Has anyone used Veraflox antibiotic?

zed xyzed

zed xyzed

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Midnight (midi) has a bladder infection and was initially given Clavaseptin. 3 days into treatment he had awful diarrhea and refused to eat. I had to stop the treatments and the Dr then suggested Baytril. Upon some research, I found out that it can cause blindness in cats especially if given too high a dose (the guideline is 5mg/kg  some doctor will not exceed 2.5mg/kg). I also was able to find  the Bayer has a replacement for Baytril call Veraflox. It is supposed to be much safer with respect to a cat's vision. It is relatively new, and wanted to see what people's experiences with Veraflox are.  

Thanks
 
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At the shelter where I work, some kittens with "feline flu" were prescribed Veraflox for secondary infections. It's liquid and administered according to weight. We haven't seen any side-effects in the few kittens and one rabbit that got it. It seemed to be very fast-acting.
 
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Just an update. We have two shelter kittens with nasty URIs. After just one day on Veraflox, their eyes have cleared up and they're much less congested. I've witnessed the same thing five times recently, with no GI issues. IMO, it's much better than Baytril, at least for URIs.
 
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zed xyzed said:
Midnight (midi) has a bladder infection and was initially given Clavaseptin. 3 days into treatment he had awful diarrhea and refused to eat. I had to stop the treatments and the Dr then suggested Baytril. Upon some research, I found out that it can cause blindness in cats especially if given too high a dose (the guideline is 5mg/kg some doctor will not exceed 2.5mg/kg). I also was able to find the Bayer has a replacement for Baytril call Veraflox. It is supposed to be much safer with respect to a cat's vision. It is relatively new, and wanted to see what people's experiences with Veraflox are.

Thanks
Click to expand...
Veraflox also can cause retinopathy and/or blindness along with other things.
 
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jcat said:
At the shelter where I work, some kittens with "feline flu" were prescribed Veraflox for secondary infections. It's liquid and administered according to weight. We haven't seen any side-effects in the few kittens and one rabbit that got it. It seemed to be very fast-acting.
Click to expand...
It shouldn't be used in kittens it has been shown to cause arthropathy in immature animals of most species.
 
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jcat said:
Just an update. We have two shelter kittens with nasty URIs. After just one day on Veraflox, their eyes have cleared up and they're much less congested. I've witnessed the same thing five times recently, with no GI issues. IMO, it's much better than Baytril, at least for URIs.
Click to expand...
It may be, but it should never be used in kittens. And, only used on cats weighing more than 5.5 lbs.
 
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Mikelp said:
Veraflox also can cause retinopathy and/or blindness along with other things.
Click to expand...
Veraflox caused my beloved 16 year old cat to die a cruel death. First, he went blind, couldn't find his food or water, then started having occasional tremors---we had to figure out how much water he needed to prevent constipation. Water fountain didn't help. Then constipation leading to enemas until we converted him to wet food, syringing water, and dripping fluids subQ. Then he lost the ability to move front legs, and died of seizures. My cat only had a UTI for which Clavamox could've been prescribed. Veraflox should only be used for drug resistant bacteria that don't respond to any other antibiotic and never to an older cat with kidney and liver issues. I noticed websites don't show the side of the box that says associated with blindness and retinopathy in cats or even mention it. I trusted the vet practice that specialized only in cats.
 
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zed xyzed said:
Midnight (midi) has a bladder infection and was initially given Clavaseptin. 3 days into treatment he had awful diarrhea and refused to eat. I had to stop the treatments and the Dr then suggested Baytril. Upon some research, I found out that it can cause blindness in cats especially if given too high a dose (the guideline is 5mg/kg some doctor will not exceed 2.5mg/kg). I also was able to find the Bayer has a replacement for Baytril call Veraflox. It is supposed to be much safer with respect to a cat's vision. It is relatively new, and wanted to see what people's experiences with Veraflox are.

Thanks
Click to expand...
Veraflox:
The use of fluoroquinolones in cats has been associated with the development of retinopathy and/or blindness. Such products should be used with caution in cats.
VERAFLOX is indicated for the treatment of skin infections (wounds and abscesses) in cats caused by susceptible strains of Pasteurella multocida, Streptococcus canis, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus felis, and Staphylococcus pseudintermedius.
 
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Annette A said:
I noticed websites don't show the side of the box that says associated with blindness and retinopathy in cats or even mention it. I trusted the vet practice that specialized only in cats.
Click to expand...

The box of Veraflox should have contained a folded piece of paper that contains the prescribing and drug info. Among the things included in the teeny tiny print, is adverse reactions and a phone number to report adverse reactions to. The vet should also be informed and a different medicine should be prescribed.

Veraflox prescribing info

Many other prescription medicines sold in their original packaging have such folded papers with the drug info. If there is none, it's easy to look it up on the drug maker's web site.

It's not the fault of the vet practice that your cat had adverse reactions to the drug. The vet chooses a drug based on the cat's illness and symptoms and chooses the drug that he / she feels will work best. The vet has no idea if a cat will react badly to the drug or not.
 
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LTS3 said:
The box of Veraflox should have contained a folded piece of paper that contains the prescribing and drug info. Among the things included in the teeny tiny print, is adverse reactions and a phone number to report adverse reactions to.

Veraflox prescribing info

Many other prescription medicines sold in their original packaging have such folded papers with the drug info. If there is none, it's easy to look it up on the drug maker's web site.

