Drug Side Effects Or Deeper Issue?

[txcatlover94]

Hi everyone -

This might be a bit lengthy, but any help/advice would be appreciated SO very much!

My 11-year-old cat was treated on Friday for a ruptured abscess on his rear as well as an infection in his ears. I was originally going to take him in for a few ceruminous cysts in his left ear (which the vet said not to bother much about) until I noticed the abscess Thurs. evening. Anyway, he was treated for the abscess and as for the ears, they ran a cytology and said that he had an infection. So he was treated for that and we were sent home. All the medications he received are of the long-lasting variety and we were not given anything else.

For the rest of that day he was out of it, slightly off balance, lethargic, etc. I chalked this up to medication side effects. However, while he has been gradually been getting better in different ways every day, there are still some things I'm concerned about. I wanted to know if any of you have had any experience with these medications and could share your stories or tell me if these symptoms sound like a bigger problem. I will most certainly take him to the vet if necessary but as he HATES both car rides and the vet, and as the vet is a good 20-30 minute drive, I don't want to take him needlessly. (I also don't want to spend more hundreds of dollars if I don't have to!) Here are the medications he received:
Convenia, Triamcinolone Acetonide (Kenalog), and Enrofloxacin/Ketocona/Triam.

Here are some of his symptoms:

• Dilated eyes (finally seen some smaller pupils today!).
• Can't eat dry food (he is hungry and wants to eat it but can't - he has been eating some wet foods though).
• Has had some trouble drinking (he finally drank some on his own yesterday).
• Muffled hearing.
• Restlessness (a lot of times he'll still be awake, even though he's lying down).
• Decreased use of the litter box (I suppose this could be due to the healing wound on his rear?).
• A general uneasiness.

I am wondering if these symptoms are due to the EKT that was put in his ears? Is it just that his ears feel full and are in turn making him feel very uncomfortable or...? Has anyone had experience with their cats being treated with this? If so, have you noticed any side effects and how long did they last? Or does this sound like a bigger issue? (I have wondered if he got a ruptured eardrum at the vet, but I don't know.)

Again, I apologize for the lengthy post - just wanted to make sure you guys knew what was going on. ANY help, personal experiences, advice, etc. would be very much appreciated!!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! I'm sorry you are going through this!

I have no experience with these meds but let me post some foods you could try tempting him with;

Try some raw egg yolk. Egg white must always be cooked, and some people cook the white and make a slurry of sorts by adding in the raw yolk.

Try making this;
tent test for dehydration and home-made pedialyte recipe - The Daily Kitten

Also, try making one of these;
Kitten Glop Recipes - Supplementing Cats and Kittens with nutritious formula you make at home: presented by Bengal Cat breeder Foothill Felines. --This website has a number of kitten glop recipes, with ingredients that you may very well have in your house.

These can be used on their own or combined with food. Also, if you heat the food a little - stir it so there aren't any hot spots from the microwave. Or you could heat some water, about a tablespoon, and add that to canned food. A small glass works to stir it all up.

• Chicken, beef or ham flavored baby food such as Gerber Stage 2 - make sure there is no garlic or onions in the ingredients

• Tuna and/or the juice, a low mercury/low/no sodium brand is called SafeCatch

• Salmon, mackerel

• Sardines (make sure there are no bones)

• boiled cut up chicken or turkey with no seasonings

• canned kitten food any brand - it's usually smelly. See if it's eaten on its own, then maybe mix it in or put on top

• Try mixing in Kitten Milk Replacer - there are recipes on the internet or store bought

• Fish, tuna or BBQ flavored canned wet food (I personally have never seen BBQ flavors, but...)

• Lickable cat treats or pouch treat 'gravy' poured over the food

• kitten glop (recipes in website link above)
• Bonito flakes
• fortiflora
• fish oil
• green beans, asparagus mushed up

• goat milk, or no lactose cow milk
• whole cooked eggs (the white must always be cooked) or raw egg yolk now and then
• broth with no salt and no garlic or onion or seasonings of any kind
• There are also commercial toppers, Applaws is a brand that can work well as a topper
  
• Some good treats would be freeze dried Purebites, Orijen, Meowtinis, Meowables

• There are also Lickimats that you could spread types of soft food onto, even plain unflavored yogurt, and even freeze it. Licking something can help a cat to feel better emotionally The LickiMat - Food Puzzles for Cats
• shredded cheddar cheese

 

[white shadow]

.
Hi txcatlover94.

