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  • 1.  Treating URI in community cats that arrive for TNR

    Posted 08-09-2024 09:06 AM

    I am wondering if anyone has a SOP or can give me some good resources for treating (or not) URI in feral/community cats in our TNR clinics. It recently came up that some of our newer grads are using convenia for EVERYTHING from the snuffles to pouring green discharge from nose. I think we are overusing convenia as it isn't effective for most causes of URI (even the secondary bacterial) and teaching our trappers to request convenia because cats have the snuffles. The only reason I would use it would be if I was worried about pneumonia -- but in my opinion cats with pneumonia shouldn't be getting TNR'd

    We do evaluate each cat and if we feel they are not safe for sx we decline, but we also intubate if nasal discharge is severe, and will occasionally combo test if the cat looks to be in very poor condition with UR. 

    Please help! Any articles or protocols appreciated. 


    #CommunityCatManagement
    #Medicine,SurgeryandSterilization

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    Sarah Williams
    veterinarian
    Sacramento SPCA
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  • 2.  RE: Treating URI in community cats that arrive for TNR

    Posted 08-11-2024 12:33 PM

    Hi Sarah,

    Our trappers want Convenia for EVERYTHING and often get mad when we tell them no.  Sometimes our vet (practicing HQHVSN for 10 years) will recommend Convenia if the cat is truly feral, even though it's not the ideal drug choice for URI.  If it seems the cat is semi friendly or possibly feeder friendly we will call and see if they can medicate and will send  home either doxy suspension or clavamox and reschedule if possible or intubate, do the surgery and send home meds.  89% of our surgery patients are cats and out of that  56% are TNRs. We will hit 15,000 surgeries tomorrow!!

    @Julie Levy may  be able to give you a better answer.

    Dara



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    Dara Edmonds
    Executive Director
    Central Florida Community Pet Clinic
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Treating URI in community cats that arrive for TNR

    Posted 08-12-2024 03:52 AM

    As a tnr group, we represent the trappers asking for Convenia.  Although some cats in traps may be semi friendly, that doesn't mean we can expect that the caretaker will be able dose oral medication. Trap/Neuter/Return and then release! after overnight stay. Even if we could retrap a cat refused surgery, the logistics of trying to trap a single cat cat in a group already TNR'd is not a good use of our already limited resources. We have 3 trappers, usually 2 working each week to trap 20 cats. Sometimes 2 clinics per week. We can't ask them to do more.

    This is each cat's best chance to be neutered, vaccinated and any wounds or injuries treated. Flea treatment. We care very much about the care and outcome of each individual cat, but our resources are limited and our mission is big. 

    We respect our HVSP vets to make her best decision - we have been with the same 2 clinics for several years - so our protocol is pretty well worked out with the clinic manager regarding  treatment.

    Laurie Counts, Director and Foster Mom

    Madison Community Cats

    Syria, Virginia 22743



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    Laurie Counts
    Director
    Madison Community Cats aka MAD Cats
    VA
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Treating URI in community cats that arrive for TNR

    Posted 08-12-2024 10:46 AM

    Hey Laurie, 

    Thank you for the response and all the work that your group is doing! . I understand wholly the TNR struggle as I have been leading our TNR clinic for about 3 years, and involved in TNR (on the trapper AND vet side!) for over 10 years. 

    My concern is that Convenia is not effective against most causes of URI and using it for everything is inappropriate antimicrobial stewardship. When we (veterinarians) hand it out "like candy" we inadvertently teach people that it is appropriate to use in these situations  and then when they hear differently it causes confusion and discontent.  If there were some published info on Convenia being ap

    propriate for URI I would be happy to use it in our community cat populations.  I WISH it was appropriate for URI as this would be easier for both our TNR cats AND our shelter cats! 

    My comment about seriously ill cats not being TNR candidates wasn't a recommendation to release cats and try to re-trap but to evaluate that specific cat and make appropriate medical decisions in that specific case. If it is not a good surgical candidate because it is severely ill and cannot be safely held for treatment it is likely not healthy enough to undergo surgery and be released 24hrs later without great risk to the cat. 

    Again, I'm really just looking for some good, evidence based, options for treating these cats appropriately while also following good antimicrobial stewardship and protecting public health. 

    Thanks! 



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    Sarah Williams
    veterinarian
    Sacramento SPCA
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Treating URI in community cats that arrive for TNR

    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous
    Posted 08-12-2024 08:57 AM
    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

    What a wonderful topic, thank you for addressing this.  I agree that convenia is overused and has not been shown to be effective against URI secondary bacterial infections.  Living in a rural community, with lots of dairy and beef cattle and swine, Draxxin (tulathromycin) is a readily available injectable antibiotic that is used for respiratory issues in swine and pneumonia is cattle.  The effectiveness seems to be superior to even amoxi, clavamox, and convenia.  And it seems to have the same length of active time (appx 2 weeks).  We use it coupled with a dose of SQLR and a Vitamin B Complex injection.

