would, by now, be aware at least of the potential and, if nothing else, at least caution clients to be alert for symptoms..... My suggestions are either ER or to a feline-only practice - and as quickly as possible. Remember - this drug is designed to remain in the system for two weeks+..... Here is a link to a reference to those Vet discussions http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2107
__________________
the more i learn about (some) people, the more i luv my cats |
#23
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Garneycat,I am so very sorry for what has happened with your cat,I have learned one thing for sure,my cats will never get injected with Convenia,there seems to be one horror-story after the other.
I your kitty recovers
__________________
"The cruelest animal is the Human animal" 3 kitties,Rocky(r.i.p my boy),Chico,Vinnie |
#24
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Rustycat and Chico--thanks to both of you for your kind words.
I must not have been clear in my original post, but Garney was taken back to the vet on Monday, 2-15. That's when the blood in the urine was found. I made the initial post here on Tuesday night as he was getting worse. On Wednesday morning, I took him to another vet who did a complete blood workup. It appears he has leukemia, has had it for a long time apparently and the cancer has spread through the blood to his brain. |
#25
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convenia
Quote:
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#26
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Purplerain,I am so very sorrywhat a terrible experience,I will make sure my cats never gets Convenia.
__________________
"The cruelest animal is the Human animal" 3 kitties,Rocky(r.i.p my boy),Chico,Vinnie |
#27
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i took my cat to the vet last thursday because she was showing signs of another UTI. the doctor suggested this awesome sounding alternative to skinned forearms that resulted from a week or two of trying to mash gooey half-digested pills into my poor suffering kitty. he said with one shot, everything would be fixed.
well, the problem was solved. unfortunately i woke up to a lifeless lump laying in the corner of my dining room. she was otherwise healthy and had a full check up the day before. take from it what you will, but i doubt i'll choose the "easy way out" next time. |
#28
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I'm so sorry for your loss, BigBob
__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference." "It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!" "Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle." |
#29
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Quote:
I am so very sorry to hear about your cat. If your cat was healthy otherwise then it is suspected the injection could have had an adverse reaction. Have you had a post mortem done? I think you and your vet should report it to the drug company and/or to DEFRA. |
#30
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60 Lb flat coated retreiver mix with IBD doing great on Convenia
Hi all, I just wanted to say something positive about the Convenia injection that my 60 LB dog received on Saturday.
Dodger was diagnosed with IBD ( inflammatory bowel disease) 1 year ago, we have finally managed to control his episodes with diet and a daily low dose of Prednisone. With IBD in some dogs comes a skin infection called Pyoderma (took me forever to find out what these sores were) because their immune system is compromised, Oral antibiotics are out of the question for him as it will cause a flair up of the IBD going through his intestinal tract. Last Saturday I took Dodger to the Vet because he has skin sores on the trunk of his body that the topical ointment weren't helping, so I asked my vet about this Convenia injection...WHAT A GOD SEND THIS STUFF IS to my dog..I watched him carefully for the first 48 hours, and to my amazement, his stools are nice and solid still and the sores are healing and no longer red and irritating him..Yes the injection was pricy ( for a dog his size it was about $200) but well worth every penny, the antibiotic injection stays in their system for 2 weeks. It hasn't upset his system whats so ever, which makes both my husband and I are very happy and the dog is even happier |
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