I think I'd be taking him back for a re-check and a close re-exam of his ears. I'd also be expressing that concern you have about an eardrum.

I'm wondering if he is in some pain (from the abscess). That could explain the restlessness/unease and perhaps the decreased appetite (meantime, if it's to be wet-only, so be it! Give him as much as he wants.)

The less he eats, the less he will deposit in the litterbox. And, if he's eating wet food, he won't be drinking as much as he may have with dry foods.

The Convenia is known to depress appetite and otherwise change cats' presentations, notably to cause noticeable lethargy.

There are a few things you've said that I don't understand. You've said he "wants to drink, but can't"....why do you say "can't"? The same applies to "can't eat dry food"...why can't versus won't? And, how are you determining that his hearing is "muffled"?

IF his hearing is reduced either due to the cleaning or the medication, I think that would provoke an unease/restlessness, as the cat is so reliant on hearing for security.

In any case, I'd be going for a followup exam.
.

 

[LTS3]

Convenia is known to cause side effects lasting long after the initial injection. There's info here Convenia- long term antibiotic: Is it worth the risk?

 

[txcatlover94]

Thanks, Furballsmom - I will definitely look into these!

 

[txcatlover94]

Hi, white shadow -

Thanks for your input!

I am thinking of taking him into the vet (a different one as I have not been happy with our current one).

It's totally possible the abscess is causing the discomfort - that or a combination of the ears + abscess. It's hard to know when he's been dealing with two separate problems!

From what I can tell, his appetite has not decreased in any way. He is just having a hard time chewing food, which is why I think that might be related to his ears. Unfortunately, he has never liked wet food so it's been hard getting him to accept it as his only option. I didn't say he wants to drink but can't; I only said that about the dry food. For the first couple of days he hardly drank anything and I'm thinking that might also have been related to the same reason he's having a hard time chewing food. Also, he was having some balance issues for a few days which may have played a part too? He is drinking more now, though and has even gone back to drinking some from the faucet.

As for his hearing, it's not difficult to tell as he is not responding to sounds with his usual acuteness. He can hear, I just don't think it's very sharp and I'm thinking this is caused by the EKT in his ears? (I believe it stays in there for about 6-10 days.)

I'm not ruling other problems out, but it would seem that possibly the EKT in his ears could be at the bottom of a lot of this? I know when my ears are plugged I'm uncomfortable - I can only imagine what it would be like for a cat who has no clue what's going on.

I am wondering - unless I take him this week - if I should take him back for a follow-up in a week or so? The vet did not want to see him for a follow-up exam which I find interesting.

Thanks again for your response, I appreciate it!

 

[txcatlover94]

Convenia is known to cause side effects lasting long after the initial injection. There's info here Convenia- long term antibiotic: Is it worth the risk?

Thanks for sharing, I am definitely going to read this!

 

[phobebon]

Hi my cat has some of the side effects - dilated pupil and general uneasiness from medications.
However, they are not the same ones as you mentioned, mine is Histamil and Pain Killer which both caused my cat to behave very nervously and seems unrest.

Pain killer leave him daze and unable to sleep for half the day, just sitting around and stare blankly. For this, i discuss with the vet to reduce the dosage and monitor.

For Histamil, the pupils dilation lasted about 3-4 days which he looks nervous and anxious about the surroundings. I seek advice from vet when he does not need it anymore (monitoring symptoms he is treated for E.g. vomiting gastric bile), we stopped immediately and it took that 3-4 days for the pupils and behavior to go back to normal.

For both situation, staying with the cat, giving comfort interactions helps them to remain calm. I try to shut the noise from streets through windows and play quite music for them to relax. Hope this helps!

 

[FeralHearts]

Sorry that your baby isn't well right now. :-(

I've only had experience with a long-term antibiotic injection (none of the others) on one of my Ferals after she had an injury. It did have some of the effects you are describing. Most notably the appetite and lethargy. Part of it seemed to be that her sense of smell seemed to be reduced by the meds. She was also taking medacam for pain an inflammation for a couple of weeks.