It's not the fault of the vet practice that your cat had adverse reactions to the drug. The vet chooses a drug based on the cat's illness and symptoms and chooses the drug that he / she feels will work best. The vet has no idea if a cat will react badly to the drug or not.
Click to expand...
It's true that vets and physicians don't know what drug (s) a client maybe allergic to or have adverse reactions to, but they know what they've experienced in their practice, as far as, what to watch for or even what not to give certain clients certain types of drugs. Some drugs are used specifically for certain conditions and not others. Like Veraflox Oral Suspension for Cats, which is for bacterial skin infections, wounds and abscesses, and in the US isn't approved for dogs. But I've seen prescription drugs from vets where they put their labels over the information from the manufacturer covering important data or information. If you get a prescription from a pharmacy you should get all the insert information, where as, at a vet clinic you probably won't, unless you ask for it. Until things change, you should get use to looking everything up online. You can get the inserts to all drugs online and increase the letter type so you can read it easier. You should also educate yourself on what drugs are best for what, and that way, you can champion or advocate for your animal family member while in the vet's office or over the phone later. I'd recommend getting all your medications in prescription forms from the vet. That way you can research them at home before you get them filled, or not. They are usually cheaper than if purchased at a vet's office. I've worked in vet med for over 50 years and in animal rescue as well, and since retiring I have championed/advocated for pets and their owners to try and make it easier for them. I hope this helps a little.
 
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Annette A said:
Veraflox caused my beloved 16 year old cat to die a cruel death. First, he went blind, couldn't find his food or water, then started having occasional tremors---we had to figure out how much water he needed to prevent constipation. Water fountain didn't help. Then constipation leading to enemas until we converted him to wet food, syringing water, and dripping fluids subQ. Then he lost the ability to move front legs, and died of seizures. My cat only had a UTI for which Clavamox could've been prescribed. Veraflox should only be used for drug resistant bacteria that don't respond to any other antibiotic and never to an older cat with kidney and liver issues. I noticed websites don't show the side of the box that says associated with blindness and retinopathy in cats or even mention it. I trusted the vet practice that specialized only in cats.
Click to expand...
OMG....that’s horrible. My 11 month old little boy was put on Veraflox last week.
I took him to the vet a week before because he just wasn’t acting his normal energetic self. He wasn’t eating very good and I thought it might be his teeth but She did an exam and said he looked ok. I asked if she could do blood work, she did and most things looked fine except there was something that was high and she said there was blood found in the urine. She said he didn’t have UTI but there was some bacteria/infection. She also mentioned when he was a kitten and got de-wormed he didn’t get a de-wormer for round worms and thought that might be the problem. She suggested Profender, tropical (I think that’s what it’s called when given like a flea treatment on the back of neck). It was on order and I picked it up at vets on Saturda. I gave him the Profender on that Saturday afternoon and I could see a difference in his behavior (not for the better) not as playful, not eating much and goes to litter box and lays in it. Finally, Monday night he ate a little and drank some. He wanted to be by himself. I called the vet again and asked if she could do urine culture so he was at the vets all day on Wednesday but she said she couldn’t get a sterile urine so culture wasn’t done. In the meantime she did take X-rays and saw he has 2 large bladder stones. She put him on a pain killer and nausea pill and the veraflox...
it seems like he’s getting worse. Today I can’t get him to eat or drink. Yesterday I had given him the pain med and around 5 pm I thought maybe he wasn’t eating because he felt nauseous so for the first time I gave him the cerenia. That was a huge mistake, a few hours later when I picked him up he was lifeless...I thought he was dead. It was my fault, I shouldn’t have given the cerenia. But I won’t it to him again. I’ve been waiting for it to get out of his system so maybe he will start to be more active but it’s now 3pm and he’s still very groggy. Still can’t get him to eat or drink. I’m at my wits end worrying he won’t get better. This little kitty has a special place in my heart.
now I’m wondering if maybe I should stop the Veraflox
 
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I'm praying for you, Babypaws. I don't know what to say other than to give your vet an update because he's not eating and drinking well, to learn to gauge kitty's hydration by lifting the nape of his neck and seeing if it "tents". He might need hydration with subQ fluids (which you can learn to do and do at home) Vet might recommend wet food too so you can stay ahead of dehydration and constipation. Sometimes, the hydration itself will perk up the cat. The Royal Canin Gastrointestinal Hi Energy (prescription) really helped my cat with calories and prevented constipation because it is highly digestible. RAWZ is a nonprescription food with a lot of calories. Very helpful to keep a log.

My sister's kittens had Veraflox prescribed to them and do not have any known effects, but if you dig on the internet, you will find posts from other cat owners who experienced the same loss, and vets who don't recommend it especially for older cats or cats with liver or kidney problems, but it doesn't appear to be common knowledge---I don't think our old vets realized it would be a problem, and they were sorry about my cat going blind. You almost have to know it's a problem to find info or the vet has to have had the experience of it happening. The animal ophthalmologist said it's known to be a problem given IV, but lesser known for oral doses. Veraflox is not meant to be a first line drug for UTIs. For drug resistant bacteria, I'm sure it's a God send, but my cat only had a garden variety UTI. If you call the number on the box to report an adverse reaction, it is to the manufacturer, not an outside agency. If you ask websites to post the side of the box that says precaution: associated with retinopathy and blindness in cats, they will not do it because it would discourage sales. As a health professional, I wonder if the drug rep was pushing Veraflox because it only needs to be given once a day as opposed to twice a day. Drugs can be a lifeline for the right situation, but the opposite for those who are sensitive, and it's unknown how anyone will respond. So if researching a drug for pets, best to research here or other nonretail websites.
 
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