Covenia Side Effects?

[silverpaws93]

My 13 year old female cat was given an antibiotic injection (Convenia) on Monday due to many scabs on her belly from overgrooming/biting. She's been suffering from itchy ears and skins possibly due to allergies. She does not have ear mites/bacterial infection in ear according to the vet.

Ever since the visit, she has been lethargic and "limping" and avoiding climbing high places like her cat tower. She walks a bit slow and cautiously now. Mostly sleeps in bed, still eats and drinks but doesn't play. The injection was given on her lower back, is that what is causing discomfort when she walks/jumps? I called the vet and the receptionist told me to call back in a few days if other symptoms persist...

I did a google search on Convenia after the visit was horrified to learn of the side effects and how it destroyed their cat's immune system and even killed their cats (usually inducing anemia). I was super paranoid, so I bought Bene-Bac Plus probiotic powder and started using it today. I gave her 2 tsps according to the instructions. I noticed some people were giving their cats aggressive probiotic treatment after the injection. Does anyone have experience doing this (what exactly is "aggressive probiotic treatment" in terms of dosage? Has anyone's cat experience side effects from Convenia shot and recovered from it? How long did the symptoms last? This would help give me a peace of mind because I feel totally guilty I may have shortened my cat's lifespan. She was perfectly fine energetic senior cat that loved to run and play and now she's acting lethargic almost depress.

 

[RogerTheCat]

My vet has given my cat Roger Covenia when he has been itching and even once when he seemed to have an upper respiratory problem. Roger has FIV and it seemed like the labored breathing that he had coming out of the shelter stopped after the Covenia. I always give him Fortiflora probiotic with his wet food...I recommend it. I never thought he had side effects until this post... Roger did have a slight limp a while ago and I thought he hit his paw on the spiral staircase. I wonder if it was Covenia. I have since learned Roger's ear nodules and also his many allergies are likely making this scratching worse. I now use Zymox Otic ear solution when his ears get bad, and make sure I keep his nails short so he doesn't cut himself while scratching.

 

[silverpaws93]

My vet has given my cat Roger Covenia when he has been itching and even once when he seemed to have an upper respiratory problem. Roger has FIV and it seemed like the labored breathing that he had coming out of the shelter stopped after the Covenia. I always give him Fortiflora probiotic with his wet food...I recommend it. I never thought he had side effects until this post... Roger did have a slight limp a while ago and I thought he hit his paw on the spiral staircase. I wonder if it was Covenia. I have since learned Roger's ear nodules and also his many allergies are likely making this scratching worse. I now use Zymox Otic ear solution when his ears get bad, and make sure I keep his nails short so he doesn't cut himself while scratching.

I hope Roger is better now. Is he still limping, and if not, do you know when it has stopped or if he's been lethargic? Do you also know where they gave him the injection?

 

[RogerTheCat]

Thank you. He gets injections in neck. He is doing great regarding the limping... it only lasted maybe 5 days... this was over a year ago. His breathing is good too right now. Convenia in the past has worked well for us I think. I swear it was a god-send when he got him from the shelter. He is still digging in his ears, and I can see little polyps. Wish he didn't have to deal with that. Those ear drops have worked pretty well. I also got him an allergy test and chicken, turkey, soy, pork were definitely making it worse. He has no teeth and needs wet food and it is always a struggle getting him to eat food that is good for him. Fortiflora helps.

 

[RogerTheCat]

BTW he was really lethargic yesterday due to his rabies shot, walking heavy and unsure, which is why I found myself on this site. I just posted a different thread about this, and he was not himself. He is just starting to come around... we are in hour 36 after the shot. He is doing better but it has been a slow process and worrying. Anyway I know it's torture to wait.

 

[silverpaws93]

BTW he was really lethargic yesterday due to his rabies shot, walking heavy and unsure, which is why I found myself on this site. I just posted a different thread about this, and he was not himself. He is just starting to come around... we are in hour 36 after the shot. He is doing better but it has been a slow process and worrying. Anyway I know it's torture to wait.

I'm sorry for the late response, but is Roger doing OK now?

I am just going to give an update regarding this since it's been over a month since the injection. My cat started to become a little more normal after 2 weeks as lethargy wore off. However, her back legs have gotten weaker and there has been a lot of muscle loss. I don't know if the injection has caused this, or it is part of a normal aging process. But the muscle loss in her legs occurred more suddenly than expected and her backside looks thinner. She is unable to climb on her usual high places which she was able to do before the injection.

Improvements the past month: the scabs on her belly are healing since changing her cat litter from walnut to newspaper pellets. She is still licking, scratching, and overgrooming but it is less often now since changing her diet to limited ingredients. I have also closed the windows since I also suspected pollen was contributing to her allergies.