Convenia is a cool new Antibiotic for dogs and cats
November 19, 2008 edit. I recently reviewed a book called Vet Confidential: An Insider's Guide to Protecting Your Pet's Health. (Read the Review) I suspect if you are reading this about Convenia, you are interested in doing the best possible for your pet. This book will help you make sound decisions. (Buy the Book) If you have lost a pet, Dr. Murray, the author, offers this advice:
Original Post:
Compliance is the stumbling block for all medicine, and it's very difficult in veterinary medicine. Compliance means doing what you are told. In medicine compliance means doing what your doctor (nurse, therapist) tells you. One big problem in veterinary medicine is folks forgetting doses of medicine. In fact, it might be THE problem. Solve the compliance issue, and you solve countless other problems in veterinary medicine.
Proheart6 reduces the compliance problem by making an injectable heartworm prevention that lasts six months.
Convenia is similar because it's an injectable antibiotic where a single dose given by your veterinarian is the entire run. (I'm sure given the controversy surrounding Proheart6, Pfizer doesn't like the comparison, but both are trying to solve the compliance issue with an injection.) You get to take your pet home and not worry about putting pills down it's throat or forgetting a dose. It's only for certain skin infections, so you don't get any for a belly ache. But skin infections are some of the hardest to treat because of the blood-flow and tendency for skin infections to form abscesses (pockets of puss). The drugs just can't penetrate.
I've been through the material intended for both the consumer and the veterinarians. It's fascinating and dull all at the same time, meaning you'd like it if you were a nerd like me. Huge percentages of folks don't like to give pills to dogs, and even more don't like pilling cats. I don't have any trouble with the big dogs, but our little ones and the cats -- I get bit. Combine modern life with a chore that most folks despise, and you can see how easy it is for folks to miss doses.
I can also see uses in wildlife veterinary practice. Imagine a seal or whale with a skin infection, where a single administration of a drug like this could mean just putting it back in the water and increasing the odds of survival because there is no stress from captivity.
The effective dose lasts about two weeks, which is good, but the drug stays in the system for almost three months. That's OK, unless you have a problem with tolerating it (most animals tolerate it very well). I also wonder how long it will last before resistant strains emerge. I mean if it's at less-than-effective strength for two months...
The cost of a Convenia injection compares favorably to a two-week run of oral antibiotics. Depending on the weight of your dog, you might pay a few dollars more or less than you would for pills (less than what a gallon of gas costs). I'd pay a little extra money for the ease of use of the product.
Anyway, it's in the hands of early-adopter veterinarians now. Convenia has already been through the FDA approval process, and a monitored limited-distribution. The prescribing veterinarians are still reporting back to Pfizer on every dose they administer. This is a very careful roll-out to quadruple-check that the product is safe.
I'm happy to see products like this on the market. Convenia is a wonderful tool among many available to your veterinarian.
It's important to realize that when a pet becomes ill or dies, it is a natural reaction to cast about for something or someone to blame. It's instinctive to seek the reasons for events. We may blame ourselves, wondering if things might have turned out differently if we had been paying closer attention to a pet's symptoms, or if we'd brought the animal to the veterinarian sooner. Or we may turn our grief outward and feel the urge to blame someone else...
Compliance is the stumbling block for all medicine, and it's very difficult in veterinary medicine. Compliance means doing what you are told. In medicine compliance means doing what your doctor (nurse, therapist) tells you. One big problem in veterinary medicine is folks forgetting doses of medicine. In fact, it might be THE problem. Solve the compliance issue, and you solve countless other problems in veterinary medicine.
Proheart6 reduces the compliance problem by making an injectable heartworm prevention that lasts six months.
