Has anyone had a successful use of Convenia?

nekolove

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Hi, 

I'm in a bit of a panic right now. The vet ACCIDENTALLY gave our kitty a Convenia shot. She was supposed to get Serenia, an anti-nausea medication and was given Convenia instead. I was already nervous about giving her a shot and specifically asked the vet if it was long-acting because my kitty's sister (who has since passed) had a very bad reaction to Convenia. The vet assured me that they weren't giving her anything long-acting. Just a shot of pred and anti-nausea medicine. 

Upon checkout the assistant read through what kitty received and she said Convenia. I said she wasn't supposed to get any antibiotics and especially not Convenia because her sister almost died from it. NOTE: this isn't kitty's regular vet, who is closed on Saturdays. But we brought her in because she was having a problem with her ears and was shaking her head a lot. Being a holiday weekend, I wanted to make sure she had what she needed.

I don't know what to do. Aside from the fact that Kitty is unneccessarily on a round of antiobiotics which will throw her system out of whack, I'm incredibly worried about her reaction to Convenia. It's the last drug in the world I would have allowed her to get and here they give it to her by accident. 

My biggest question is if anyone has given Convenia to their kitties without any adverse reactions? All I can find are negative reactions to this drug.

Thanks for any advice. Trying to stay positive here...
 

white shadow

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Hi nekolove - welcome to the forum, too !

Yes, one of my cats had a Convenia injection, many years ago......without any issue.

While there are many reports of adverse reactions, there are zillions of unreported favourable outcomes.

That might suggest that I advocate the use of Convenia....I do not.....because there are other, "safer" antibiotics for the classes of infections covered by Convenia, I always recommend that it not be accepted........unless the patient is feral or impossible to otherwise medicate.

You said
 Upon checkout the assistant read through what kitty received
BUT.........are you certain there wasn't a typo error in those records?  Did you ask for absolute clarification with the VET? How otherwise do you categorically know Convenia was actually administered ?

Did you have to pay for it? Did you pay for it anyway?

Another question I have is....an ear issue + headshaking I understand......giving Cerenia for that alone makes no sense. (Now, if the cat were vomiting....then it would be understandable.)

There are several unanswered questions raised in there.
 
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nekolove

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White Shadow, thanks for your response. I'm watching her closely and am so worried. 

She vomited quite a bit early this morning, so along with her ears we felt we should have her checked today even it it wasn't her regular vet. She does vomit often, but this was a lot and I think it was because she ate cat grass that I got for our kitten. That's why the Serenia. And the pred shot was for potential allergies for her ears. 

I found out about the Convenia by accident. The vet tech said it in passing when we were checking her out. I then made them triple check. They apologized and admitted they gave Convenia by accident because the "name is so similar" per the vet. Now there is nothing I can do but watch her closely. I'm trying not to panic, but when researching how long until kitty will be in the clear from the Convenia, all I see are horror stories. And this was given by mistake!! I'm devastated and so worried this will hurt or even kill her.

About 1 hour after we got home, kitty was thirsty and drank. within 20 minutes she vomited all the water up. It was a lot. I don't' know if this is a continuation of this morning, or a reaction to the shots.She seems okay now and is cleaning herself, but I am so worried. 

I called the vet who accidentally gave her Convenia and she offered to give her fluids and said she'd never seen a bad reaction to Convenia. I'm worried kitty will get dehydrated. She's thirsty now, but the vet said not to give her water until tomorrow. The vet is less concerned about the Convenia and more conerned that kitty can't keep fluids down. I don't know what to do...
 
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nekolove

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Oh, and they opted not to charge us for the Convenia or the Serenia, so we didn't pay for it. Not that that matters...all I care about now is my kitty's health. I'm very upset. 
 

mrsgreenjeens

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One of my cats has had at least 4 Convenia shots and had NO adverse reactions.  YES, there are horror stories about it, but if you look hard enough you will find them on just about any drug.   Unfortunately, you DID have a cat who experienced a bad reaction to it, but hopefully lightening won't strike twice


How is your little one today?  Did she ever receive the Cerenia once the mistake was discovered? 

Eating cat grass can certainly cause cats to vomit, AND so can drinking too much water at one time, at least if they do it on an over acidic tummy .  I finally took away the cat grass in our house because I was tired of all the vomiting, even though my furkids enjoyed eating it. 
 
