Convenia, cerenia, or the end?

[Cupcakecrazy]

Update: He finally started acting a little better after taking him off cerenia and about three weeks after the Convenia shot.

Now he's having trouble urinating. I'm going to take him to the vet but now I'm worried about antibiotics after his terrible reaction to the Convenia. I'm worried about him having another antibiotic so soon after the Convenia, he's had 3 since August and they all make him feel pretty bad.

Are there any antibiotics for cats/UTIs that are typically well-tolerated and won't give him such poor side effects like Convenia?

 

[Cupcakecrazy]

It sounds like Cerenia may not be an option right now anyway but in case it comes back as a suggestion, I want to add that 16 mg sounds like a very large Cerenia dose. Our cat is almost 14 pounds and the two vets who've prescribed it for her have said to use one 4 mg daily. She takes it to prevent vomiting and even a 2 mg dose works very well for her, to sort of bring her back if she's had a minor incident. As FeebysOwner mentions, not every cat responds to Cerenia and it's usually prescribed to prevent vomiting.

Cerenia does make Edwina a little lethargic at her "full" dose of 4 mg and it does seem to suppress her appetite a little so I can only imagine what it might do at a 16 mg dose. Our current vet said that recommendations have changed for Cerenia doses have changed in recent years, to the lower dose of 4 mg.

As for giving pills, I sometimes use a method inspired by @CHIKITTIES experience for Edwina's Cerenia: I put the little Cerenia chip into a little ball of pate and then roll it in freeze-dried chicken crumbs. Yum!

Thank you, I was wondering if decreasing the dose would help. Our vet said to try 12 mg but that still sounds like a lot from what you've experienced!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Update: He finally started acting a little better after taking him off cerenia and about three weeks after the Convenia shot.

Now he's having trouble urinating. I'm going to take him to the vet but now I'm worried about antibiotics after his terrible reaction to the Convenia. I'm worried about him having another antibiotic so soon after the Convenia, he's had 3 since August and they all make him feel pretty bad.

Are there any antibiotics for cats/UTIs that are typically well-tolerated and won't give him such poor side effects like Convenia?

If a urinalysis shows bacteria, then a urine culture should be done to determine the most effective antibiotic for that particular bacteria type. I doubt it would be Convenia, but even if that is what the vet would suggest again, there are usually more than one antibiotic that the bacteria would be sensitive to, so ask for another. Most antibiotics do not appear to cause issues like Covenia, but they can prompt an upset stomach, especially if you don't ensure he eats food along with them.

 

[Cupcakecrazy]

If a urinalysis shows bacteria, then a urine culture should be done to determine the most effective antibiotic for that particular bacteria type. I doubt it would be Convenia, but even if that is what the vet would suggest again, there are usually more than one antibiotic that the bacteria would be sensitive to, so ask for another. Most antibiotics do not appear to cause issues like Covenia, but they can prompt an upset stomach, especially if you don't ensure he eats food along with them.

Thank you, I plan on letting them know that Convenia didn't agree with him. So far all three antibiotics he's been on have made him so nauseous he won't eat or drink, which is the main symptom his tumor causes anyway, it makes some days a huge struggle for him.

I'm not sure he can handle another antibiotic at this point though. He's feeling so unwell that he's eating less and not drinking at all and the antibiotic will only make him feel worse. I tried a probiotic and it gave his diarrhea and made him gag. We replaced the cerenia with ondansetron but so far it doesn't seem to be working. I'm not sure what else to do for him.

 

[lisahe]

Thank you, I was wondering if decreasing the dose would help. Our vet said to try 12 mg but that still sounds like a lot from what you've experienced!

