Anemia 10 days after Spay?

[CatLadyofNine]

Hi everyone.
Olaf got spayed on August 4th due to a pyometra. She is 8 and going to be 9 on the 26th. Her check up appointment for a CBC was on Monday. The vet said her white blood cell count come down closer to normal, because it was slightly elevated before the spay due to the infection. However, her red blood cell count has now come down a bit. Before the spay, her red blood cells were normal. She was tested and x rayed for all sorts of things before the spay, and nothing else appeared to be wrong other than the white blood cells. Nothing has changed other than her getting spayed. They gave her Covenia and Zorbium. I’ll attach a photo of her bill so you can see the dosages gave her.

For the first couple of days she was fine after surgery other than a seroma from running and jumping, but since her appointment on Monday she’s not as energetic, and I noticed she’s drinking more water. She gets really upset now at the vet, she was drooling in her carrier when I took her out to the parking lot she was so scared. The vet called me and prescribed an iron supplement, but I bought some from Amazon that’s almost the same thing and it’s supposed to arrive tomorrow. In the mean time I’ve been giving her Tomlyns calorie gel along with her regular food. But it just seems to odd to me, her levels were normal before surgery and now suddenly they’ve dropped. I’ve started to think that maybe something they gave her is to blame? I did read a bit on the Covenia… maybe it was that?
Any advice is appreciated. I attached another photo of her today in her catio. She’s really happy to go back outside in fresh air.

 

[silent meowlook]

Can you post the blood work? I’d like to see how low the RBC are and what the HCT is.
The fact that she is not doing well is concerning. What does your vet say? I would be concerned if she was active post op that there may be something internally going on. But of course, I don’t know. I am just speculating. Anytime you have an animal that is improving after a surgery then starts to decline, it should warrant an exam.

 

[CatLadyofNine]

Can you post the blood work? I’d like to see how low the RBC are and what the HCT is.
The fact that she is not doing well is concerning. What does your vet say? I would be concerned if she was active post op that there may be something internally going on. But of course, I don’t know. I am just speculating. Anytime you have an animal that is improving after a surgery then starts to decline, it should warrant an exam.

Strangely, the vet has not given me any of her blood work records. All that they are giving me are breakdowns of care she receives and and the bills. When her supplement comes I will call and ask. The vet said to have a follow up in a month with her as long as she’s doing alright with the supplement. On the phone she didn’t seem super concerned about it as long as she’s eating/drinking playing etc. I should’ve worded it better, she’s just a bit less active and not as hyper as before Monday. She’s still playing, eating normally, using the litter box, and jumping on the cat tree, just doesn’t seem as wild as she was. Maybe it was still side effects of the Zorbium making her hyper? She seems a bit more chipper today since I let her outside on the harness and leash, then I took her into the catio for an hour and we come back in. I’m just trying to figure out what would have happened that she went from normal to abnormal after surgery, like it was something they gave her.

 

[heatherwillard0614]

Strangely, the vet has not given me any of her blood work records. All that they are giving me are breakdowns of care she receives and and the bills. When her supplement comes I will call and ask. The vet said to have a follow up in a month with her as long as she’s doing alright with the supplement. On the phone she didn’t seem super concerned about it as long as she’s eating/drinking playing etc. I should’ve worded it better, she’s just a bit less active and not as hyper as before Monday. She’s still playing, eating normally, using the litter box, and jumping on the cat tree, just doesn’t seem as wild as she was. Maybe it was still side effects of the Zorbium making her hyper? She seems a bit more chipper today since I let her outside on the harness and leash, then I took her into the catio for an hour and we come back in. I’m just trying to figure out what would have happened that she went from normal to abnormal after surgery, like it was something they gave her.

For any of my kittys results for any test, (fecal, xray, urinalysis, etc) I have to ask for a copy. I just email them and they usually emailed the results same day or very next day. You may have to request the actual results from your vet.