Convenia is similar because it's an injectable antibiotic where a single dose given by your veterinarian is the entire run. (I'm sure given the controversy surrounding Proheart6, Pfizer doesn't like the comparison, but both are trying to solve the compliance issue with an injection.) You get to take your pet home and not worry about putting pills down it's throat or forgetting a dose. It's only for certain skin infections, so you don't get any for a belly ache. But skin infections are some of the hardest to treat because of the blood-flow and tendency for skin infections to form abscesses (pockets of puss). The drugs just can't penetrate.
I've been through the material intended for both the consumer and the veterinarians. It's fascinating and dull all at the same time, meaning you'd like it if you were a nerd like me. Huge percentages of folks don't like to give pills to dogs, and even more don't like pilling cats. I don't have any trouble with the big dogs, but our little ones and the cats -- I get bit. Combine modern life with a chore that most folks despise, and you can see how easy it is for folks to miss doses.
I can also see uses in wildlife veterinary practice. Imagine a seal or whale with a skin infection, where a single administration of a drug like this could mean just putting it back in the water and increasing the odds of survival because there is no stress from captivity.
The effective dose lasts about two weeks, which is good, but the drug stays in the system for almost three months. That's OK, unless you have a problem with tolerating it (most animals tolerate it very well). I also wonder how long it will last before resistant strains emerge. I mean if it's at less-than-effective strength for two months...
The cost of a Convenia injection compares favorably to a two-week run of oral antibiotics. Depending on the weight of your dog, you might pay a few dollars more or less than you would for pills (less than what a gallon of gas costs). I'd pay a little extra money for the ease of use of the product.
Anyway, it's in the hands of early-adopter veterinarians now. Convenia has already been through the FDA approval process, and a monitored limited-distribution. The prescribing veterinarians are still reporting back to Pfizer on every dose they administer. This is a very careful roll-out to quadruple-check that the product is safe.
I'm happy to see products like this on the market. Convenia is a wonderful tool among many available to your veterinarian.
The article helped me to understand more about the medicine than the veterinarian told me. I'm glad to know the newness, safety, tolerance, etc., of the drug. I can only hope it will cure my dog.
You didn't mention that Convenia is the same medicine that can be given in pill form. I have no problem giving my dogs pills, so why should I opt for a more expensive form of treatment just because it's convenient?
It's the same class as other drugs, but isn't the same. At York County Veterinary Hospital, Convenia usually comes out within a few dollars of a two-week run of oral antibiotics. Most people are willing to pay a couple of bucks for the convenience. With larger animals, it's sometimes a few bucks less expensive. Also, if your cat is an indoor/outdoor cat and you are likely to miss a dose of oral antibiotic or two during the treatment because he elected to stay out, then the effectiveness of your oral medication is drastically reduced.
Convenia is slightly more effective than properly administered oral antibiotics. They didn't get to compare the animals who missed doses because there's no scientific way to measure. I would have liked to see those results too.
It's up to you to decide what's best for you and your pet. For us, the convenience and effectiveness of Convenia are worth the extra few dollars. If you are likely to miss a few doses of the oral antibiotics, a second trip to the vet, and a second run of more expensive oral antibiotics will more than make up for the investment up front.
My vet just told me about Convenia today. I have a 16 lb. Manx cat that will not be medicated. Yes, he will bite me & also the vet & vet techs. He has a fungus infection on his nose, nope not ringworm. He won't allow ointment application either. My vet will be giving him a shot of Convenia on Fri. I'm willing to try anything at this point. We hope it works.
Good luck. We've used it on our cat and were very happy with the results and not having to pill him.
I plan to give my cat the injection on Friday 9/26. Please let me know how Convenia worked on your cat. Thanks
Here's the follow-up post. http://blog.marshfieldkennel.com/2008/07/24/convenia--on-our-cat.aspx
It has really worked well both for us and Dr. Amanda's patients.
