Convenia Can Have Serious and Fatal Side Effects
Dr Lisa Pierson of catinfo.org has written extensively about this drug. Here is some of what is on her site:
Convenia
(manufactured by Zoetis) is an injectable long-acting antibiotic that is labeled for the
treatment of skin infections in
cats and dogs. It exerts its
antibacterial effects for approximately
1-2 weeks but stays in the body for over
2 months.
This is in
contrast to antibiotics
that are rapidly cleared from the body
and need to be administered 1 - 2 times
per day.
Given how
difficult it is to medicate some cats,
this 'long-acting' property sounds
great, right?
Unfortunately, the old adage,
"If it sounds too good to be true, it
probably is", rings very true with
respect to the use of Convenia in some
cases.
Most
people are aware of the fact that all
drugs have potential side effects with some
being more significant/life-threatening
than others so we need to
be mindful of these side effects when any
chemical is put into a living being, not
just Convenia.
That said,
with regard to Convenia, it is important
to consider
the fact that if a patient has an adverse
reaction to Convenia there is no way
to retrieve this long-acting drug from
his body.
If an
adverse reaction occurs after a
short-acting drug is administered, the
patient has a much greater chance of
living through the event (if other
than acute anaphylaxis) because the
body will clear the offending drug,
hopefully, within hours - not months, as
is the case with Convenia.
Note what
is stated on the Drug Insert
Anaphylaxis has been
reported with the use of this
product in foreign market
experience. If an allergic
reaction or anaphylaxis occurs,
CONVENIA should not be
administered again and
appropriate therapy should be
instituted. Anaphylaxis may
require treatment with
epinephrine and other emergency
measures, including oxygen,
intravenous fluids, intravenous
antihistamine, corticosteroids,
and airway management, as
clinically indicated.
Adverse reactions may require
prolonged treatment due to the
prolonged systemic drug
clearance (65 days).
FOREIGN MARKET EXPERIENCE: The
following adverse events were
reported voluntarily during
post-approval use of the product
in dogs and cats in foreign
markets: death, tremors/ataxia,
seizures, anaphylaxis, acute
pulmonary edema, facial edema,
injection site reactions
(alopecia, scabs, necrosis, and
erythema), hemolytic anemia,
salivation, pruritus, lethargy,
vomiting, diarrhea,
and inappetance.
The most
common reactions I have read reports of
are anemia, tremors/ataxia, seizures,
diarrhea, lethargy, anorexia, and
death.
To repeat
what I said above, all drugs have
side effects but it is my opinion
that Convenia is being administered far
too often when
there are safer choices available for
nearly all cases.
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