Ponazuril used on cats

[paintsflowers]

I recently got a new 12 week old kitty for my 3 yr old. She tested positive for coccidia. The vet gave them both 2 doses of ponazuril. The 3 yr old immediately stopped eating. he developed pain near his tail section, lost 4 oz in 7 days. I have since read that this med is used mainly on horses and lots of vets are not familiar with using it on cats or dogs. I spent over $300 in xrays, blood work, stool testing. After 9 days, Puddie is eating very small amounts of food. All the food he loved, he couldn't even look at. I have to bring him water to make sure he doesn't dehydrate. I am so upset about this, as when I speak to other vets, they don't recommend that med for cats.
My vet said that there were no toxic results in the blood work and that all was normal.
Could his mouth and intestines just been on fire to cause him not eating or drinking?
Anyone else have this problem. It's hard to get a straight answer from the vet since they are the ones who used this med.  The little kitty did not have any side effects.
Any solutions would be so appreciated as I love this big kitty called Puddie (16 lbs of love)

[Savas]

Hi again.

This is a relatively new medication. At least in its use for dogs and cats to my understanding, so I'm limited in what I know about it. The vets were partly right. It is made in a paste with horses in mind, so it has to be diluted to be used with smaller mammals.

Beyond that, I'm not sure about side effects {although I understand it can cause an upset stomach in horses}. Perhaps the dose was measured wrong, or there could be other issues going on that could be the cause of the problems.

I'd suggest taking him in to a vet again to be checked.

I'm also going to let the vet-tech know about this post, so he can hopefully provide you with more information than I have.

[Thomas Dock, Vet. Technician]

Hi there.   Savas kindly message me about this posting.   I am sorry that your little guy is not doing so well right now.

I too am unfamiliar with the routine use of Ponazuril in small animals.   The information that I found pretty much coincides with what Savas has found.  It has also been used in reptiles.  I looked through some drug formularies but could not find any information about side effects in cats because, as has been mentioned, using this medication in cats is an off-label use of the drug.

I agree with Savas that Puddie should be seen again as soon as possible.   You might also consider cross posting this question in the Ask A Vet section to see if any of our doctors there have had a similar experience with ponazuril.

I wish I could provide you with better information, but I just can't seem to find any!   I hope Puddie gets better soon...please keep us posted here.

[paintsflowers]

As I replied to Savas-Puddie is spiking a temp of 103 and goes down. They are testing for pancreatitis and giving penecillin in the meantime. His white count is good, so I will visit toady for hugs and kisses. He ate some kitten food. Still not out of the woods.
I miss my big guy.

[paintsflowers]

He's home but still not the robust kitty. He is drinking water, not eating much. On Clavamox. He would not urinate all day yesterday, so soaked his fanny in warm water and he went to the litter box and peed a little. The vet does not know what is causing this. He seems alert but really not himself. he also misses the kitten. Can this cause depression? I am without an answer and frustrated. I love him so much and it is hurting to see him so different.
I do suspect that it is definitely to do with his tail end. He hasn't had a bowel movement since the enema on Monday. This is not normal. I pray that they can find out what the problem is and fix it.

[lah764]

I sure hope Puddles is doing better by now and that they have figured out what the problem is.  

I just wanted to share what I know about the use of Ponazuril in treating coccidia in cats.  First let me say that I am NOT a veterinary professional in any capacity, however I've fostered rescue cats and kittens for 6 years.  Our rescue group uses Ponazuril to treat coccidia, and I do myself, in fact I just treated a crew of 15 today (adults and kittens).  I have never had a problem with it myself nor has anyone else in our group had a problem with it either that anyone in the group knows of.  We started using it about 3 or 4 years ago, and that translates to about 3500 cats (hard to guess the percentage of those that have been treated with Ponazuril, but I think that 10% is a very conservative guess.)

[paintsflowers]

It's been about 3 months and Puddie is back and loving his new grilfriend Rosie. Poor Gigi went to another house when he was sick. He is back to normal and running all over chasing Rosie. This is a wonderful place to come and share with others who love these marvelous creatures. Thank you all.