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nekolove

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One of my cats has had at least 4 Convenia shots and had NO adverse reactions.  YES, there are horror stories about it, but if you look hard enough you will find them on just about any drug.   Unfortunately, you DID have a cat who experienced a bad reaction to it, but hopefully lightening won't strike twice


How is your little one today?  Did she ever receive the Cerenia once the mistake was discovered? 

Eating cat grass can certainly cause cats to vomit, AND so can drinking too much water at one time, at least if they do it on an over acidic tummy .  I finally took away the cat grass in our house because I was tired of all the vomiting, even though my furkids enjoyed eating it. 
I'm so relieved to be reading your note, mrsgreenjeens. I really hope lightening doesn't strike twice. Yes, they gave her the Cerenia after they realized their mistake. 

She vomited a couple more times yesterday...not that she had anything to vomit. Drooling with just a little bit of foam. We took her to the emergency vet, who gave her fluids and a shot of Dolasetron for the vomiting. She was doing much better when she got home. She seems tired now, but was walking around and active this morning. We had to fast her until noon. She is not interested in water, but ate about 2 tbs of baby food in the past couple of hours without vomiting. She's sleepy, but seems comfortable and her eyes aren't all woozy like our other kitty. I just wish she'd drink water and wasn't so inactive.

My worry now is if she gets that rapid anemia reaction that I've read about. I know--I shouldn't be reading all of this stuff on the internet. The vet last night said he's never seen a negative reaction to Convenia and they give it all the time. 

I'm glad to hear that about the cat grass. I'm not going to use it anymore. I think she chewed more of it than she normally does. Well...we're watching her closely. That's all we can do right now. If she doesn't drink tonight we may have to bring her back for more fluids. Poor baby. I'm so angry at the vet for giving her this powerful drug by accident after I specifically requesting and being reassured that she wasnt receiving any long-acting shots...let alone an antibiotic that she didn't need.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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If you can get more canned food, or any type of wet food (including baby food) into her, just add water to it and that might be enough. I feed only canned food, and add water to each and every meal, and rarely see my furkids at their water bowls.  The only one I ever see taking a drink is my kidney cat, and they are know for their excessive thirsts.  She also gets sub-q fluids, so is obviously dry.  But typically cats fed wet food don't drink much
 
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nekolove

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If you can get more canned food, or any type of wet food (including baby food) into her, just add water to it and that might be enough. I feed only canned food, and add water to each and every meal, and rarely see my furkids at their water bowls.  The only one I ever see taking a drink is my kidney cat, and they are know for their excessive thirsts.  She also gets sub-q fluids, so is obviously dry.  But typically cats fed wet food don't drink much
Thank you, mrsgreenjeens. That is comforting to know. She is eating a little, but still very little. Some boiled chicken and I just gave her a small amount of turkey baby food. She ate it, but vomited up a little. No bowel movements in a couple of days. We're taking her in for an ultrasound tomorrow. Based on her x-ray the radiologist thought four things: IBD, Gastroenteritis, Pancreatitis or lymphoma. There is also the possibility she caught a virus from the new kitten. 

While that is worrying enough, my immediate concern is that she's not eating much. I don't know if this is a reaction from the Convenia? Other than the little interest in food and water, she looks fine. She's cleaning herself and seems fairly relaxed. But I know cats can fool you...sigh.
 
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ruthm

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I'm so sorry you had the worry of your kitty getting the shot of Convenia rather than Cerenia!  My kitty Tiger had 3 shots of Convenia, the first was given before I was aware of the ramifications, and I was scared to death. Fortunately, she was fine and had no adverse reaction. The 2nd time I made the decision to let her have the shot because she had a UTI, with a culture and sensitivity done, which indicated that the bacteria was sensitive to it.  At that time, my Tiger was suffering from pancreatitis, so we did not want to stress her system more by using Clavamox. 

I am glad you are having an ultrasound done tomorrow- it may give you some answers as to why your kitty isn't feeling well, vomiting and inappetance are very concerning.  However, if your vet suspects pancreatitis, I highly recommend the Spec fpl rather than depending on the ultrasound results.  I hope that whatever it is turns out to be treatable, sending good thoughts your way.
 
