Convenia, cerenia, or the end?

[Cupcakecrazy]

My vet prescribed my nauseous 12-pound cat cerenia. He's been taking 16 mg a day and since starting is barely eating and spends all day asleep. I've read of others who've had the same experience. Does 16 mg sound like too much for him?

I'm new here so if there's somewhere else I should be asking this question please let me know. Thank you!

 

[Caspers Human]

The prescribed dosage, from the manufacturer is two to eight milligrams per kilogram of body weight.

• 12 lb. equals approximagely 5.4 kg. (12 lb. ÷ 2.2 lb./kg. = 5.4 kg.)
• 2 mg. (medicine) X 5.4 kg. (cat) = 10.8 mg. (dosage)
• 8 mg. X 5.4 kg. = 43.2 mg.

Your 16 mg. dose is between those two numbers so you should be safe on that front.

One thing to note is that the manufacturer recommends this drug only be given for two days, continuously. After that, the drug should be stopped for a few days before resuming.

Also, this drug has a slight chance of causing an allergic reaction in people who handle it. It would, probably, be wise to wash your hands with soap and water after handling this drug.

All of the above information was taken from the manufacturer's website: https://www.zoetisus.com/content/pa...-Resources/documents/Cerenia-Dosing-Chart.pdf

 

[Cupcakecrazy]

My cat has a pancreatic tumor that was diagnosed in August. The vet believes it's benign but it's caused him to stop eating and drinking periodically. Each episode has been treated with a week-long oral antibiotic, fluids, and a cerenia injection. Previously he'd be back on his feet within a week, but thats not the case this time.

Our vet gave him two rounds of fluids and cerenia for a week without an antibiotic and sent him home with cerenia tablets to see if that would perk him up on its own and it didn't. A week ago today he was injected with Convenia, an antibiotic he hasn't been on before, and I was instructed to keep him on the cerenia tablets.

The longer hes been on the cerenia the less he's started to eat, with a noticable decrease after each cerenia injection. 48 hours after being injected with the Convenia I noticed an improvement in his symptoms, but he stopped eating his kibble and drinking entirely. Before being medicated he would go to his food and water and sit by it like he wanted it but didn't feel well enough. Now he is ignoring it completely like it isn't even there. The only thing he is interested in eating are his treats which he won't eat when he feels terribly unwell, but would eat until he exploded otherwise, which is one of the reasons I'm wondering if one of his medications is causing inappetence.

He's been sleeping more than usual but wakes up throughout the day to roam the house, use the bathroom, and even play periodically. How do I know if his condition is worsening or if the medications are causing his symptoms? When I consulted my vet all they said was that symptoms from these medications were rare, but I've read many horror stories on this site about others who've experienced similar side effects of both Convenia and cerenia.

Any insight would be appreciated as I'm unsure what to do for my sweet boy. His last dose of cerenia was 16 mg yesterday at 2 pm, and he's 12 pounds. He's only had the Convenia in his system for a week out of two as of today.

Thank you!

 

[fionasmom]

Convenia will exhibit most of it side effects in the first two weeks. I was told this by Zoetis when I had a cat react to it and filed a report with them. It can cause lethargy and a lack of appetite. My cat was almost comatose, and would neither eat nor drink anything; however, I am not saying that the symptoms your cat is having necessarily need to be the same as mine. Despite your cat having any serious condition, I would not call this the end, and I would continue to observe him and stay in touch with your vet.

 

[Cupcakecrazy]

Thank you for replying, it's nice to hear from someone with a similar experience! My vet denied the likelihood of Convenia or cerenia causing side effects and said it was extremely unlikely, but this wouldn't be the first time my boy has experienced side effects to an antibiotic that my vet said was unlikely.

He's having the same experience, lethargy and no appetite. We're at the halfway point a week into Convenia and I was hoping to see some improvement, but so far he's eaten even less yesterday and today than the previous days.

