24/03/2022
Late one night we got a phone call from my mother-in-law who lived next door. A Very Loud cat was in her doorway. Would we come and get it? Upon arriving, we found a tiny kitten about 4 weeks old. She was filthy, cold and dehydrated. We took her in, fed her KMR with a bottle and cleaned her up.
Bella was a beautiful, healthy kitten. Watching her grow into an elegant, intelligent, curious, amazing cat was an absolute joy. She loved watching aquarium videos on YouTube, climbing as high as she could get, chasing anything that moved. She was a very affectionate lap baby.
Bella is now 7 years old. Last December she developed a bit of feline acne. Our vet gave her a shot of "long acting antibiotic" and a cortico steroid. She was healing well but about 2 weeks in she began to limp so hard she could not put any weight on one back leg. Back to the vet who found absolutely nothing wrong.
She continued to limp and started hiding from the other cats. She developed a slight tremor. Back to the vet we went and she still found nothing. We went back about a week later with the same results. We had a vet in a nearby town that we loved. We took Bella to see him. He also found nothing wrong.
Bella lost weight and muscle. She stopped grooming. She cried if we touched her. I was SCARED. I woke one morning in early February and spoke to Bella. She turned toward me but her eyes looked strange--like big empty saucers. My husband opened the curtains and her pupils contracted some so I didn't worry much. I took her back to the vet. He asked about her eyes. He found she was totally blind!
She was still going downhill. FAST. There seemed to be no reason! I called the first vet and asked about the antibiotic she used. Convenia. I started to research. I am a librarian. My research skills are top notch.
Within a week I had read so many horror stories it nearly made me sick. Most of the stories ended with the death of a beloved cat. Bella had been poisoned. Convenia is long-acting. It takes between 2 and 3 months to clear from the cat's system and there is NO WAY to remove it! There is NO antidote! The poisoning continues the entire lenth of time it takes to clear their little bodies!!
I started buying the absolute best food I could find and making a lot of her food from scratch. I got her a fountain so she would drink more water. I gave her immune boosting and cleansing herbs.
Once the Convenia cleared she began to feel better. She still didn't move around much and still cried when touched. She had basically been in an almost constant state of seizure. That was the cause of some of the pain and lameness. She had also developed hemolytic anemia which cause more pain and dysfunction. Lack of blood flow to the optic nerve caused the very sudden blindness.
Finally, she started moving more and hiding less. She still suffers from stiffness after sitting too long but the horrible pain seems to be gone and she rarely limps. A couple of weeks ago she started grooming again and is fluffy and beautiful once again. She is gaining weight a little at a time.
We don't know how much organ damage has been inflicted. We will watch her carefully and visit the vet often. She will never regain her sight.
We are doing our best to provide a safe and happy home for her. To give her a space to get away from the others, I have shared my studio with her. We found a short, wide cat tree that she may climb rather than jump. A friend gave her a thick and very soft blanket. We have made up a little corner space all her own. We have bought her toys that make noise or make use of senses other than sight. We try to provide enrichment activities.
We had just begun word button training with all five cats when Bella's symptoms began to appear. 3 weeks ago, I decided to get her involved again, if possible. She was still not joining in any activities and did NOT want to be messed with. I finally grabbed my clickstix and a variety of treats and sat under the dining room table with her for target training.
She wouldn't have it. She growled and slapped. I finally decided that "desperate times call for desperate measures" and just jumped in head first. I would tap the target lightly on the floor in front of her. She would growl and slap. When the slap connected with the target I would click and treat. It took some time but she finally decided the treats were worth working for.
Since that day, she is much happier. She no longer hides. She sleeps with us again and takes walk around the house and finds things to do. She LOVES button training! I don't know how long she will be with us but we will make the rest of her life as full and happy as it can be.
Never, never EVER let your vet give your cat or dog Convenia!