Hi All,
First I will say I run a non-profit dog rescue. Feel free to check out our website. I have seen just about every tragedy with dogs. My personal dog, a prior rescue, Cody has developed a food allergy. We have been battling it for quite awhile. The intense itching causes secondary skin infections. Due to having 6 personal dogs, the others eat regular food. He apparently has taken to eating stool in the yard from the other dogs. He has run the bout of skin infections, & ear infections. He has been on oral antibiotics over and over. He will actually refuse to take them after so many days, then we go through the bloody diahrea and vomiting...emergency vet, iv's etc. Finally we got some relief!! Convenia!
He cleared up so completely for 7 months. Unfortunately he gradually gets the skin infections back. He had another injection about 10 days ago. He again is clearing up.
When I went to my vet for this last injection it was for his skin infection. Not other complications.
My daughter had/has cats. She got a kitten years ago, probably a feral, at age 6 it fell over dead. Her friend who had the brother of hers, said hers did the same within 4 months.
My friend that has a feral colony she trapped at her home, says it is common for them to have a heart defect that is common to the colony. She tends 3 other feral colonies.
Sometimes when adopting a kitten you have no idea it came from a feral/rescued mother cat. We are begged every day to take found kittens. But we only do dogs.
My daughters other cat, was at the vet, vomiting & diahrea this weekend with some kind of blockage. He is 9, an inside cat, super super overweight.... she gets mad when I tell her that. Bruce is probably close to 20 pounds. 4 inches of thick flesh laying on either side of him. She feels his food is his only good thing since he cant go outside. I keep telling her it is not good for him. When I saw her this weekend she was very upset and worried about him, checking in with the vet. I have not heard how he is, I kept myself from asking about his weight.... Sorry I digress...
We love the vet the rescue works with. They are great there. They are very straight with us. We know quite a bit before we get there with some of the dogs. We deal with the dreaded "Parvo" virus as well as many many other very serious things. We also have to make some tough decisions on who we can save sometimes, financially. It can be a very sad business. But it is the ones we get homes for and that live happy lives that make it worth it.
Back to Convenia... It has made life bearable for my Cody again. I will continue to use it as needed.
Thanks for giving me the chance to say that. I am sorry for the cats that passed. I also have lost dogs and know why. The feeling is the same. But you should really find out why they were sick.
Thanks
Terry
I don't know if you have run it yet, but there is a blood test for allergies now for dogs. It's pricey, like $300 but they send a list of foods your dog can eat. Dr. Amanda has found that almost every list contains at least one non-prescription food that saves the owners over $300 a year. It really eliminates the hit-or-miss food trials.
Of course snitching will always foul up a good feeding program.
Glad to hear Convenia is actually helping someone other than us! Good luck with your pup.
Get that kitty on a diet. Should probably weigh about 8 pounds. Measure the food every day, just like with dogs. Food isn't the only joy that cat gets and I'm sure it would prefer living healthy to 18 than being treated for diabetes and passing away early.
Keep up the good work with rescue.
I have been thinking of running some allergy tests on Cody. He is again presenting with skin problems.
My daughters cat was diagnosed w/kidney stones. He is now on prescription food/diet also. His little treats now are all prescription.He will never be 8 lbs, but should be @ 12-14.
I love your site and would like to link it to our website if it is okay with you.
Thanks
Terry
some rescue news on GSP 1-4-09
CONTACT IS: GARRETT - PointerPal@aol.com 704-470-4381-home Belle's Story...This beautiful, young 1-3 year old Female German Shorthair Pointer was just dumped on an old dirt road in Cleveland County and left to fend for herself.....And her 10 puppies... Sadly, only two of them lived because of her poor circumstances and lack of food. One puppy is still in need of placement. As you can see in the picture, Belle is tied with a plastic coated wire and only has a tin roof for shelter. Not good. She is being currently being fed by a kind family that lives nearby, but they are financially unable to care for her properly. (Vetting etc.) They want to find a safe place for her as soon as possible, and that is NOT the Cleveland County Animal Control. PLEASE! if you can help with Belle or the puppy contact Garrett and he will help in getting them from there to Greenville-Spartanburg-Gastonia-Charlotte areas..........
