05/27 Tray's AMPS 121 Convenia given now worried

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Sending healing thoughts to you and Tray today. I don't know anything about Covenia, but I do think you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. You are doing the best you can for your kitty and everyone is taught to follow a doctor's advice when it comes to care of ourselves and others. I would say spend your energy helping Tray and not berating yourself. Hope he starts to improve today!
 
It's been 24 - 48 hours since the shot?

Take a deep breath. What do you know about medication/antibiotic allergies? This is the concern with Convenia -- there will be an allergic reaction or side effect and once the medication is in, you can't stop giving it. Certainly with people, if you're going to have an allergic reaction, it's pretty quick. If Tray is alright, I suspect he's handling the medication just fine.

I'd suggest you discuss the issue with your vet. The vet has a point -- in an animal that's vomiting, there's a likelihood that Tray would vomit a pill. However, Convenia's only indication is for skin infections. If Tray has a UTI, it may not be the best choice. It may be worth getting a cytocentesis and C & S to test for a UTI and get him on the appropriate AB once his stomach settles down.
 
Iorwen, I agree with what Linda said above me. You are doing everything in your power to help Tray. I'm sending healing vines and prayers. Keep posted as you can on how he's doing today. Hugs.
 
Many prayers for you and Tray. Sienne gave you some great advice. You love Tray, and are doing the best for him...please don't beat yourself up!
 
Sienne and Gabby said:
It's been 24 - 48 hours since the shot?

Take a deep breath. What do you know about medication/antibiotic allergies? This is the concern with Convenia -- there will be an allergic reaction or side effect and once the medication is in, you can't stop giving it. Certainly with people, if you're going to have an allergic reaction, it's pretty quick. If Tray is alright, I suspect he's handling the medication just fine.

I'd suggest you discuss the issue with your vet. The vet has a point -- in an animal that's vomiting, there's a likelihood that Tray would vomit a pill. However, Convenia's only indication is for skin infections. If Tray has a UTI, it may not be the best choice. It may be worth getting a cytocentesis and C & S to test for a UTI and get him on the appropriate AB once his stomach settles down.

It's been 14 hours since the shot. So far he seems fine, even more alert than the last few days. I most definately will be discussing this and have asked for the partner of the hospital to give me a call. He's Tray's usual vet but he's been lecturing and MIA for the past couple of weeks. I'll also ask about the other tests.

Thanks again for taking time to read my condo. Everyone here is just so amazing I am overwhelmed by all the kindness and attention.
 
I have been following your condos, and I am so sorry that Tray is feeling sick. I agree with Sienne, in that the shot is in now, he has not had an allergic reaction, and side effects of the shot, while serious, are rare. Dr. Lisa has a page about Convenia, which you can discuss with your vet for future reference (note that you may want to put "no Convenia" and "no Metacam" instructions on your file).

http://catinfo.org/?link=convenia

A cat with a UTI can present quite ill suddenly, as Tray did. He had a slight fever, which was suspicious for infection. The best approach would have been to to get a sterile urine sample and culture it. It is also possible (yet rare)for an infection to be present, and still get a negative culture. This happened frequently with Bear Man, who suffered from chronic Pyelonephritis (kidney infection). If you did a culture now, the results may be affected by the recent treatment with the antibiotic. It may, however, be of use if Tray does not get better, as there is a possibilty that he has an infection with bacteria which are not sensitive to treatment with Convenia. Another good practice, in any event, is to do a urine culture about 10 days into treatment with antibiotics to ensure that the infection, if any, has been successfully treated.

Looking at your bloodwork results, there is no elevation in WBC, so that may argue a bit against an active infection. The CK may be elevated simply due to some stress on the muscles during transit to the vet and restraint for taking blood. The potassium is in the low normal range. Down the road, (not urgent now), you may want to discuss with the vet supplementing that, or just keeping an eye on it. If serum potassium is low normal, then the cells are actually somewhat depleted. This may be more of an issue in a renal kitty. The low urea is interesting, but not alarming. Has he lost weight recently?

I have found Cerenia to be very effective in treating nausea, but that it often needs more than one shot to be effective. You could ask the vet if she would prepare two or three additional syringes of Cerenia for you to administer yourself. If you do this, be prepared that this drug stings when administered (perhaps less so if the drug is kept refrigerated).