I'd love to hear from anyone whose had experience with cerenia, should I hold off giving it to him today and see how he behaves?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I don't have much to offer, but agree that Covenia could very well be the reason for the lack of appetite - and I see the same comment above as well. I honestly thought it could last longer than 2 weeks, so I hope what was said above about the timeline is on target.

Cerenia doesn't always work for all cats, it seems to work better with reducing vomiting, but not as much for stopping nausea. While it appears to have worked in the past for your cat, you might still see if the vet would be willing to try an anti-nausea med instead (ondansetron is a pretty commonly used one, but there are others).

With a tumor on his pancreas, can it be impacting the function of his pancreas and are there any supplements/meds he could take ongoingly to help from that aspect?

You can try to see if he will eat baby food meat (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut Stage 1) as a 'tide-over' until his appetite returns. For whatever reason, a lot of cats will eat these when they aren't interested in their own food.

Lastly, I don't know how old your cat is, but I agree with what was said above - what is going on sure doesn't seem to me to be reason to think this is the end.

 

[Cupcakecrazy]

Hi. I don't have much to offer, but agree that Covenia could very well be the reason for the lack of appetite - and I see the same comment above as well. I honestly thought it could last longer than 2 weeks, so I hope what was said above about the timeline is on target.

Cerenia doesn't always work for all cats, it seems to work better with reducing vomiting, but not as much for stopping nausea. While it appears to have worked in the past for your cat, you might still see if the vet would be willing to try an anti-nausea med instead (ondansetron is a pretty commonly used one, but there are others).

With a tumor on his pancreas, can it be impacting the function of his pancreas and are there any supplements/meds he could take ongoingly to help from that aspect?

You can try to see if he will eat baby food meat (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut Stage 1) as a 'tide-over' until his appetite returns. For whatever reason, a lot of cats will eat these when they aren't interested in their own food.

Lastly, I don't know how old your cat is, but I agree with what was said above - what is going on sure doesn't seem to me to be reason to think this is the end.

Thank you for the response. My boy is 13 and so full of life up until his diagnosis a few months ago it's hard to come to terms with.

My vet has said there's no other medications they can give him for his pancreas and at our last appointment spoke with us about euthanasia.

Sadly he doesn't like the meat baby foods, all I can get him to eat are temptations treats which are high in fat and not good for his condition.

If this is being caused by one of his medications I'm not sure how I'll get him through another week of not eating or drinking, especially when my vet says there's nothing else they can do for him.

 

[Cupcakecrazy]

Convenia will exhibit most of it side effects in the first two weeks. I was told this by Zoetis when I had a cat react to it and filed a report with them. It can cause lethargy and a lack of appetite. My cat was almost comatose, and would neither eat nor drink anything; however, I am not saying that the symptoms your cat is having necessarily need to be the same as mine. Despite your cat having any serious condition, I would not call this the end, and I would continue to observe him and stay in touch with your vet.

Thank you for replying, it's nice to hear from someone with a similar experience! My vet denied the likelihood of Convenia or cerenia causing side effects and said it was extremely unlikely, but this wouldn't be the first time my boy has experienced side effects to an antibiotic that my vet said was unlikely.

He's having the same experience, lethargy and no appetite. We're at the halfway point a week into Convenia and I was hoping to see some improvement, but so far he's eaten even less yesterday and today than the previous days.

I'd love to hear from anyone whose had experience with cerenia, should I hold off giving it to him today and see how he behaves?

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. That’s a pretty large dose of Cerenia. My cat is 7 lbs and will take 6 mg. Even that dose makes her stoop eating so I rarely use it.

 

[FeebysOwner]

If this is being caused by one of his medications I'm not sure how I'll get him through another week of not eating or drinking, especially when my vet says there's nothing else they can do for him.

I am kind of disappointed in your vet's overall attitude, especially about recommending euthanasia, but that is just my opinion.