    While doxycycline is considered the standard in shelter practices, that is obviously not going to be effective on TNR and Community Cats.  Might be something worth looking into and see if we can't think outside the box a little more.  I am a firm believer (from experience) that therapeutic treatments like SQLR and Vit B, and even as little as one session, have magnificent and healing benefits.

    Good luck to you...in my old home town ❤️😺


    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Treating URI in community cats that arrive for TNR

    Posted 08-12-2024 12:05 PM

    I'm late to the party here!

    I haven't heard of Draxxin/Tulathromycin being used as an injectable for cats. I'm working on a colony at the end of the month that the CT's have said has rampant URIs right now, and they expect that to hold steady until the designated trapping days. I've been looking for something effective- both in success rate and cost that we can give the cats while under in addition to the already preplanned B12.. Can you share a little bit more about that (ex- criteria for using it for cats, on avg how many cats a bottle will treat, etc?)



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    Morgan Redell
    Manager
    360 Care & Handling
    FL
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Treating URI in community cats that arrive for TNR

    Posted 08-20-2024 07:36 AM

    Hello all,  

        Below are a couple of responses from our Advising Volunteer Veterinarian at the MRFRS's Sunday Feral Cat Clinics and our Lead Volunteer Technician on their thoughts. 

    ***Dr. Simonelli***
    We don't have any specific SOP or protocol. We evaluate each cat if there is a question of safety with anesthesia. I've have some trappers do Clavamox or Doxycycline as they have a better spectrum for upper respiratory bacteria. We don't recommend any treatment until significant green/yellow nasal or ocular discharge. I agree that I don't love the overuse of Convenia and I also understand the desire to use it for its ease of administration especially in a feral cat. I don't know of any papers on this topic. Interesting discussion.
    ***Sarah(done quite a few out of country s/n events too)***
    To my knowledge, I haven't seen any studies about this.  There was a big discussion in Samana when we were able to secure 2 bottles of Convenia to bring; what were the parameters of use. In my GP we will only use Convenia for skin issue and have an off label in some cases of FLUTD depending on owner's resources for treatment and cat propensity for rejecting medication, sometimes we will use it for Dentals but most clients can use Clindamycin.  I love Convenia for wounds and abscesses.  We used it for the skin infections we see in Samana. Generally, we don't typically use it for URIs like Sam said if antibiotics are warranted my vets reach for Doxy or Clavamox but in most cases for mild URIs we have not been treating with antibiotics as it is usually viral and will eventually clear up. There is a definite push about being more conservative with all antibiotics. It's a difficult choice because we don't have many great options with feral cats.  
    There is a debate within the vet community and just in the clinics I work in about the overuse of Convenia because well it's convenient and we can feel comforted that the pet has a constant release of antibiotics rather than hoping owners are giving meds correctly and not skipping doses or stopping early.  There are some resources through University of Wisconsin, School of Veterinary Medicine has a Shelter Medicine program that does not recommend convenia for URIs they maintain that most URIs are viral or if bacterial are caused by Mycoplasma which Convenia is ineffective at treating.  They do use Convenia for wounds and skin issues. 
    There was a survey study out of Arizona that about 1/3 of vets used Convenia in combination with surgery to treat pyometra and some evidence to show that bacteria causing the pyometra is usually E.Coli which is responsive to Convenia though Clavamox or Baytril are thought to be better options when an animal can be pilled. The study is a survey and retrospective; it doesn't actually have information on cultured pyometra infections. I can send the link. I find microbiology and antimicrobial use interesting. However actually studies comparing Convenia to other antibiotics for extra label uses are few and far between, none really for domesticated cats.
    I find it interesting in there are 2 papers about using Convenia to successfully treat several cases of Pyometra one paper below in Tigers and the other I couldn't find but it was about a Panther with Pyometra.  
    Hope that helps
    Sarah 
    Efficacy and safety of cefovecin (Convenia) for the treatment of urinary tract infections in dogs https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17355604/
     Safety and Efficacy of Cefovecin (Convenia®) as an Adjunctive Treatment of Periodontal Disease in Dogs  https://www.scirp.org/html/23134.html
    PHARMACOKINETIC PARAMETERS OF CEFOVECIN SODIUM (CONVENIA) IN CAPTIVE TIGERS (PANTHERA TIGRIS) https://bioone.org/journals/journal-of-zoo-and-wildlife-medicine/volume-48/issue-4/2017-0083.1/PHARMACOKINETIC-PARAMETERS-OF-CEFOVECIN-SODIUM-CONVENIA-IN-CAPTIVE-TIGERS-PANTHERA/10.1638/2017-0083.1.short
    Antimicrobial Activity and Spectrum of Cefovecin, a New Extended- Spectrum Cephalosporin, against Pathogens Collected from Dogs and Cats in Europe and North America  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1489759/


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    Stacy LeBaron
    Head Cat
    The Community Cats Podcast
    Warren VT
    978-239-2090
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    Original Message


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