9/5 Billie PMPS 244 +3 233 Convenia

Yesterday's condo: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=124716

Thank you very much to everyone who stopped by with advice and vines yesterday. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!

We got off to a rough start this morning around 4:30am. Billie started coughing around then. Around 5:30, it got a lot worse, and she had a couple long stretches of bad coughing that sounded a little more "wet" - most of her coughing has been pretty dry. I panicked and almost rushed her to the ER vet but ultimately decided it would be better to wait for her vet to open. When she's not coughing, she's acting normal - grooming, resting. She came and sat next to me and gave me kisses on the forehead. I'm sure she knew I was freaked out. Her appy is good, and I was shocked to find that her AMPS is good today. So, I don't think it's an emergency, but her cough was definitely at its worst a couple hours ago. Since then, she has been coughing on and off.

I don't know what the heck is going on. She has only had H & G and Evo since yesterday AM, and no dairy, so there hasn't been new exposure to food allergens (unless she's allergic to chicken which I really doubt). She started the Panacur last night. If it is lungworm, maybe the Panacur is stirring things up as it takes care of whatever is going on in there? That would be fine. Or, maybe it's still something we haven't figured out yet. We have an appointment at 10:30. Paws crossed it's nothing too serious and we get closer to figuring it out.

I hope everyone has a nice day. Vines to all the cats and beans who aren't feeling well!

Re: 9/5 Billie AMPS 184 lots of coughing overnight - vet aga

I'm sending vines your way for relief for poor Billie and that the vets figure out what is wrong so they can get to work on fixing it.

Re: 9/5 Billie AMPS 184 lots of coughing overnight - vet aga

Sending many vines. I hope the vet can figure this out.

Re: 9/5 Billie AMPS 184 lots of coughing overnight - vet aga

Adding more vines....

Re: 9/5 Billie AMPS 184 lots of coughing overnight - vet aga

Thank you for the vines!! We're back.

Our vet is making a sort of last ditch effort to treat the hives and the cough with the hope that they will both clear up. If not, he will refer us to an internal medicine specialist and dermatologist.

For the cough, we're sticking with the Panacur. Her vet said that it can sometimes get worse before it gets better as the worms die and get coughed up, so maybe, maybe, pretty please, that is what happened this morning. In terms of any immediate danger/breathing issues, he said that he is not terribly worried as long as she isn't open mouth breathing, and she hasn't done that.

After seeing Billie's skin, the vet felt that the Clavamox was not working for her skin infection and strongly recommended the Convenia shot, and I went for it. Now I am totally panicking about that and really hoping it wasn't a mistake. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Some of the old hives are just tiny scabs now, but there are clusters of new sores on her neck that are open and bloody looking...her skin is an itchy mess, so that is what sold me on it. Hopefully, it will do what it is designed to do without any side effects. I will be super vigilant, and by vigilant I mean paranoid. I'm already reading about side effects and wishing I hadn't done it. nailbite_smile nailbite_smile nailbite_smile I shouldn't be allowed to make decisions on 2 and a half hours of sleep.

In the midst of all of this, Mr. Greenie decided to show up. Weird timing. After that big +2.25 drop, I gave her a bit of vanilla ice cream on the way out the door because she wasn't interested in food and I didn't want her to go diving at the vet.

I hope everything works out and hope it wasn't totally stupid of me to go for the Convenia.

Re: 9/5 Billie AMPS 184 +2.25 124 +4 67 back from vet - Conv

You're right, Convenia can be scary. But many cats - including cats here in LL - use it and are fine. At least your vet is using it for the appropriate application of a skin infection! Many use it for any old infection, just as a "convenience" to their clients, even if it's not the right AB for what they are treating. You keep such a close eye on Billie that I am sure she'll be fine.

Sending tons of prayers that you get down to the bottom of all this very, very quickly....feel better sweet little Billie!

Re: 9/5 Billie AMPS 184 +2.25 124 +4 67 back from vet - Conv

Deanna, I am so sorry to hear that Billie had a rough night :YMHUG: Sending continuing prayers and vines that whatever is going on can be remedied!

Back in June, our vet gave Tiger covenia, but I think he did a sensitivity culture first and it wasn't for skin rash either, it was for a UTI. I still remember, whether it was just a bounce clearing coincidence or maybe the AB worked, that night Tiger dropped down to 48 at +4 that night :shock:

Re: 9/5 Billie AMPS 184 +2.25 124 +4 67 back from vet - Conv

{{{Deanna}}}

I know how scary those coughing fits can be. Minka has COPD and asthma, and some of her coughing fits have really panicked me. They never seem to bother her! :roll: It sounds like your vet is doing the best she can, and maybe a specialist will be needed. Don't stress too much on the Covenia. Most of my cats have had it at one time or another, and it has never caused any of them a problem (anti-jinx). I have refused it since joining FDMB, but if one of them developed a skin infection, I would certainly consider it.

Sending anti-coughing vines for Billie and calming vines for you. I hope you can get a nap in.

Re: 9/5 Billie AMPS 184 +2.25 124 +4 67 back from vet - Conv

Thank you Amy, Ruth, and Tricia!! I really appreciate the reassurance. I still feel like I made a mistake. I just wasn't thinking clearly. The Clavamox didn't work and Convenia makes sense for her skin infection, but why didn't I ask for pills instead? For some reason, that option wasn't even in my head, and the vet didn't suggest it. I was too busy freaking out about the coughing to realize I was signing her up for another scary thing. I did tell the vet my concerns about side effects and he said he saw an adverse reaction once in a dog who had a seizure, but no problems in the cats he has treated. I'm sure plenty of cats take it and are fine...I'm just googling and reading all the horror stories online now. I knew there were side effects but had no idea they could be so very serious.

