Little Miss Sniffles Tries Convenia

Tula’s daughter has a sinus infection.

This is likely a result of her snuffling milk up her nose while nursing, which sometimes happens in French Bulldog puppies. I’ve never noticed a correlation between milk snorters and breathing issues in later life – it just seems that some pups nurse vigorously enough to snort milk up their noses in the process. Maybe her brother made her giggle – Lord knows I laughed enough milk up my nose as a kid.

The first day, it was barely noticeable – just a little milk around her one nostril. Within a day, I had to suction that nostril out – and MAN! You just would not believe how much goo can come out of the nose of a nine day old puppy.

By two days ago, her nose was congested on both sides, and by yesterday morning we knew it was time for some antibiotics. She was obviously uncomfortable, and having a hard time breathing with her mouth closed.

The vet examined her, and suggested a new form of antibiotic treatment – a single shot of Convenia® . Dr. Khuly over on Dolittler already blogged about the wonders of Convenia, and how it might revolutionize antibiotic treatment in pets, so I was interested to hear my veterinarian offer it as an option.

Convenia is given as an intramuscular injection, rather than orally. As the Pfizer site says, it “provides an assured course of treatment by providing up to 14 days of treatment in a single injection”.

According to our veterinarian, the advantages of using Convenia on a small puppy are –

* since it’s given as an injection, there’s no risk of aspiration (a special concern in a puppy already suffering from aspiration induced illness)

* again, since it’s given as an injection, rather than orally, Convenia avoids some of the digestive issues associated with oral antibiotic use. This is important, when we’re already dealing with a puppy suffering some weight loss as a result of nursing problems.

Convenia is a Cephalosporin antibiotic, and the Pfizer site states it is for use in for use in dogs suffering “Secondary superficial pyoderma, abscesses, and wounds”.

This would tend to make me, as a layperson, assume it’s intended for dogs suffering from surface infections, not internal ones. I’m not sure where a sinus infection falls under that classification. I do, however, know of several other breeders who have had Convenia prescribed for similar infections, so I’m hopeful that this treatment will work.

While we’re waiting for the Convenia to kick in, we’re aiding in her comfort by suctioning mucus out of her nose with a small, bulb type syringe. We then wipe her nostrils clean with a cotton pad soaked in nasal saline solution. We then help her to find a nipple, latch on, and get in a good, long nursing session. And yes, it’s labor intensive, thanks for asking. No one ever said dog breeding was easy – well, maybe someone did, but they’re idiots.

I’ll report back on Little Miss Sniffles progress, either way.