Zeniquin for 8 month old cat?

[rootb33r]

My vet has prescribed Zeniquin to my 8 month old cat for a URI that hasn't responded to other antiobiotics. I started giving it to him this morning but then reading up on it found out it says not to give to cats under 12 months old because it can cause joint development issues (according to the VCA website).

I'm really not eager to give my cat a lifelong joint issue because he has a cold, so I'm not going to give him any more (he's only had one dose). But I'm debating how badly my vet screwed up by prescribing it to him. Is this a common thing and the 12+ months is more of a soft recommendation? Or is this a dangerous thing that should absolutely never be prescribed under that age and will lead to severe developmental issues?

I'm new to the area and trying to evaluate if I should be looking for a different vet because this is a major oversight or if this is a reasonable off-label prescription that many vets would be likely to make. (E.g. Cerenia is for 'dogs only' but there's a lot of research that it works well in cats so I would have no problem with a vet prescribing it.)

 

[stephanietx]

What kind of dose are your giving? I've used it successfully with my herpes girl, but she was 2 when we started using it.

 

[rootb33r]

Dose is half a pill every 24 hours - I forget the exact amount in the pill but it's the right amount for a 10lb cat based on what I've seen online (he's about 9.5). I don't think there's anything wrong with the drug usually, but it sounds like it can cause developmental issues if they're still growing while taking it.

Edit: Here's the information I found about it for cats under 12 mos - Marbofloxacin

"Marbofloxacin should not be used in pets that are allergic to it or other quinolones. Do not use in small and medium breed dogs before 8 months of age, in large breed dogs before 12 months of age, in giant breed dogs before 18 months of age, or in cats before 12 months of age. Use marbofloxacin cautiously in pets with seizures, liver or kidney problems, or in pets that are dehydrated. It should be used cautiously in pregnant or lactating animals, as safe use in animals has not been established."

 

[rootb33r]

His dose is 12.5mg per day so about 1.3mg/lb. I found the below, so it seems like the risk is low to him based on the age and dosage but not non-existent (1 in 8 cats at twice his dosage had some joint issues). I'm not going to continue the treatment and will discuss it with my vet at our next meeting. It seems unlikely he will have any long-term effects from the one dose he got.

Cats: Marbofloxacin was administered for 42 consecutive days to 24 cats approximately 8 months old (8 cats per treatment group) at the dosages of 2.5, 7.5 and 12.5 mg/lb/day (5.5, 16.5 and 27.5 mg/kg/day). Treatment with marbofloxacin did not produce adverse effects on body weights, food consumption, serum chemistry, urinalysis or organ weight parameters. Decreased segmented neutrophil counts were observed in some cats in all treatment groups, including the placebo group, but mean counts were significantly lower in the marbofloxacin-treated groups. In some cats, absolute neutrophil counts were below normal reference values (as low as 615 neutrophils/µL in a marbofloxacin-treated cat and as low as 882 neutrophils/µL in a placebo-treated cat). Other hematological observations were not adversely affected. Clinical signs were occasionally noted in cats in the highest dosage group: excessive salivation in 4/8 cats and redness of ear pinnae in 2/8 cats.

Macroscopic changes in the articular cartilage of femurs were seen in one cat receiving 7.5 mg/lb and in 3 cats receiving 12.5 mg/lb. Microscopically, these gross lesions were related to a focal or multifocal chondropathy. Microscopic chondropathy not associated with macroscopic observations was also present in one cat treated with 2.5 mg/lb daily (1X the upper end of the dose range) and one additional cat treated with 7.5 mg/lb daily. There was no evidence of lameness during the course of the study. A perivascular to diffuse dermatitis was seen microscopically in one mid-dose cat and 4 high-dose cats. Funduscopic exam by a board-certified ophthalmologist and histologic examination of retina and optic nerve by ocular pathologists revealed no lesions in any of the treatment groups.

Zeniquin for Animal Use - Drugs.com

Learn about Zeniquin for Animal Use including: active ingredients, directions for use, precautions, and storage information.

www.drugs.com

 

[fionasmom]

https://www2.zoetisus.com/content/_assets/docs/Petcare/zeniquin-pi.pdf

If you want to read the fine print from Zoetis themselves about what it did in kittens, the information is here. It is quite easy to skim for what you are searching.

This is what concerns me. There is a warning for dogs on the VCA page which becomes increasingly strict the larger the size of the dog. In large breed dogs especially, the last thing you want to mess with is bone growth/joint development and for that reason many are not fixed before 2 years old.

While I cannot tell you what to do, and for all we know this is completely safe for the short term, I do understand your questioning the vet and the idea of getting further information from him sounds good to me.

 

[rootb33r]

https://www2.zoetisus.com/content/_assets/docs/Petcare/zeniquin-pi.pdf

If you want to read the fine print from Zoetis themselves about what it did in kittens, the information is here. It is quite easy to skim for what you are searching.

This is what concerns me. There is a warning for dogs on the VCA page which becomes increasingly strict the larger the size of the dog. In large breed dogs especially, the last thing you want to mess with is bone growth/joint development and for that reason many are not fixed before 2 years old.

While I cannot tell you what to do, and for all we know this is completely safe for the short term, I do understand your questioning the vet and the idea of getting further information from him sounds good to me.

Thank you for that link