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nekolove

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Thank you, RuthM, for your good thoughts--I think they worked
. Kitty has been on the mend, still with a reduced appetite. The ultrasound ruled out pancreatitits, with a very "unlikely" IBD or lymphoma. The vet said her results with bloodwork are about "as good as it gets" in this situation. I'm very relieved and am now thinking it might have been a perfect storm of new kitten stress, maybe virus caught by new kitten, and a negative reaction to the Convenia. I'm thinking the Convenia is what caused the vomiting and loss of appetite. But thankfully she didin't have the worst of the reactions. Right now I'm just trying to make sure she eats and doesnt' get too stressed by the new kitten. I admit, I've been a little on edge with cat health in our house as we very recently lost her sister to nasal lymphoma.
 

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My cat has had several convenia injections, and the most recent, she was given a convenia injection, with a follow-up 10 days later, and she is FINALLY feeling much better.  If she should get as bad of an infection in the future as she had this time, I would give her the convenia again. We have tried tons of antibiotics without  much luck - and this one works for this cat. 

The letharagy might have been due to the convenia, but on the nauseau, isn't that, paired with the head shaking, why you took her in?

It is wrong that the vet gave a medication you specifically said you did not want to give, but I have nothing negative to stay about the drug itself.  How long have you been using this vet?

Glad you and kitty are feeling better.  :d
 

kittyluv387

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Umm is Convenia really that bad for your cat??  My 6 month old kitten Benny just received a shot of that on Saturday.  He took a good nap once he got home but other than that he is doing fine.  So yes, not all kitties get adverse reactions (thankfully).
 

denice

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Umm is Convenia really that bad for your cat??  My 6 month old kitten Benny just received a shot of that on Saturday.  He took a good nap once he got home but other than that he is doing fine.  So yes, not all kitties get adverse reactions (thankfully).
I personally don't think Convenia is any more prone to a bad reaction then many other antibiotics.  The thing with convenia is that it stays in the system for awhile which makes it a very good choice for kitties that are extremely difficult to give oral medication to and ferals.  If there is a reaction there is nothing that can be done but give supportive care and wait for it to work out of the system.  With oral meds its just a matter of stopping the medication and it works out of the system very quickly.
 

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By the looks of this post I may be one of the few that did experience a bad reaction with Convenia. My 10yo tabby was healthy and vibrant but needed to have a tooth extracted. He had lab work done prior to anesthesia and everything was normal. Kidneys and liver function were normal. Vet gave him a shot of Convenia post surgery without consulting me and said it was necessary to warn off possible infection. Two weeks later my baby was in severe liver failure. We tried everything to save him including a feeding tube but unfortunately he didn't make it. After reading about Convenia and seeing the tragic stories I asked my old vet why they would give my precious boy a drug with potential side effects without consulting me first and she said it was protocol. I've since learned Convenia is not indicated for tooth infections and does have a very high mortality rate in cats. Needless to say I've switched vets (to one who is anti Convenia) for my other kitties. This happen back in March and took my husband and I months to get over the loss of our precious boy! He was truly the canine of the feline world. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

I realize that I'm just one story and others have had no issues with Convenia. I've learned that unfortunately every animal is different and what one kitty experiences may not be the same as another. My situation is tragic and was heartbreaking to my family. The best non medical advise I give friends and family after going through everything is educate yourself. If you don't know asks questions. There are always alternatives that can be tried first. If something doesn't sound, feel or act right...speaK up and respond. Animals are the most difficult patients bc they can't speak; as owners we need to be their voices (or meows [emoji]128047[/emoji]).
 

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I'm sorry for your bad experience.  I don't think even my vet, who is pro convenia, would prescribe it for preventative measures, and our cat did have several other courses of antibiotcis prior to the initial convenia injection.  though now that we have had it, I wouldn't hesitate to have it again.  BUT, prior to her having the injection, I had never heard of this drug and only googled it when my daughter emailed me at work to let me know what the vet said.  (She had been battling this infection for a month or more and we were very worried about her).  Of course, by that point, it was too late, but I certainly went in a panic when I read about all the bad reactions to the drug.  What I am saying is its hard to know all the side effects of a drug you have never heard of, and this isn't just true with animals either - look at all the advertisements on TV for class action lawsuits for people who have experienced bad reactions to drugs.