 

[CatLadyofNine]

Well it’s 2 AM and I just did a whole bunch of reading on the Convenia because I was paranoid and needless to say I am absolutely terrified. I wish the vet would have let me know about the side effects of it. I 100% believe that her lower red blood count has to be from that. I asked the vet on the phone Monday if she thought she had any side effects from the meds they gave her because she was fine before surgery and she told me that “her body could just be out of wack from the infection and it’s readjusting.” This was before I knew all the bad things about Convenia. But I knew in the back of my head it had to be the meds. It was the only thing that changed.
Tonight she’s started to act more playful chasing her wand toy and mouse, and following me more, which I’m really happy about. She was more excited for her Tomlyns gel and her dry food. Licked the bowl clean when I gave her her wet food. But I am still very skeptical and weary of this Convenia after everything I’ve read, especially since she’s only 7.5 lbs, and fairly skinny with not much muscle mass due to her previous pyometra she had for probably over a month. Her fur looks so much better now though, it’s gotten softer and smoother, not spikey like it was. Her mood is much better too, more loving and affectionate.
I am definitely going to order some Bene Bac powder for her since I read some good things on probiotics after Convenia shots. Anybody have any recommendations on dosage and how many times a day I should give her that when I get some?
Is there anything else out there to help flush the Convenia or dilute it once it’s in? I feel absolutely terrible that I let them give her that.

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. I do wonder how anemic your cat is. The problem I see with the iron supplement, is that if she doesn't have anemia due to iron deficiency, why give iron. Cats are more susceptible to iron toxicity than people or dogs, The other thing is, will it help if that isn't the problem?

I would be concerned about possible kidney injury due to the drinking more water than normal. An insult to the kidneys can also cause anemia.

I am not saying this is what is going on because I have no idea, I am just spit balling here.

The other thing I would question, would be how long the surgery took, and how much she bled during the surgery. Sometimes the pyometra surgeries can be really messy.

I would also be concerned that maybe there is a seroma that has formed inside.

I am sure that your vet has thought about all of the above. Since they are the ones with the license and the one who examined your cat, obviously, follow their advice. I would contact them if she doesn't do well.

When you said the product, you are getting from Amazon is almost the same thing as what was prescribed. Please double check with your vet before giving because sometimes just a little variation in a product can cause a problem for a cat.

As for the Convenia, I have seen hundreds of cats get Convenia without any problems. Of course, some cats do have problems and I wish Veterinarians would inform clients of this before using it, but they don't. I am sure your vet used it because a pyometra is a serious infection with a very involved abdominal surgery. I think that the veterinarian wanted to be sure your cat got the full dose of antibiotics for the designated amount of time, 10 days, and didn't want to risk it not being given. Often times cats are prescribed antibiotics and then they can be difficult for people to give them to the cat.

So far there are no reports of Convenia causing anemia. Cephalosporins have been known to cause anemia, and Convenia is a Cephalosporin, but to date there is no report of Convenia causing anemia.

I hope your cat continues to improve and her next blood test is normal.

 

[fionasmom]

If you have been googling about anemia and Convenia, you have come across references to that, including in the package insert that comes with Convenia. However, as S silent meowlook has stated, it is important to look at the exact wording of the studies which say that "hematological reactions seen with cephalosporins include neutropenia, anemia....". That would include that entire classification of drugs, not just Convenia.

I do have a cat who reacted to Convenia and it is on the "do not administer" list for him. He recovered after a day or so at the vet for supportive care. He did not have anemia, but the lethargy and inappetence that is associated with it. However, it is very commonly used, even by feral cat caretakers with cats who cannot be monitored at all for a reaction, because of the ease of administration.

I am by no means dismissing your concers. You can contact Zoetis at the following number and via their website:

888-ZOETIS1
Contact Zoetis Animal Health | Zoetis

I spoke to them several times when I believed my boy had a reaction to it and they will set up a case report for you.

I was told that while Convenia lasts for 65 days in the body, that the most extreme reactions happen, if they are going to, within the first 14 days.

 

[CatLadyofNine]

Thank you all for your replies. I’ve been very busy today, lots of other things going on with work and family etc. Olaf is starting to be herself more again today, as she was last night. Maybe I jumped the gun a bit. She has been very playful and is jumping and running around like she was before Monday. I am starting to think she was just upset and depressed with me from taking her to that “scary place” again. She really likes walking in the yard on her harness and is happy to be out in the catio. The only other problem I’m running into is the other cats aren’t totally recognizing her yet. Some of them are ok with her and others hiss. So we’re working on some reintroductions. She’s still eating/drinking and using the litterbox, her supplement didn’t come yet but I will call and see if I can talk to the vet and see if she thinks she’ll be alright until next month for a follow up like we talked about earlier in the week.