He is going to go to the family's home tomorrow if possible and get a picture of the puppy as well. Belle has most likely been abused as she is scared, but not at all aggressive . She is just very unsure. (Who wouldn't be? Tossed away like garbage , pregnant, starving and then losing your babies!) Thank You For All That You Do For The Dogs/Cats In Need!! Garrett
704-470-4381-home
I'm going to write a post about the allergy test. Good to hear the cat is getting some help. Please feel free to link to me.
That poor girl. Left to fend for herself and pups. It takes a pack.
As an extra note about Cody, I had to let his coat grow in for the winter. I think that also affects the healing of his skin.
I can see where that'd be a problem. Have you considered a shave job and a coat when he's out? That's what they do to horses here in the Northeast.
Dear Todd Chrisman:
My 8 year old male cat is going to have necessary dentistry. The vet thinks he may need an antibiotic, he will wait until he sees what is actually going on.
He is suggesting injectable Convenia. Is this considered "off label" use?
Thanks for any info you might have.
Donna,
Per Dr. Amanda not only is this off-label usage, she would not use Convenia for dental problems. She prefers a broader spectrum antibiotic.
I have 7 cats with Stomatitis. 3 have had to have teeth removed and the others have to periodically have their teeth cleaned.
Convenia was recommended when the issue flaired up recently with 2 of the cats with wonderfull results. A 3rd cat had a severe ear infection involving polyps that looked to be cancerous. The first vet that saw here recommended that I put her down there and then. Instead I asked that she be treated with Convenia with the Clinic's owners approval and the condition has all but cleared up completely.
My only complaint is that each injection of .5cc cost $32.00. I would like to purchase a vial of this to self medicate when necessary but have been unable to find a Pharmacy that even carries it. I can get a prescription but am hoping someone knows of an Online pharmacy that carries this med. Any help would be appreciated.
I found that Cornell Vet agrees with the application of Convenia for Gengivitis and/or Stomatitis for both cats and dogs.
I live in Atlanta, GA. And would appreciate any feedback.
Best wishes to those who have lost there cats seemingly from the use of convenia but I would agree that it's a very long shot that that was the cause. But I would be concerned and suspicious as well if I lost any one of my cats. They mean the world to me.
All the best, this is my first time on this sight but I'm bookmarking it right now.
Glad to hear it's working for you. The biggest issue with your desire to purchase for home use is that it's only good for either 28 or 30 days after reconstituted. And while we readily go through a bottle roughly every two weeks or so in the office, it's unlikely you'd use that much of it. It's only sold in one size, and I think our cost for the bottle is over $200.00
This is profound info! I will keep this in mind if and when it becomes necessary to use it again. I care for and support 38 indoor (all fixed) cats but I agree that I woul be hard pressed to use approx. 20 doses in that time period.
Thanks Mike and good luck. I just checked and a little birdie told me that a two week run of Clavamox (a broad spectrum antibiotic) would run about $23 for a cat if you could pill it. If you needed the liquid form because you can't pill your cat, it's about $50 at a local veterinary hospital. The Convenia injection for a cat is about $27 at that hospital. So for folks who have trouble pilling, even a $32 injection is more cost effective than liquid Clavamox. For larger animals, the Convenia injection becomes cheaper than Clavamox pills.
A lot of drugs get approved for one purpose and then further study allows additional label claims. Doctors and veterinarians can prescribe drugs for uses that aren't claimed on the label, but many will not, especially if there is a drug labeled for a condition. If something goes wrong, you can look pretty bad before the licensing board. I'm not saying off-label usage is automatically unsafe, just that if it doesn't work, and another drug was approved, it could be malpractice.
It will be interesting to see what future uses for Convenia will be approved.