Having a vet you can count on and trust, one who generally feels the same as you regarding treatment, care, and end of life care is priceless.
 

denice

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The vet clinic I go to uses it very sparingly.  They will use it when other antibiotics have failed.  They also do some work for two rescues and they occasionally use it for one of the rescues.  The kitties aren't feral but many are very skittish when they first come in and giving oral meds would stress them out further.

Both of my kitties were given antibiotics after extractions but not convenia.  They were given a shot of the same antibiotic as they were given a prescription for and a shot of buprenex before they woke them up.  That was so the oral meds didn't have to be started until the next day.
 

ruthm

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By the looks of this post I may be one of the few that did experience a bad reaction with Convenia. My 10yo tabby was healthy and vibrant but needed to have a tooth extracted. He had lab work done prior to anesthesia and everything was normal. Kidneys and liver function were normal. Vet gave him a shot of Convenia post surgery without consulting me and said it was necessary to warn off possible infection. Two weeks later my baby was in severe liver failure. We tried everything to save him including a feeding tube but unfortunately he didn't make it. After reading about Convenia and seeing the tragic stories I asked my old vet why they would give my precious boy a drug with potential side effects without consulting me first and she said it was protocol. I've since learned Convenia is not indicated for tooth infections and does have a very high mortality rate in cats. Needless to say I've switched vets (to one who is anti Convenia) for my other kitties. This happen back in March and took my husband and I months to get over the loss of our precious boy! He was truly the canine of the feline world. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

I realize that I'm just one story and others have had no issues with Convenia. I've learned that unfortunately every animal is different and what one kitty experiences may not be the same as another. My situation is tragic and was heartbreaking to my family. The best non medical advise I give friends and family after going through everything is educate yourself. If you don't know asks questions. There are always alternatives that can be tried first. If something doesn't sound, feel or act right...speaK up and respond. Animals are the most difficult patients bc they can't speak; as owners we need to be their voices (or meows [emoji]128047[/emoji]).
I am so sorry for your loss- that is heartbreaking! I am glad you have a new vet now and yes, convenia is actually for skin infections.  And I agree, the best thing we can all do is educate ourselves for our kittie's sake; I think we all do the best we can do, with the knowledge that we have at hand.

Here is a link that may be useful,written by Dr. Lisa Pierson.  I did not see this information until after my Tiger's first shot of Convenia- I about had a heart attack after I read the article. Tiger was diabetic, but had a confirmed UTI(at least I knew to always get a Culture and Sensitivity done)  Her UTI symptoms stopped almost immediately both times.  The 2nd time she had a UTI, again, the C&S was run. This time I made a conscious decision to allow the shot because she also had chronic pancreatitis. Clavamox, the other AB had always upset her stomach. My vet would never give an injection without  asking me, and just in case, I have written instructions and even though I lost Tiger to pancreatic cancer in July, I have the same instructions written for my two new kittens.

http://catinfo.org/?link=convenia

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/convenia-long-acting-single-shot-antibiotic.2107/
 
Thank you, RuthM, for your good thoughts--I think they worked
. Kitty has been on the mend, still with a reduced appetite. The ultrasound ruled out pancreatitits, with a very "unlikely" IBD or lymphoma. The vet said her results with bloodwork are about "as good as it gets" in this situation. I'm very relieved and am now thinking it might have been a perfect storm of new kitten stress, maybe virus caught by new kitten, and a negative reaction to the Convenia. I'm thinking the Convenia is what caused the vomiting and loss of appetite. But thankfully she didin't have the worst of the reactions. Right now I'm just trying to make sure she eats and doesnt' get too stressed by the new kitten. I admit, I've been a little on edge with cat health in our house as we very recently lost her sister to nasal lymphoma.
I hope your Kitty is feeling better! I lost my Tiger to pancreatic cancer in July, so i know all about being on edge at the slightest thing-cancer stinks!! Hugs to you!
 

