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)

[handymom27]

I need to know the dose of Ponazuril for a 10 lb cat. It is not the paste but the Ponazuril liquid in a bottle for ml. please

[AnnieBrooke]

Hi, I just treated a cat for coccidia, via a vet. It's nothing to mess with alone (without a vet's guidance) because it can be so persistent. Call your vet''s  office for help and advice. You don't want to be giving this medication incorrectly, and you don't want to be assuming loose stool is caused by coccidia if it's from something else.

[handymom27]

Sorry I do not see how to post a question rather than this 'answer' box. I have ordered Ponazuril for my 10 lb. cats and there are different dosage charts on here. Can anyone help me with the dosage on a 10 lb. cat for Ponazuril. Not the Marquis paste but the Ponazuril in a bottle in ml. please

[michelle0223]

the other sites said that bleach mix does kill coccidia.  This must be the year for coccidia as all the cats that have come in from the outside have it.. UGH... and also do you happen to know the diluted mixture amt?  

[Figment58]

You can order Baycox through an Australian pharmacy.  it works to kill coccidia with 1 treatment.   The cats think you are giving them battery acid but it does it work.  If the infection of Coccidia is really bad, then you might have to give Baycox 1 more time 10 days later.

[Katsmeow1166]

My vet just treated my kitten with ponazuril. She is not interested in food right now, but it has only been one day. Hopefully she will get better and recover soon.

[opus88]

thanks for posting that info.....welcome to our forum.

jeri_cat and petzrpeople are both old posters from last year and no longer active on Medhelp, but hopefully your post will help others....♥

[friendsofanimals418]

Cleaning everything with 10 percent solution of ammonia or 1 part ammonia to 10 parts water. Bleach does not kill coccidia. Steam cleaning works well to, wash all toys and bedding with detergent and ammonia.

Ponzuril works great. I have been using it for years and never had a problem with it. Treat 3 days in a row and retreat on day 13 for 1-3 days.

Sanitation is very important or the cat or kitten will get it again.

Show your vet

http://www.sheltermedicine.vet.cornell.edu/Ponazuril.cfm

[friendsofanimals418]

Show your vet this link:

http://www.sheltermedicine.vet.cornell.edu/Ponazuril.cfm

[opus88]

http://www.petplace.com/cats/giardia-in-cats/page1.aspx  ( same treatment for coccidia)

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+1359&aid=726

hi and welcome, I am so sorry for the loss of one of the kittens, I sure hope you can successfully treat the others...I haven't been able to find any info on ponazuril, but I have included two websites that give some treatment info for you to read.
I did learn that its important to clean the litter boxes throughly after each poop....and use a steamer to disinfect.

I've also read on a holistic site thats its very important to support their immune systems with Lactoferrin...I can send you more info on that supplement if you'd like.

give them some pumpkin in their food that will help with the diarrhea, its good fiber. get the canned pumpkin with no spices....NOT the pie filling..

I hope some of this helps you...please keep us posted and we'll try to help out as much as possible.
You can also try our holistic Vet on Medhelp..

http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Animal-Health---General/show/112?camp=msc

[petzrpeeple2]

I am concerned now after reading all these posts. I am dealing with 2 kittens about 12-14 weeks and 4 adult cats all about 12-14 months, with loose stools. Not completely liquid, but very loose, no shape to them. I had one of the adult cats to the vet yesterday, and she did a fecal test. Said she found ONE coccidia in there. I already treated ALL 6 of them with a 10 day dose of Albon, cause just prior, I had taken in a 6 week old kitten that was sick apparently when he came in, and died at the vet. They said he was covered up with coccidia. They have him fluids and other stuff, as well as a blood transfusion, but he passed away :-( So after that, I started all of them on Albon. THey all already had diarreah before then though. Anyway, the vet yesterday said she wants to put them all on a 2 day dose of Ponazuril at 100mg/ml. After all I've been reading, now I'm scared to use it on them. But apparently the Albon didnt work so well if there was still that one coccidia in the fecal test. I'm just at my wits end with these nasty litter boxes from the diarreah, as I'm sure the cats are, so now I don't know what to do. The vet did say I could keep using the Albon, but would need to dose them for 21-28 days each, if I use albon instead of Ponazuril. Any suggestions???? PLEASE !!!

[zoed2]

I was told that only Albon is approved for use in cats. Some rescue people dilute ponazuril and use it on cats. My vet will not. He says Albon. HOWEVER, a rescue friend of mine said that the coccidia is VERY infectious. She changes litter AND box every day, unfortunately 1-3 weeks, to keep them from getting re-infected. However, as a rescuer she does use ponazuril which works in 3 days! Such a shame it can't be diluted for regular use on cats. I am dealing with coccidia in 2 adopted kittens right now...it's a royal PIA.

[opus88]

Oh I'm glad you are still with us, welcome back!
I've read the same thing about ponazuril, its really for horses and is used 'off label' for cats...so if the dosage is too strong it can cause stomach irritation.
definitely needs to be mixed by a Vet that is familiar with.
glad Puddied is doing well now.

[paintsflowers]

I am sorry for not being faithful in responding sooner. I haven't been keeping in touch. My experience with Ponazuril was just that one time so don't know the proper dosage. I am certain that the technician made the dose too strong for my Puddie which resulted in extreme internal irritation. Obviously, it works when administered correctly. It's been almost a year since he recovered and he is doing well. Good luck with your kitties. I will try and keep up with this forum

[opus88]

sorry I missed your post, you replied to a very old thread from last year, you its unlikely that 'painsflowers' will still be on the community to answer your question.
I hope others here can be of some help.
Is your kitty having loose diarrhea with a bad smell?...I'm not real familiar with coccidia, its a parasite right?

[jeri_cat]

I have cats & kittens with coccidia. I keep treating with Albon & they keep getting re-infected. My vet is unfamoiliar with Ponazuril, so if you can tell me what dosage you use on your cats & kittens, I will be very grateful. Thank you for your time.

[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.

[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.)

[handymom27]

can you please tell me how long it takes to work where the cat does not have loose stools any longer?   Thank you so much

[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.

[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.

[Thomas Dock, CVJ, 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.

[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.