I will just watch her like a hawk. I have to go out for a while tomorrow, but my BFF will be coming over to keep an eye on her, which is nice. So far, she seems totally fine - eating, grooming, and her BG is spectacular. I am sitting on the couch, and she just did a flying leap over me and the laptop to get to the other side, so she must be feeling okay. I got some Fortiflora and quickly learned that she loves it, so that's good. I'll keep her on that for a while.

Thank you again for the vines and thoughts.

Re: 9/5 Billie AMPS 184 +2.25 124 +4 67 back from vet - Conv

I think it is very likely if she was going to actually react negatively to the Convenia, you would have seen the worst kind by now. Gracie had a negative reaction within about 10 minutes (she went into anaphylactic shock). I think, in general, Convenia doesn't cause upset tummies for most cats but ECID. Just watch her. I am sure she will be just fine.

Re: 9/5 Billie AMPS 184 +2.25 124 +4 67 +5 72 +6.5 73 Conven

Oh no! Poor Gracie...that must have been so terrifying, and I'm so glad she came out of it okay. Thanks for the encouragement. I guess I should stop reading scary stories and go take a nap. Billie, Brooklyn, and DB are all napping right now, and I'm just sitting here freaking myself out :roll: :lol:

Re: 9/5 Billie AMPS 184 +2.25 124 +4 67 +5 72 +6.5 73 Conven

Hi Deanna. Max was given a shot of convenia for that mysterious grunting episode where he seemed in distress. I knew many were not letting their cats have it but I couldn't remember why. When I got home and googled it I had the same reaction that you had. The problem is that if allergic there is no remedy was what I read. My vet said that he has never had a negative experience with it and I just read a comment by a vet that thinks it is a good drug as well that has a bad rap and the site about it is not reliable. My friend's vet dermatologist gave it to her dog a few weeks ago. Max was just fine. Still after reading about reactions that some cats like Marje's have had, I would only use it again as a last resort. At the time I was happy to be able to give Max a one time injection since he wasn't feeling well plus my vet said it wouldn't have any effect on his BG. It was first listed as a drug for skin isues so perhaps it was a good choice for Billie. I sure hope so.

Re: 9/5 Billie AMPS 184 +2.25 124 +4 67 +5 72 +6.5 73 Conven

Thanks Elise! I'm really glad to hear that Max was fine on it. I hope Billie does well too. She is still acting normal. I am the one who isn't acting normal! I just interrupted her grooming to check her gums. They look the same as always, and now she looks angry.

Re: 9/5 Billie AMPS 184 +2.25 124 +4 67 +5 72 +6.5 73 Conven

Ahhh....welcome to the wonderful world of being a Helicopter MamaBean :lol: !!! I've been president for a while, but maybe it's time to pass the torch along to either you or Tricia :lol: :lol: :lol: !!! Seriously, though, Billie is very, very lucky to have you watching over her!

Re: 9/5 Billie AMPS 184 +2.25 124 +4 67 +5 72 +6.5 73 Conven

:lol: Thank you Amy! I am a proud helicopter. I love how you call it that - so perfect.

Billie seems fine so far. She is eating now with some Fortiflora sprinkled in. Whoever said it's kitty crack was not kidding! Brooklyn is obsessed too. Wow.

I will have my paws crossed for the next two weeks (and really for the next two months). It sounds like most adverse reactions occur either immediately or within 48 hours of the shot, but I found a couple horror stories of cats who started having seizures after 10 days on it. I realize that there could be other underlying factors in some of those cases, but still, it's scary. I hope Billie is one of those cats who does fine on it.

More vines coming for Billie girl. Eddie also had a shot of Covenia when he was first diagnosed with FD "just in case" he had an infection of some sort. Of course, at that point, I was clueless, and didn't even know what kind of A/B he received. He didn't have a reaction to it. I have no idea how common adverse reactions are, but the primary concern is that you can't take it out once it's in. Fingers crossed that the covenia does knock down the skin issues, and it sounds like your vet is really going to bat to work with you to figure this out. In addition to get well vines for Billie, I'm sending along some calm bean vines for you, as well. :smile:

Thanks Jen! I can definitely use the calm bean vines :smile: It's good to hear that some of Billie's friends have taken Convenia and made out okay with it. So far, so good. Good appy. Loving fortiflora. Acting normal. Mostly normal poo - a little on the soft side but not bad.

Yeah, I am really impressed with this vet. He's definitely putting a lot of thought into Billie, and I can tell that he cares. He said that he brought up her case at a meeting with the other doctors in the practice, and they are all on the same page with what he's doing. I really hope it works.

Oh wow, apparently Billie is way more "with it" than I am. I didn't close the door all the way behind me (unusual because I'm super paranoid about the cats getting out even though we live in an apartment building and they'd only get into the hallway) and I just heard the "scratch scratch" of Billie trying to open it up! She must be feeling okay if she's plotting an escape.

I hope everyone had a nice night. I feel bad not visiting any condos today...especially because I spent my free time reading pretty much everything on the internet about Convenia :roll: Bed time!! Goodnight. Thank you all so much for helping me hold onto my sanity today.