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Hi Neko,

I have a cat (Kali) who is somewhere around 12 years old (she was rescued from Hurricane Katrina and ended up in our local Humane Society in Florida and I adopted her 10 years ago) and has been given an injection of Convenia every 8-10 weeks for a year with no negative effects.  The reason for the antibiotic is that she has an infected back tooth which was recommended to be pulled.  I was uncomfortable with her undergoing anesthesia due to her age so I insisted on seeing the vet/owner of the veterinary clinic who was fabulous with my parent's dog when he was severely ill years ago and who has a stellar reputation in our community.  During the examination the vet  detected a slight heart murmur.  That made me REALLY concerned about her being put under; however, the vet said we could try an alternative - an antibiotic shot every 8-10 weeks and during each visit for the injection the vet would manually clean off any built up tartar.

I never knew anything about Convenia until today.  I really trust this vet and opted for the antibiotic route instead of surgery.  The first time Kali was given the antibiotic a tech called from the vet's office the next day to see how Kali was doing and said that sometimes after the shot a cat may be lethargic the next day..  There had been no change in Kali's activity, eating, drinking, playing, etc. the day of the injection, nor any day afterwards.  I was instructed to contact them immediately if I noticed anything.  

It has now been a year that Kali has received regular injections of Convenia with no negative side effects at all.  I was researching cats+antibiotics today because Kali had an injection yesterday and has been under the bed most of the morning which is not like her at all.  My jaw hit the floor when I saw all the negative hits about Convenia.  I pulled Kali out from under the bed to check her gums (they are pink) and keep her with me so I can observe her.  She ate some treats and is acting like herself again so no idea why she was under the bed.  Although Kali has done well on Convenia (she can eat normally again and I don't see any blood in her water like I did before), I am definitely going to discuss this antibiotic with my vet when I see her next.

EDIT:  I just recalled that the first time Kali was given Convenia it was for a type of Eosinophilic Granuloma. Kali's variation of this syndrome was a swollen lower lip and her licking all the hair off her belly.  It was during a follow-up visit that the tooth issue came up with the option of antibiotics vs. surgery.
 
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mykittos

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Thank you for your posts and articles relating to Convenia! My vet has been administering Convenia to 2 of my cats periodically for a couple years. One has been diagnosed with eosinophilic granuloma (inoperable, on the tongue) which was confirmed by biopsy. The second is semi-feral and has relapsing sudden onset episodes of anorexia/possibly difficulty in swallowing, low temp, lethargy etc.and most recently was diagnosed with severely inflamed gums, painful timeline decay caries (1 where root was starting to be seen), ear infection, etc. all typical of an abandoned or semi-feral cat. Makes me very sad!! But I am trying my best to help! Anyway, in both cases,my vet uses the Convenia which vet told me "lasts 10 days." Your article states that Convenia lasts 2 months! So my question is whether there is a10-day Convenia or am I misinformed.
Also is Convenia effective in treating eosinophilic granuloma? In addition to the depamedral? every 7-8 weeks? Her flare ups seem to subside after injections of Convenia and most recently depomedral.
And is it effective and safe for the other cat? given symptoms. Or...could it be exacerbating symptoms?
Please help. Thanks.
 

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Hi mykittos!

My cat, Kali, (who has now been estimated to be closer to 14 years old) continues to receive Convenia injections approximately every two months with no side effects whatsoever.  After reading this thread I relayed the info to my vet (I mentioned above she has a great reputation in the community, was the vet for three of my parents' dogs over the years; they were recommended to the vet by a neighbor with several dogs, etc.) and she said that various drugs go through user scares.  I forget which drugs she referenced but mentioned at least three that were supposedly absolutely horrible-to-lethal for cats - they ran their "scare course" - then another scare cropped up.  She provided some medical references for the safety and use of Convenia so I, personally, am fine with the antibiotic.  Having said that, not every cat/dog/human may react to the same med in the same way.  I know that from personal experience.  I used to be on a particular medication that I had no trouble with at all but, on forums that dealt with this type of med, the majority of posters reported experiencing horrible nausea/vomiting and could not take the med.  It is always wise to check out any medication and I'm glad that this thread prompted me to have a talk with my vet.

As far as the length of time Convenia is in the system, I honestly don't know the scientific answer.  Kali gets an injection approximately every 2ish months give or take.  We're going to the vet today and I will ask my vet that question.
 
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