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I am so sorry this happened to you and your cat Meowme. The situation sounds terrible
It's totally fair to disagree. Like I said it's a debate within the community.Have to disagree about chicken and rice for cats. Rice is starch and carb. See this link
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Look all around on that site. There is allot of good info.
The “ grain free” is a gimmick to increase cat food sales. If they remove the grains, they add potatoes or peas, or some other high carb filler.
Think about what cats normally eat, without intervention. I have never seen a cat stalk an ear of corn.
But, do your own research. Make sure that information is from a veterinary source, such as a university or vet.
Here is another link regarding feeding
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And another https://www.aaha.org/globalassets/0...ssessment/nutritionalassessmentguidelines.pdf
Thank you. I will never get over allowing them to give Angie convenia. And they treated me very horribly afterwards as well. My late father told me not to allow it due to the duration and I wish I had listened to him. He was right about just about everything and was a scientist.I am so sorry this happened to you and your cat Meowme. The situation sounds terrible
I totally agree about cats not naturally eating carbs etc. and I have yet to see any convincing data that even suggests much less proves that carb free cat diets are causing heart disease. Grains and other carb fillers are cheap by comparison to better proteins and that is one of the mian reasons they are added into cat and dog diets imo. That said some cats still do well on diets with grains.I don’t have time to fully reply as I have to get to work.
I worked in the veterinary field, not a vet, for 30 years. I have recently worked 6 years cat only. 9 years internal medicine, 3 years shelter med, the rest, and currently general practice. I am basing what I recommend on personal experience.
I’ll respond fully after work.
I am always up for a friendly debate and enjoy others perspectives and ideas.
I am sorry your kitty had that reaction, and to make matters worse your dvm dismissed it. That is very typical, the dismissal. It’s very obvious to me that what is happening with convenia is breaking many rules in medicine.. The way it is being pushed and given without permission with no regard for, and no warning of the dangers. And given for no medical reason without any diagnosis and with no sign of bacterial infection.My heart breaks for you and your cat. This is terrible and a betrayal, which only increases the pain.
My cat received the convenia three times. Each time she pulled most of her fur out leaving only a ridge on her spine and boots on her legs. I was told this could not possibly be caused by the convenia. I was told the same by various members here since pulling all of their fur out is not a recognized side effect of convenia. Nonetheless, it's happened three times. At that point I insisted that she never get the convenia again. I was given the 'you're overreacting, and the side effect couldn't have come from the convenia. Who knows what she got into." House cat, no chemical cleaners in the house beyond dish soap and white vinegar. I've had that response before and the "something drifted in through the closed window that she was allergic to."
You know what you see, you know the timeline. In my opinion, don't even bother to argue, just say, this is my cat, my wallet and this is what we're going to do and not do.
As meowmee said the drug stays in the system way too long, much too long to be safe. I too have a sign on her carrier, and it's written on the front of her chart. I'm not confident that works since in the past I had a cat who was allergic to family of drugs that includes penicillin and I managed to stop the vet from giving him penicillin by putting my hand between the cat and the syringe. Apparently, they don't always read the charts when they are in a hurry.
With the horrendous increase in prices putting vet care beyond the reach of many, I begin to think pets were better off in the 1960s and 70s, when there were few solutions, but you could afford them. And when you didn't have to go into debt to pay for curing the side effects of the medication.
I'm so incredibly sorry for your loss, no one should ever have to go through what you and your kitty did. Your posts about convenia were a few of the ones I read after learning more about it. I appreciate you sharing your story and informing others, it's really helped me.I am not going to read all of this. I can tell you convenia is a very dangerous drug.
Oh my goodness that reaction sounds so scary, I'm so sorry your kitty had to go through that and that your concerns weren't taken seriously when they seem to be obviously justified. The borderline gaslighting afterward is just ridiculous and unprofessional. I hope your kitty is doing okay now!My cat received the convenia three times. Each time she pulled most of her fur out leaving only a ridge on her spine and boots on her legs. I was told this could not possibly be caused by the convenia.
Ty for you kind words… For Phoebe That is terrible about the dogs. My Sybil also hated going to one dvm with lots of dogs. One dvm there was the very best around, but they retired and now it is awful. It became a vca.I'm so incredibly sorry for your loss, no one should ever have to go through what you and your kitty did. Your posts about convenia were a few of the ones I read after learning more about it. I appreciate you sharing your story and informing others, it's really helped me.
First, what happened to your outdoor cat is appalling! It's terrifying that vets are administering medication without telling the owners. Incredibly unprofessional on their part, not only giving convenia for no reason but also trying to cover their own butts after you said something. I'm glad that he came through okay.