It is also possible for pancreatitis to be present, and to get a negative fPLI. It is worth considering adding something for pain into the mix if there is no improvement. Pancreatitis would be painful, but a urinary tract infection is also painful. I would suggest that you ask for Buprenorphine. Keep an eye on his hydration by pulling on his scruff and giving it a twist. If it snaps back, he is well hydrated, but if it is slow to snap back, then he could be dehydrated, and would benefit from sub Q fluids. You are doing a good job with nursing him through this. If he doesn't improve and has to go back, possible next options would be to get the sterile urine specimen via cystocentesis, and also to consider an abdominal X-ray.

I am sending lots of healing prayers to Tray. Don't beat yourself up. You are doing a great job.
 
More alert is good. How is he taking syringe feeding? Most people are surprised about how well they can do this and how well their cat allows it. They are hungry but feel horrible. You are getting great advice. Sending lots of hugs.
 
Linda and Bear Man said:
Looking at your bloodwork results, there is no elevation in WBC, so that may argue a bit against an active infection. The CK may be elevated simply due to some stress on the muscles during transit to the vet and restraint for taking blood. The potassium is in the low normal range. Down the road, (not urgent now), you may want to discuss with the vet supplementing that, or just keeping an eye on it. If serum potassium is low normal, then the cells are actually somewhat depleted. This may be more of an issue in a renal kitty. The low urea is interesting, but not alarming. Has he lost weight recently?
Thanks for all the info! Yes he lost some weight. From 8.20 in Jan to 7.98 as of yesterday. Or 18lb to 17.5 lb is this a concern?
 
Karrie and Maverick said:
More alert is good. How is he taking syringe feeding? Most people are surprised about how well they can do this and how well their cat allows it. They are hungry but feel horrible. You are getting great advice. Sending lots of hugs.

It was messy but he didn't fight me so it went okay. He's not too pleased with me but no scratches!
 
Don't beat yourself up over it. There may be times a medication like convenia may need to be given.

Tray, not eating, is a potential example. My problem is there is no documented infection and convenia is long acting.

I opted to use convenia on Gary. He had feline pneumonia and while he gobbled down the AB liquid in his wet food I would have been hard pressed to dose normally with him (way too feral/wild to handle at the time). When he still came up sick 3 weeks later we opted for the shot. Again, because of how he was still too nervous to really handle. Gary had no problems with the convenia.

Every medication we give our cats comes with risks. Some small, some greater. We make the best choices we can for them and that is all we can really do. I chose convenia for Gary knowing full well the risks of handling, not treating, or using convenia.
 
Iorwen & Tray said:
Thanks for all the info! Yes he lost some weight. From 8.20 in Jan to 7.98 as of yesterday. Or 18lb to 17.5 lb is this a concern?

No, a gradual weight loss like that probably wouldn't cause the drop in urea. His bloodwork really looks quite good. If repeated, that slightly low urea might well show normal next time. Has the gradual weight loss been due to a bit of a low appetite lately? If so, I might wonder about some inflammatory process such as IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease).

I also meant to ask earlier - you are continuing to treat with the Famotidine (Pepcid AC) correct? I think that would be a good idea.
 
((((Iorwen))))
You are getting terrific advice. You did what you thought was best to help Tray, so please don't beat yourself up! You are taking good care of Tray, he is lucky to have such an attentive caregiver. I hope he feels better very soon!
 
Morning! I so understand your fear, your concern. Been there with Mannie. Long story .... I think you have received excellent advice. I also think that if there was going to be a reaction you probably would have seen it by now. Try not to worry,know that you are doing your best for Tray. I hope he feels better soon.Hang in there. We will be thinking of you today.
 
Linda and Bear Man said:
Iorwen & Tray said:
Thanks for all the info! Yes he lost some weight. From 8.20 in Jan to 7.98 as of yesterday. Or 18lb to 17.5 lb is this a concern?

No, a gradual weight loss like that probably wouldn't cause the drop in urea. His bloodwork really looks quite good. If repeated, that slightly low urea might well show normal next time. Has the gradual weight loss been due to a bit of a low appetite lately? If so, I might wonder about some inflammatory process such as IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease).

I also meant to ask earlier - you are continuing to treat with the Famotidine (Pepcid AC) correct? I think that would be a good idea.