Can you see about an appetite stimulant to give him until the current meds wear off - assuming your vet doesn't think that would be an issue with his pancreas? You could also administer sub-Q fluids to help with dehydration. Both of these tactics are used for cats who are experiencing other issues with their pancreas, so I can't imagine these would be an issue in your cat's case.

Have you consulted with a specialty vet group for additional information? I would take this route as a second opinion approach about your cat's tumor in general, not just for his current issues.

 

[Cupcakecrazy]

Hi. That’s a pretty large dose of Cerenia. My cat is 7 lbs and will take 6 mg. Even that dose makes her stoop eating so I rarely use it.

Thanks for the input! I don't think I'm going to give it to him today and see if it helps any, but I worry he still won't eat without nausea medication.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I don't think I'm going to give it to him today and see if it helps any, but I worry he still won't eat without nausea medication.

That's why, as I said before, you should ask your vet about an actual anti-nausea med, like ondansetron, instead.

 

[Cupcakecrazy]

That's why, as I said before, you should ask your vet about an actual anti-nausea med, like ondansetron, instead.

Thanks! I've asked in the past and they said cerenia was the only option.

 

[FeebysOwner]

There is no way Cerenia can possibly be the only option. So, then I am back to what I said in an earlier post that you may have missed -

I am kind of disappointed in your vet's overall attitude, especially about recommending euthanasia, but that is just my opinion.

Can you see about an appetite stimulant to give him until the current meds wear off - assuming your vet doesn't think that would be an issue with his pancreas? You could also administer sub-Q fluids to help with dehydration. Both of these tactics are used for cats who are experiencing other issues with their pancreas, so I can't imagine these would be an issue in your cat's case.

Have you consulted with a specialty vet group for additional information? I would take this route as a second opinion approach about your cat's tumor in general, not just for his current issues.

Maybe get the appetite stimulant and add it to the Cerenia, just to avoid a hungry but nauseous cat???

 

[Cupcakecrazy]

There is no way Cerenia can possibly be the only option. So, then I am back to what I said in an earlier post that you may have missed -



Maybe get the appetite stimulant and add it to the Cerenia, just to avoid a hungry but nauseous cat???

Thanks, I've asked about both in the past but I'll call and ask again!

 

[BeccaCat]

Thanks! I've asked in the past and they said cerenia was the only option.

I would get a second opinion. I am always touting cat-only veterinarians because mine is wonderful. I wouldn’t be thrilled with my vet telling me Cerenia is the only option. I would definitely get a 2nd opinion.

 

[Cupcakecrazy]

I would get a second opinion. I am always touting cat-only veterinarians because mine is wonderful. I wouldn’t be thrilled with my vet telling me Cerenia is the only option. I would definitely get a 2nd opinion.

Thanks! I'll try but we don't have many vets in my area. I feel that one of my issues is that we have a few vets in our office and depending on who we see we get different answers which I'm not a fan of.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I would go one step further, and look for a specialty vet, not just a cat-only vet. Specialty groups have internal med vets and can cover a wide array of conditions including cardiac, respiratory, gastrointestinal, endocrine, as well as oncology, among other fields. They may even be able to consult as a second opinion from miles away, using the testing results done by your vet - at least initially.

 

[Cupcakecrazy]

Thanks for the input! I don't think I'm going to give it to him today and see if it helps any, but I worry he still won't eat without nausea medication.

Do you know if there was a certain amount of time it took your kitty to start eating again after stopping cerenia? It's been about 24 hours and he's still lethargic and has no appetite.

 

[Kris107]

I feel like maybe you need some Mirataz (appetite stimulant) ASAP. I had a cat who was on Cerenia and Mirataz. Ended up stopping the Cerenia because she wasn't really showing active signs of nausea and I didn't want her over-medicated. The Mirataz worked well and she was on it for the last year + of her life. I agree with others - is there even a different vet at that vet office that you could talk to? I understand when there aren't many vet options around...