I also had no idea about the money factor! It is so disheartening thats some vets are putting dollars over the safety of pets.
Looking online, I see that their manufacturer website states it can be used for "skin disease, bacterial infections, and allergies" so I can vaguely assume what my vet was intending to do. But as you said, without knowing what is causing the reaction, it feels like using a sledgehammer to nail a sewing needle into the wall. It's excessive for a situation like this, and I'm so regretful I didn't look this medication up sooner, let alone allow them to get it in the first place. Not to mention she basically had back-to-back injections, only 3-4 weeks apart. It's hard not to worry about what will happen in the next two months.
Like you, I was also not thinking clearly- besides the stress of trying to figure out what's wrong, my grandpa got incredibly sick last month and passed a few days before her last vet visit on Friday. The vet did not inform me of any side effects or discuss/offer any other options for medication, but I myself dropped the ball and blindly trusted because I was caught up in what was happening in my life. Not to mention we were incredibly stressed during the horrendous Friday appointment- three excited barking large breed dogs in the waiting room with us (including a german shepard, whose owner let him lunge at Phoebe and I), no accommodation for my tiny little frightened kitten, and all could be heard in the exam room we were in. We were there for over an hour. I've never seen Phoebe so frightened, I almost walked out of the appointment (at this point I wish that I had). Safe to say after everything, I won't be returning to that clinic.
I did try to buy Dr. Mercola's from the recommendation on the facebook page I saw in one of your posts previously. It seems that they're making a new formula now though, and I'm not sure if it will have the same effectiveness. Couldn't get benebac either. I still have a probiotic at least though.
A friend told me to grow a backbone because I tend to flounder at visits, letting vets run me in circles and talk over me or down to me (character flaw sadly, child of a narcissist here).
It will be a long wait for the dermatologist unfortunatley, but I have an appointment tomorrow with a new vet and I wrote a list of everything that needs to be acknowledged and discussed. This time I WILL be asking about every step, every medication, and every possible diagnosis. I don't care how dumb or paranoid I might seem. I just want them to be thoroughly checked after everything. I cannot put my babies through this situation again, knowing what I know now and watching their reactions after the injections.
Thank you for the well wishes. No crazy reactions from Phoebe so far but her energy, appetite, and digestion are still fluctuating. It's only been 5 days though, and still have no idea what's wrong/how serious anything is so we have a long road ahead of us.
I would not give her the clavamox if it were me. Convenia needs to get out of her system. Why did dvm think she needs an antibiotic? It seems she has no confirmed bacterial infection? Uri is usually a virus. Same for Milo. Asthma does not need an antibiotic unless a bacterial infection develops, if he had convenia too I would not give it to him either. Neither is critically ill either tg.Update after today's visit: I think it went well?
I'm optimistic because this vet was very thorough. She let me explain everything in detail, she explained everything to me in detail, and she asked me if there was anything I didn't understand. Sadly, this is more than I've ever gotten out of any other vet.
There are a few symptoms I didn't put in this post (but are in some of my others) for brevities sake and because the itching and sneezing were the cause for the initial injections. As I said, they've always had some sneezing and squinting, but Phoebe had some opaque eye discharge a few weeks ago (cleared up on its own, but the past couple of days her eyes have been a bit wet) and Milo recently has had some possible redness around the eyes and yellow crusties. Both have always had random bouts of diarrhea and currently, they have some mucus in there. Both also have had some weird breathing, like getting out of breath very easily when playing (I'm talking within 10-30 seconds). Within the last week or two, Milo started snorting when he takes deep breaths, drooling a little bit, and he has had some coughing (which leads to him slinging snot).
For the potty problems, she suspects food (which I expected) and/or stress because of the mucus. They were on Hill's z/d first and wouldn't eat it, but I now know it was probably from the upset stomach due to convenia and vetalog. But in any case, she told me Hill's is the least palatable so she typically offers Royal Canin so she gave me a script for that. She also gave me Proviable, which I was actually hoping for, and told me to keep the apartment calm if I can. Hopefully, the Proviable will help, Milo is so sick and tired of me using a wet rag to wipe his butt every time he poops
For the itching, as expected again, she believes it to be a food allergy. She actually told me she was shocked when she saw convenia listed as a previous medication and didn't understand why they had gotten it in the first place. She said that in their clinic, convenia is either never used or is at the least the very last option, and wouldn't be used for a suspected allergy. Not to mention the fact that they're really young, which she said was a bit concerning. Thankfully, Phoebe still seems to be okay at the moment and trucking along, but I will be watching her.