You could try a sprinkle of parmesan cheese (just a sprinkle) - I use a really fine ground powder like version - and that did help her to eat her wet food.

Since cats go by smell - and that's a powerful smell - it might help entice the eating.

I know you mentioned wanting to change vets and if you an unhappy - absolutely a good idea. In the interim though - I would call the current vet regarding the symptoms and see if that is normal. Especially since there is a cocktail of meds involved. Side effects/drug interactions might play roles here.

 

[txcatlover94]

Hi, phobebon -

I'm sorry to hear that your kitty has been dealing with side effects too!

Thankfully, almost all of the symptoms I mentioned in my first post are all gone, or close to being gone! The funny thing about his eating was come to find out, I guess he was just done with his current food! I don't know if it was a bad batch or what, but he's eating a new flavor (same brand) just fine now!

He's still just mostly restless and uneasy, which is a bit bothersome. I would assume that is a side effect of one of the drugs he received, but I am still going to look into it.

Thanks for sharing your experience!

 

[txcatlover94]

Hi FeralHearts -

Thanks for sharing your experience, I appreciate it.

Thankfully, as I mentioned in another reply, he is eating again - yay! It would appear that, while I do think he had some problems chewing, the ultimate cause of his not eating was plain snubbing! He is eating a new flavor (same brand) just fine... I have no clue - I guess he was just done with the other flavor?

Yes, I am most certainly wanting to change vets and even more so because we did call our current one to get information about possible side effects. All he said was that because of my cat's age, the symptoms could be a sign of possible liver damage and that he should come in and have blood work done...?? Um, excuse me but I think you should have taken his age into consideration before injecting him with all this stuff! Amiright? :/ Also, when we were in the office they never talked us through any of the medicines, their purposes, potential side effects, alternative treatments, or anything. It was basically just here is what he needs and you can do it or not. Now, I will say that I should have asked questions about side effects, etc., but none of the vets seem to like being asked questions (I'm talking thoughtful, serious questions). Still, though, I should have asked and I am mad at myself for that.

Anyway, sorry for the rant! It just makes me mad that they gave him all this stuff (and that I consented!) and then won't even discuss possible side effects on the phone. Good grief.

Thanks again for your input and advice!

 

[txcatlover94]

Hi everyone!

Just thought I would post an update on my cat...

So these are the symptoms I mentioned in my previous post:

• Dilated eyes.

• Can't eat dry food (he is hungry and wants to eat it but can't).

• Has had some trouble drinking.

• Muffled hearing.

• Restlessness (a lot of times he'll still be awake, even though he's lying down).

• Decreased use of the litter box.

• A general uneasiness.

OK; 1.) his eyes still seem a bit more dilated than usual but that could also be me. 2. he's eating dry food(!), more on that in a moment; 3.) he can drink perfectly fine now (yay!), 4.) I'm not sure where it's at but his hearing seems to be coming round now, 5.) unfortunately he's still restless (more to come below), 6.) and it seems like his litter box use is still less than usual, but I'm not 100% on that; 7.) finally, I would still say he's a bit uneasy which does bother me some.

So overall, great improvements and he is showing signs of his former self.
As for his eating, it would appear that that issue mostly came down to his deciding he didn't like that flavor of food anymore. The store had been sold out of the flavor he usually eats and so we got a different flavor (same brand). Yesterday he was really going at the new bag, chewing on it and acting like Mr. Ravenous. So I gave him a little bit, fully expecting him to turn away from it like he had been doing. But no, he actually ate it! And then some more... needless to say, he's eating fine now and for whatever reason, he lost his taste for the former flavor. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The only thing that still bothers me some is his restlessness/unease. Since he is improving in other ways it would seem there is a good chance that this is drug-related? Regardless, he is up more than asleep and even when lying down is usually awake. And for whatever reason, he doesn't seem to want (or possibly can't) close his eyes (he doesn't seem to blink very much either). I don't know if this is what restlessness looks like in cats or if it is a separate issue?

Anyway, I'm happy to see him getting better but if anyone could weigh in on the restlessness, I would appreciate it very much!! (The medications he was treated with are listed in the first post, for reference.)