Convenia shot???????

So I had Kizzy in the vet yesterday, and because he has loose stools right now, the vet gave him a shot of Convenia instead of oral antibiotics. She said it was an antibiotic shot, but the info I've found makes it sound like an antibacterial.

Out of curiousity, I googled this shot, and the info I found states:

Cats
CONVENIA is indicated for the treatment of skin infections (wounds and abscesses) in cats
caused by susceptible strains of Pasteurella multocida.

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http://www.convenia.com/pdfs/Conveni...nformation.pdf

PRECAUTIONS: Prescribing antibacterial drugs in the absence of a proven or strongly
suspected bacterial infection is unlikely to provide benefit to treated animals and may
increase the risk of the development of drug-resistant animal pathogens.

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ummmmmmmmmmmm.
????????????????

He has a URI, flying green boogers coming from lots of sneezes. Why the heck would she give him this shot?????

Can anyone shed some light on this???

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Sidenote: I'm requesting not to see her again. (not just because of the above, but manner/different views on feeding/etc) The clinic I go to has 6 different vets. They are all pretty good with my dog, so I assumed it would be the same with Kizzy. I really liked the one I saw the first few times (only with Kizzy, not with my dog), over this one (who I've seen for my dog, with no issues). I'm definately going to request the other one who is on the same page with me in regards to feeding.

Antibiotic = Antibacterial. Same thing. That's why antibiotics don't work on viruses.

Green boogers sounds like a bacterial infection to me. In viral URI's the mucus is clear and runny.

I don't know why your vet used Convenia in this case. Your right, it's approved for skin wounds and infections in cats. However, vets use medicines all the time for things they were not originally approved for. Sometimes a new medicine is found to work well for other things and vets are quick to add that to their arsenal to fight illness. Maybe you could call and ask the vet for her reasoning?

for Kizzy!

Originally Posted by KittiesHasMe

Antibiotic = Antibacterial. Same thing. That's why antibiotics don't work on viruses.

Green boogers sounds like a bacterial infection to me. In viral URI's the mucus is clear and runny.

I don't know why your vet used Convenia in this case. Your right, it's approved for skin wounds and infections in cats. However, vets use medicines all the time for things they were not originally approved for. Sometimes a new medicine is found to work well for other things and vets are quick to add that to their arsenal to fight illness. Maybe you could call and ask the vet for her reasoning?

for Kizzy!

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Ahhhh, thank you for the explanation

Hannah had one of these last year. I hated the side effects! She was a zombie for about a week, then gradually the zombie-ness wore off and she was back to her normal chirpy, active, into everything self. This is one of those drugs I've put on my "last resources" list.

Regarding the URI and green snot...have your cat tested for herpes and have a culture & sensitivity test done on the nasal discharge. This will tell you what kind of infection you're dealing with (viral vs. bacterial) and what meds will most effectively treat it. If your kitty has herpes, steroids are a big no-no as they will perpetuate and/or trigger a herpes flare up. In my case, that means Hannah will get an URI. Thankfully, we've found a good cat-only vet who listens to our concerns, explains various treatment options, and then we decide the best route.

Convenia shots are what the shelter kitties receive when they have URIs or infections....

Convenia can be used for several different things, and generally is pretty effective. Usually though it's given b/c of owner preference (much easier to give one shot than have to give a difficult med taker pills for 1-2 weeks). Sometimes a pill/oral med may be slightly more effective b/c it is specific to the diagnosis, but the difference is usually pretty slight. And as said earlier, just b/c something is designed for one type of illness doesn't mean it can't be effective for other things. Did your vet ask you if you had a preference?

My two males have had this shot during the past year for UTI's. The jury is out on its total effectiveness, though. It is more convenient (hence the name???), but in my gut I don't think it worked as well as Clavamox.

Well, a few days have passed, and the shot seems to have helped

No flying boogers since the 20th, and minimal sneezing

I might actually be able to get him neutered next week

The vet called yesterday and we chatted for a little bit, she is going to give him another shot when he gets neutered.

I'm so happy that finally it looks like I can get him fixed.

I would try to get to the root of the problem with the sneezing and flying snot before doing another shot. Has the discharge been cultured yet? The culture and sensitivity test will tell you exactly what kind of bacteria or virus you're dealing with and which med will most effectively treat it. I say this especially since his nasal discharge is green. I had a kitty that had green nasal discharge for about 9 months last year. When we finally took her for a third opinion, we found out that she had a serious bacterial infection. We did have to have 2 rounds of antibiotics for 20 days each, but the infection finally got down to just a trace, which made both the vet and us happy. She's been sneeze-free and slingin' green snot free for 3 months. The infection could have killed her. That's the route I would go rather than subjecting the kitty to another high powered antibiotic shot without knowing exactly what you're dealing with.