For the respiratory, she suspects a URI at the least (suggested at my last visit with my previous vet, but he didn't really discuss further or overtly treat it unless that's what the convenia was for). The combination of symptoms plus the fact that they already have FHV, she said it's very likely they are having a flare-up, especially with all the stress of other symptoms, vet visits and treatment. When she listened to both of their lungs, and Phoebe's were okay but Milo's we're a bit off. She offered an x-ray to check his heart and lungs, which I agreed to. She actually pulled it up for me, explained what everything is and why it looks the way it does, and showed a side by side of Milo's lungs compared to a healthy patients lungs (a sweet kitty named Frank). She saw some inflammation, and she said the x-ray coloring was a little more heavy/dense than she would have liked. She believes it to be the beginning of asthma, and said if he doesn't improve by his next visit, they can test him for it. I didn't even consider it then, but could this be bordetella as well? I have no knowledge or experience with it, only what I can find online, but the symptoms seem similar. I don't know, it's also been four months since they've been in a shelter and the symptoms are just happening now so it doesn't seem plausible to me, unless it got picked up at a vet along the line?
I was given Amoxiclav (which is the same as Clavomax I believe) suspension 75 mg 1.1ml every 12 hours for 10 days, in addition to the probiotics. We have a follow-up appointment in two weeks, and as mentioned she said we can do further testing if needed.
I guess my question is- is the Clavamox okay to give to Phoebe? She's already had two Convenia injections, Milo has had one. The vet did say it was okay, and that she has had to do it in the past for some very sick pets and there weren't any issues. But I don't know, it seems like a lot of medicine to be putting in her... I don't want to be too trusting and totally wreck Phoebe's body. I saw a comment on another thread that giving clavamox to a cat with two shots of convenia is a no-no, so I'm just wary. I don't have to give it until tomorrow, but does anyone know anything? I'd just like some peace of mind
That's what I'm thinking as well. I guess I probably could've waited to schedule a visit for a later time once the convenia ran its course. I honestly didn't even expect to come out with any medication, I just wanted them to get thoroughly checked. What's perplexing me is the acknowledgment that these symptoms are some form of allergy but I keep getting antibiotics thrown at me. I did ask about antihistamines and was told if this treatment doesn't work, benadryl is an option. She did agree that steroids would be a last resort, and only when they are older.I would not give her the clavamox if it were me. Convenia needs to get out of her system. Why did dvm think she needs an antibiotic? It seems she has no confirmed bacterial infection? Uri is usually a virus. Same for Milo. Asthma does not need an antibiotic unless a bacterial infection develops, if he had convenia too I would not give it to him either. Neither is critically ill either tg.
Also, if they have fhv and are flairing that can explain a lot of their symptoms. Did you try lysine?
Aww poor thing… it does look like itching to me too. What the cause is I can’t say of course. That’s funny that she likes the lysine gel. But if you think that might be causing the itching just stop it and see if the itching goes away maybe- did the itching start when she started taking lysine?That's what I'm thinking as well. I guess I probably could've waited to schedule a visit for a later time once the convenia ran its course. I honestly didn't even expect to come out with any medication, I just wanted them to get thoroughly checked. What's perplexing me is the acknowledgment that these symptoms are some form of allergy but I keep getting antibiotics thrown at me. I did ask about antihistamines and was told if this treatment doesn't work, benadryl is an option. She did agree that steroids would be a last resort, and only when they are older.
She said she gave the clavamox for the suspected URI and respiratory issues, but she did not confirm a bacterial infection, correct. They just got a physical for both and Milo got an x-ray, no other testing. At this point I feel like I got ran in circles again.
But yes, I have been giving them lysine since Oct 31st of last year but honestly, I have not seen improvement. My vet did say it's possible it wouldn't help and it won't hurt for them to have it, but if it doesn't I can stop anytime. I haven't yet because weirdly Phoebe LOVES the stuff, she comes screaming when she hears me open the gel cap
At this point, I'm wondering if I'm the crazy one and it's all in my head. I'm even wondering if the allergy is to the lysine gel now, because the symptoms line up (itching/biting skin, appetite fluctuation, diarrhea), but then again so do most allergy causes. As I said in a previous comment, this is not constant. Usually bad for a day or a few, then it sort of stops until it starts again. It does make her not all that excited to eat and she gets a bit lethargic because I'm sure it's tiring. In any case, I'm attaching some videos because I just realized I've never shown what her symptoms look like. Here's two:
Not sure if it's obvious in the video, but sometimes I can distract her by playing, like with my pant string here.
Milo trying to help in the last video Thinking I might just wait this out with the probiotics and see where it takes us.