Yes, 12 mg sounds like a lot to me, too. Part of the problem with Cerenia doses is the drug is better known for dogs than for cats; all the boxes I've ever received had dogs on them, no cats. That said, there have been studies with cats, including at 4 mg, which was shown to be effective. I tend to prefer the "less is more" approach. Every cat is different but, as I mentioned above, even 2 mg seems to work nicely for Edwina. The vet wasn't at all surprised when I told her that. We have a nasty storm on the way so I'm going to dose her tonight (heavy wind stresses her and makes her vomit) with something in the 2-4 mg range, depending on how the pill breaks!

Good luck with your cat's meds.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I'm not sure he can handle another antibiotic at this point though. He's feeling so unwell that he's eating less and not drinking at all and the antibiotic will only make him feel worse. I tried a probiotic and it gave his diarrhea and made him gag. We replaced the cerenia with ondansetron but so far it doesn't seem to be working. I'm not sure what else to do for him.

Here is something else to consider - my cat recently showed bacteria in her urine - although she was asymptomatic - and by running the urine culture it was determined that the bacteria did not grow to warrant an antibiotic. So, there are occasions when bacteria are found but it is unnecessary to treat it with antibiotics. Only a urine culture will tell that; a urinalysis alone is not sufficient.

Secondly, trouble urinating can be caused by crystals/stones that are irritating or partially blocking the urethra, so that aspect needs to be evaluated as well. While a buildup of these crystals/stones can lead to an infection, it is generally because of the irritation they cause to the urethra which can go from inflammation to infection. So, if your cat's issues are with crystals/stones, that needs to be investigated and addressed to help prevent inflammation and/or infection leading to trouble urinating.

Lastly, what dosage and how many times a day is the ondansetron being prescribed? Many vets recommend 1 or 2 mg 2-3 times a day, and it is usually not enough. My vet prescribed 4mg 3 times a day, because she knows the lesser amounts are rarely as effective, although admittedly they do work for some cats.

What all I am saying here is accurate information. But, I do feel that I would like to go back a re-read through this thread to see if there are things I may have missed. Time permitting, I will try to do that yet today.

 

[Cupcakecrazy]

Here is something else to consider - my cat recently showed bacteria in her urine - although she was asymptomatic - and by running the urine culture it was determined that the bacteria did not grow to warrant an antibiotic. So, there are occasions when bacteria are found but it is unnecessary to treat it with antibiotics. Only a urine culture will tell that; a urinalysis alone is not sufficient.

Secondly, trouble urinating can be caused by crystals/stones that are irritating or partially blocking the urethra, so that aspect needs to be evaluated as well. While a buildup of these crystals/stones can lead to an infection, it is generally because of the irritation they cause to the urethra which can go from inflammation to infection. So, if your cat's issues are with crystals/stones, that needs to be investigated and addressed to help prevent inflammation and/or infection leading to trouble urinating.

Lastly, what dosage and how many times a day is the ondansetron being prescribed? Many vets recommend 1 or 2 mg 2-3 times a day, and it is usually not enough. My vet prescribed 4mg 3 times a day, because she knows the lesser amounts are rarely as effective, although admittedly they do work for some cats.

What all I am saying here is accurate information. But, I do feel that I would like to go back a re-read through this thread to see if there are things I may have missed. Time permitting, I will try to do that yet today.

Thank you for the information! He's taking 2 mg of ondansetron every 12 hours. I'll ask my vet about upping the dose but I'm also worried about side effects. It seems like if a side effect is a possibility it always happens to him.

 

[zoomango]

I'm not a doctor/vet but about 3 years ago one of my cats got a hard lump at the site of one of his vaccines. The vet at the time suspected it was a fibrosarcoma. He said we should just monitor it during that time. I started giving him turmeric in his food. I got some capsules that were just 100mg, which is a lower dose than most of the ones you find online for humans. Usually human doses are 1500mg per dose. I gave him 10mg/lb of body weight. In about 6 months the lump was completely gone. I don't know if it was the turmeric, but I had read turmeric has anti-tumor/cancer properties in cats. Not sure if it would help but thought I'd suggest it. Probably wouldn't hurt though I'd still check with your vet to be sure.