Originally Posted by stephanietx

I would try to get to the root of the problem with the sneezing and flying snot before doing another shot. Has the discharge been cultured yet? The culture and sensitivity test will tell you exactly what kind of bacteria or virus you're dealing with and which med will most effectively treat it.

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No it hasn't... and there hasn't been any discharge since the 20th. He hasn't sneezed at all today, and yesterday only 1 time and the "spray" was clear.

This was his last booger, yellowish....


Yah, I happened to have the camera there when he did it....I was unpacking snakes and he got startled and sneezed.

That's the route I would go rather than subjecting the kitty to another high powered antibiotic shot without knowing exactly what you're dealing with.

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Thanks for the advice, I'll inquire with my vet to see if they think he needs it.

Originally Posted by Snake_Lady

Well, a few days have passed, and the shot seems to have helped

No flying boogers since the 20th, and minimal sneezing

I might actually be able to get him neutered next week

The vet called yesterday and we chatted for a little bit, she is going to give him another shot when he gets neutered.

I'm so happy that finally it looks like I can get him fixed.

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YAY!

And what a lovely picture of Kizzy's snot! I guess I'll hold off on that snack I was just going to eat.

Originally Posted by Poppy0109

YAY!

And what a lovely picture of Kizzy's snot! I guess I'll hold off on that snack I was just going to eat.

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that was just a little one.... yummy.

I wanted to post it in my snake thread, caption being "snakes scare the living snot out of cat"...but it was more suited here in case someone was wanting to eat, or comment on the colour.

But yup, I'm happy. Now to get his chin acne to clear up.... but at least that won't stop him from being de-manned next wk

I've seen snot like that, except Hannah's was a little bit more greenish! I'm just persisting in this because I've been down the road of meds...get well...relapse...more meds...get well...relapse...for so long with Hannah. Once we got to the root of the problem, she's been sneeze and snot free for the past 2 months.

My vet will give Convenia for the snots, but I only request it if the cat is hard to catch and/or medicate. The price isn't so bad for the average kitty, but it's pretty spendy for the big guys. A shot for a 20 lb cat runs $65. So far it's been effective.

Originally Posted by Cinder

My vet will give Convenia for the snots, but I only request it if the cat is hard to catch and/or medicate. The price isn't so bad for the average kitty, but it's pretty spendy for the big guys. A shot for a 20 lb cat runs $65. So far it's been effective.

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Wow, I think my vet charged me $20 per cc, my big guy needed a full cc so it was only $40.

Wowza! Squishy is like 15 lbs - it cost me $20 for him to get a Convenia shot, I believe!

Originally Posted by Cinder

My vet will give Convenia for the snots, but I only request it if the cat is hard to catch and/or medicate. The price isn't so bad for the average kitty, but it's pretty spendy for the big guys. A shot for a 20 lb cat runs $65. So far it's been effective.

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wow.

I paid ummm $18 for it (10lb cat)

Originally Posted by Snake_Lady

wow.

I paid ummm $18 for it (10lb cat)

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Well, that's interesting. Per the clinic it's really expensive for them, and goes up proportionately based on weight. The vet said people with larger dogs can't even afford it yet. (duh) I'm guessing a 10 lb cat would run $30+.

Amoxi there is $7.50 for a single dose.

I don't suppose anyone here has purchased Procrit recently. I just ordered some today and the price was

Convenia is used more and more now, it does have a short shelf life once opened, so I wonder if some vets just use it to make sure they dont have to bin it, and everyone gets it, regardless of whether it will work or not. IT is easier on some cats, but I prefer tablets, I haven't had any luck with the Convenia injection (mind you, twice it was used for severe dental issues). I dont know how much we pay though.

UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG.

I am so frustrated.

Kizzy won't be getting fixed because he's still or again sick.

Its been almost 2wks since he got this shot, and he was doing very well... up untill a couple days ago

Back to the sneezing (haven't seen any boogers yet, but lots of sneezing), clear discharge in his nostrils (not dripping or anything) + now a new one, we have eye discharge and he's been sleepier lately.

I am so frustrated I could cry.

I am definately taking Stephanie's advice and will ask the vet to culture his snot and find out WTH is going on with him instead of just giving him this or that.

(FYI, I do give him Lysine as well).

so frustrated.....just when things seemed to be looking up and it looked like I'd be able to get him neutered this week. The weather's nice and I've seen a few strays out, and have heard a female in heat. I need to get him neutered, he'll be 9mos on April 17th.

UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG. Thx for hearing me vent.