I did a little homework and any on-line pharmacy would have to get Convenia through back-channels. Pfizer, the manufacturer, wishes this to only be available through veterinarians. So someone would have to sell it to a veterinarian who would then have to pass it along to the pharmacy. (I'm guessing at how the scheme works, I don't know for sure.) There are a lot of drugs that I suspect take some twisted path to get to the on-line pharmacy, so it's probably just a matter of time.
I, too, have a cat that has stomatitis. Convenia is the only antibiotic that helps him! After a few hours of injection, he has started eating again, playing and acting like his old self. Approximately eight days later he reverts to his "sick" self, not eating, meowing whenever I have to squirt Nutri-Cal and Vitamin C (liquid) into his mouth. Could Convenia be given more than once every two weeks indefinitely? I don't want the vet to pull all his teeth yet.
You should talk to your vet about long term use.
Hi! My 20 year old cat had dental extractions x 4, bone eroding so infection. First she was given oral antibiotics - could not get her to take them. Took her back and they gave her injection of Convenia. It worked wonders literally. She was her old self again. But about 18 days later she seemed to start getting sick again. Took her back and she got a 2nd injection. I was online tonite as it is about 14 days since the last injection and I was just seeing if I could get her another one. It has worked wonders for her and don't want her to go downhill again. I know she is 20 and that is elderly but it helps so much. I am new to this also, so do I come back here to check a reply or is it emailed to me. What would Dr. Amanda think about a 3rd injection? Thanks!
That's something you should consult your veterinarian about -- a specific diagnosis for a specific animal. Pick up the phone and call her.
I can tell you that the prescribing information says two doses is the max. The drug stays in the system for 63 days.
There might be enough other factors in your case for your veterinarian to give it a try, but that would be up to your doctor.
Good luck with your kitty. 20 years is a very long life for a cat. You must be taking wonderful care of her.
Thank you so much for responding. This site is awesome! Thanks for the time and effort you put into it. I will be checking back in now and again.
Thank you very much for the feesback!
Sincerely,
Michael
My 7 1/2 month old kitten developed a cut after escaping outside for an hour or so. We went to the vet; who is extremely competent today at 2:45 P.M. Our kitten received an IM injection of Convenia (u/k doasge). Our kitten is struggling to dribble urine and his output has been under 5cc's since prior to the visit. The wound was located at the area of the left front leg and required slight non-anesthesia surgical cleaning and one staple to allow for possible drainage. As a paramedic and not a vet, I am very concerned as he has not stepped out of the litter box. The wound appeared to be Very swollen and then appeared open the size of a dime with no swelling. The wound appeared to have no necrosis but very similar to spider bites I have cared for in humans. Any ideas?
If I'm reading this correctly you have two unrelated issues, a cut and a urination problem. The cut seems to have been taken care of appropriately. The urination problem predates the cut and does not seem to have been addressed.
I am not a vet, but I'd say your male cat needs to see one for a possible urinary tract blockage. It doesn't need to be fatal, but folks waiting to see if it will clear up often kill their cats. You see, the bladder becomes inflamed, so bladder surgery isn't an option. The urethra becomes so inflamed with the stones and the catheter, that (last resort) surgery to re-plumb the kitty to pee like a girl is no longer possible.
Any time a cat has trouble passing urine, it needs to see a veterinarian.
My cat was dx with a urinary tract infection on Saturday and given Convenia. He is still straining with urination and only getting out small drops. He is preoccupied with trying to urinate, but still producing very small amounts. He doesn't seem to be in pain, and will still play if he's not trying to urinate. How long do you think it will take for this to clear up? Will Convenia work fairly quickly if it is going to be effective for treating the infection? On Saturday, the vet said that his bladder was empty, and since that time, he continues to "dribble" often, normally nickel sized drops of urine. He is also licking his genitals and trying to urinate in other places other than the litter, just to give you some background info. Do you think Convenia is the appropriate treatment for him?