No his appetite was good until the last few days. In fact he was doing very well, and very active so maybe he lost weight from actually moving his butt :lol:
Yes I am still giving the pepcid, he's not fond of the liquid so my vet said I might switch to the tablets and suggest a quarter tablet as a dose
 
Hi Iorwen,
I know that you are worried, but as the others have said, you can't beat yourself up about the Convenia. If Tray is allergic to the antibiotic, it probably would have shown up by now. (I discovered 2 years ago that I was allergic to penicillin--never had been, but that's what it was, and it was only 10 minutes after I took the Amoxicillin pills for a dental procedure that I went into anaphalactic (sp?) shock and wound up in the ER.)
Michelle discovered that Mannie had been given Convenia last winter and was very worried, but it turned out that he was not allergic to it. So we will all think our collective good thoughts that Tray will be just fine.
Hang in there. I hope that he's eating a little. Sending lots of healing vines to your boy,

Ella & Rusty
 
i thought of that yesterday when you said he'd been given an AB injection - but i also think if you were going to see a reaction it would be present by now. my vet uses it and a second vet i asked uses it too. if they do react, then you treat the reaction. don't worry before you've got a problem! i am nearly positive my cats have had convenia in the past because i recall being very enthused about a one time injectable AB and not having to give pills. probably my last cat, but possibly punkin at some time earlier before i'd read about it here. whoever it was did fine with it.

the cerenia is really good - so it sounds like you're giving it in injections. i gave it to punkin in pills after the initial shot - i also gave him more than the vet said because i looked online and it seems to be safe even up to 10x the prescribed dose for a cat. it was great at stopping the nausea and letting him get back to eating normally - that is very important.

you're doing everything possible, iorwen. don't worry about what happened yesterday, just move ahead. you're doing great!
 
Iorwen & Tray said:
Yes I am still giving the pepcid, he's not fond of the liquid so my vet said I might switch to the tablets and suggest a quarter tablet as a dose

1/4 tablet is a good dose. I would give that twice daily until he feels better. Use the regular strength (10 mg) tablets of Pepcid AC.
 
Hi guys, I know you are worried about giving tray that medication, but you can't beat yourself up .. you didn't know, but now you do .. I know it's easy for me to say right? I'd be just as worried as you are .. hugs to you both!!
 
Hi guys! Just reading and saw that Tray isn't/wasn't feeling well and I hope he gets better soon. RE: Convenia - before I was made aware of the issues, Spot was given a dose. He did quite well on it. It doesn't sound like Tray is having a rough time on it, so please, don't beat yourself up over this.
Sending get better vines to your boy.
 
What wonderful input you're getting -- I can't add to that! I'll just say that Kitty was given Convenia a couple of times -- for UTI! -- before I arrived at FDMB. He came through. Looks like Tray will be fine. You, however, need a hug. So here it is:

:YMHUG:
 
Thank you one and all for such kindness and support.
My Dad just called to let me know Tray seems fine and even though he is still keeping to himself resting on a bed, he has eaten on his own with no need encouragement. So that is good news.
My vet called to suggest I bring him in tomorrow to check his temperature and get some fluids free of charge, that will be of help too.

Fingers and paws crossed all will be well.
 
hi Iorwen and Tray,

i just wanted to point out when you said he was given Cerenia as a shot for an infection when i know Cerenia is for nausea....i wanted you to be made aware of the difference...

I too did not know anything about it until Rocket got the Convenia shot back in Nov2010....he seemed ok but like you i was worried....

keeping you and Tray in my thoughts and prayers...sounds like he is doing well with the shot....as far as assist feeding...that's good....

Claudia & Rocket
 
Oh Iorwen I just got caught up with what happened to Tray!!!--Sounds like he is getting a little better, and eating on his own! I know how scary it is to have a sick cat, you feel so helpless & upset, so Thank the Lord we have FDMB to help us & guide us through..
I am so sorry you went through such a harrowing day & night..
Praying for Tray's complete recovery real real soon--I am thinking of you both & holding you in my heart..
Healing vines to Tray-get better soon !! :YMHUG:
 
You are taking such good care of Tray and should never feel bad about something that you were not aware of. Now that I think about it, I know my old vet gave one of my cats Convenia because I remember thinking how easy it was to get the shot instead of giving the pills. So please don't feel bad -- most of us have been there and done that, too. It sounds like Tray is doing better today and glad to hear he is eating again on his own. Hope your evening goes well and praying that the vet check-up is a good one tomorrow.
 
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