You need to ask your veterinarian. You are looking for a specific diagnosis which nobody other than a veterinarian who has seen the cat can give. You have also given maybe 10% of the story - like was the Convenia given for a specific bacteria? Did they do a culture? What did blood work show? Without a file and looking at the cat, there is no way to answer your question.
Call your vet right now. This should be a free phone call for you and take about five minutes. Any time a cat is having trouble urinating, it could be a blockage, which kills way too many cats, mostly because owners try to wait and see if it clears up. Being cheap and waiting on this issue usually costs the owner huge amounts of cash to try to fix the problem (because a blockage won't clear up it will only get worse) and tortures the cat, and often causes unnessesary death.
Convenia is not currently labeled for urinary tract infections. Some veterinarians are using it for UTI and reporting good results. Several studies have shown it to be effective for UTI. Most antibiotics that are effective against UTI are cleared from the body via the kidneys. This concentrates the antiboitic in the urine, and makes for potent medicine inside the kidney. The cool thing about convenia is it takes a long time to clear the body (over two months). I'm certain the good folks at Pfizer are working feverishly to get every good use of their drug labeled so they can sell more of it.
Dr. Amanda does not use anything that is not labeled for UTI for a UTI. Why? There are doezens of really good (and cheap) drugs labeled for Urinary Tract Infections. If she gives one that is not labeled for UTI, and your kitty dies, she may have to answer in front of the Veterinary Licensing Board. "Dr. Rizner, can you tell me why, when there are dozens of drugs labeled for UTI, you elected to use an off-label therapy which was not curative for this cat?" Neither she, nor her employer are going to put their veterinary licenses on the line to go off label unless they are presented with something that has no approved cure. What's she going to do with 8 years of college and 5 years of experience as a veterinarian? With no license, she would have to wait tables.
I'm not saying that Convenia is a bad choice for your cat, any off label use of any drug could be a bad choice for a veterinarian.
My cat "squeak" was diagnosed after much testing, with myeloma. That was Nov. 08. Not willing to give up, we have her on steroids, one oral dose a day. The steroids of course make her eat and she gained back her weight and has been holding her own since then. The vet said we might get another 6 months out of her and sure enough, she has started to weaken and developed a swollen eye. She has had a chronic URI since the beginning and no antibiotics could even touch it. That signaled an underlying cause and hence much testing, x-rays etc. A few days ago she started to weaken and her right eye became swollen. I thought this was it but the vet gave her an injection of Convenia. I was thrilled that we did not have to administer more antibiotics. I try to avoid stressing her as much as possible. One day later, she was perking up and now she is back to her old self feeling much better, eye is better, eating again and trotting around the house. Of course, the URI is still there and untouched by this drug, but overall she is better. I decided to look up this new drug and this was the first page I opened. I was devastated to read about the cats having seizures and dying. But, I thought I would put my two cents in and say that my cat responded beautifully and I am happy to get a reprieve, no matter how brief, before the inevitable happens. My sympathies to Denise and anyone else who has to go through the process of letting go.
Our sympathies go out to anyone dealing with a bad situation with their pet. We witness it every day. We can't allow folks' sorrow to allow them to attack a very good product or lash out at us. We understand that folks are in pain, but it's just not acceptable behavior. I think of being called "heartless" every day. I'm not sure why I consider it such an insult, but I can't shake it.
Our goal is to inform folks of what's available from a veterinary standpoint. We don't really care if it's something new like Convenia, or just a way to save money while providing high-quality care to their pets. We have given good, bad and ugly reviews to various products.
If we had something safer or more effective than Convenia, we would use it. Right now, Convenia is the drug we use on our pets for skin abscesses. It seems pretty likely that the label will be expanded for other uses in the near future, and we will then use it for those purposes too. When Jeeves was on Convenia, his eye goop cleared up; so I think the applications go way beyond the original labeling.
Good luck with Squeak. I can tell you from experience that Squeak is lucky to have an owner like you who is willing to do what it takes to keep her cat alive. You should be proud.