Clinacin/antibiotic

[mita]

Does anyone know anything about Clinacin? Or used it with their dog?

Few weeks back, vet prescribed Clinacin for Gracie to see if it would help with persistent anal gland problems.

Vet said a side effect could be tummy upsets.

When Gracie got through 3/4 of the course, she lost her appetite (which had always been huge). So I figured this might be the tummy upset side effect. And asked vet if I should stop the pills. Said yes & I did.

But the loss of appetite persisted over the next few weeks. I kept trying al sorts of things to tempt her to eat an average meal. I mentioned to the vet the persisting lack of appetite only week or so ago when buying new supplies.

Late last night, Gracie threw up a couple of times & seemed uncomfortable. I decided I'd take her to the vet first thing in morning. But I stayed mainly awake with light on to monitor her.

At 2.30 am, she looked at me & gave 2 yelp/barks as if trying to tell me 'This is serious.' I flew into my clothes & grabbed my purse & keys to take her to the 24 hour emergency vet. She walked out ahead of me....only a little unstready...& lay down on the big doggie bed on the deck. I put my bag in the car, came racing back to hold her paw & tell her she'll soon get vet help.....when she gently breathed her last breath & died. I'm still stunned.

I looked up Clinacin on manufacturer's website. And it said loss of appetite was among the 'bad' signs....which could persist even after stopping the meds (ljust like Gracie). It also said 'Do not use in cases of known hypersenstivity to clendamycin.'

So I looked up clendamycin to find out what it would do if the dog were sensitive to it. And it said, 'Can cause an infection of the colon, that can be dangerous & sometimes life-threatening.'

It could of course be something that happened along with this medication. But Gracie showed no signs of loss of appetite ever before....only after talking Clinacin. She never had any other signs of bad health. Only skin allergies & anal glands needed managing.

There's always coincidence....I'll never know for sure.

Edited September 26, 2007 by mita

[daccies]

God what a shock. So sorry to hear this.

[mita]

Thank you, daccies. I'm so desperate that I might have let beautiful little Gracie down. I had no idea that loss of appetite after taking this medication could be such a sinister sign. And I didn't know that some dogs might be specially sensitive to it. I would have moved heaven & earth to get the loss of appetite looked into. I'm so, so sorry.

[SueM]

Oh no sorry for your loss

[Poodle wrangler]

I'm so sorry .

It really sounds as though what you did was reasonable under the circumstances. I think I'd have done the same.

It's easy to say what you should have done after the fact, but how were you to know the outcome beforehand?

This occurred weeks after you ceased the antibiotic? Severe side effects like you describe aren't common.

What did the vet think it was?

Could it have been something else?

Was an autopsy done?

[mita]

The loss of appetite started when she was 3/4 way through the Clinacin. I asked the vet could that be the tummy upsets she'd warned could happen. She said yes...stop the pills.

But stopping the piils didn't change the appetite loss....it kept going on over the next couple of weeks...& I mentioned it to the vet. I was trying all sorts of things to tempt her back to eat a full meal.

Gracie had no other symptoms....only this appetite loss. She had some skin allergy (under control....without cortisone) & discomfort in anal glands. Basically a healthy girl.

While back, a specialist vet put her under an anaesthetic to check if the anal glands had a tumour or cancer connection. They didn't. Also checked for mammary tumours & removed a benign one.

The Clinacin manufacturer's website specially refers to loss of appetite side -effect that can go on & on, even after stopping pills (like Gracie).

And it says some dogs are specially sensitive in that a life-threatening colon problem can develop. Warns that dogs with this kind of sensitivity should not take Clinacin.

No autopsy. We were so devastated when Gracie died that we didn't connect the death with those meds.

Only later this morning, I tracked the Clinacin website....& was horrified to see they specifically mention that persisting loss of appetite can be a sinister sign. .

I should have read that website when Gracie was first prescribed Clinacin. I should have thought that some people are allergic to certain antibiotics.... that could be so for dogs.

[Poodle wrangler]

Same problem can happen in humans, but is very uncommon. In humans it's usually seen only in people who are on longer term antibiotics.

Did the vet think the antibiotic was to blame for her death?

[BlitznBear]

Im really sorry about your loss, I wish all vets would fully inform their clients of all possible side effects, symptoms and dangers prior to prescribing medications, you did everything you could under the circumstances, and am sorry you wernt informed or advised earlier.

[mita]

PW, the vet said she'd guess cancer. But Gracie had been specialist- checked for that, re her anal glands. Apparently, female dogs can get cancers there that spread.

BB, I'll be looking up meds manufacturer's websites myself in the future.

If I'd had the slightest idea that the persisting lack of appetite could be sinister.....I'd have moved heaven & earth to get it further investigated....whether it led back to the medication, or turned out to be something else that was just starting to show at the same time.

[Poodle wrangler]

Dear Mita, Don't blame yourself! It's just very sad that this has happened and it's still unclear what caused her death.

Never hurts to look things up, but loss of appetite is so non-specific, you did tell the vet, they obviously didn't consider it to be serious.

It's just very sad .

[mita]

Thank you, poodle wrangler.

The wish is always strong, isn't it....if only we could wind back the tape.

[Tassie]

Mita, I'm so sorry for your loss - a horrible thing to happen. But as the others have said, do not beat yourself up. Even if it was some adverse effect from the a/b, you still didn't let your girl down. You were doing the best for your girl to help her be comfortable and well - can't ask more than that. And you're honouring her memory by putting this heads-up on DOL - gives the rest of us a chance to maybe avoid a similar outcome.

I do know how you're feeling. I lost my previous BC boy to auto-immune haemolytic anaemia. It was acute and he went from apparently fit and well to being dead inside five days - but ... about a year before he'd had a blood test checking for infection. It had shown borderline anaemic - but not so much that the vet thought it needed following up. Who knows - maybe it had to do with what developed later - maybe not. Maybe we could have done something about it - maybe not. It's tough. But you make the best call you can at the time.

Take care of youself - and thanks for sharing your tough experience.

[cavNrott]

Mita I am so sorry for your loss of Gracie.

R.I.P. Gracie.

[mita]

Mita, I'm so sorry for your loss - a horrible thing to happen. But as the others have said, do not beat yourself up. Even if it was some adverse effect from the a/b, you still didn't let your girl down. You were doing the best for your girl to help her be comfortable and well - can't ask more than that. And you're honouring her memory by putting this heads-up on DOL - gives the rest of us a chance to maybe avoid a similar outcome.

I do know how you're feeling. I lost my previous BC boy to auto-immune haemolytic anaemia. It was acute and he went from apparently fit and well to being dead inside five days - but ... about a year before he'd had a blood test checking for infection. It had shown borderline anaemic - but not so much that the vet thought it needed following up. Who knows - maybe it had to do with what developed later - maybe not. Maybe we could have done something about it - maybe not. It's tough. But you make the best call you can at the time.

Take care of youself - and thanks for sharing your tough experience.

Thank you, Tassie. You didn't intend it....but you've just comforted our neighbours who've been in here for dinner tonight.

Their Tibetan Spaniel died last January from the same condition your BC had. Came out of the blue....but, with hindsight, they say there were prior signs that could have pointed to it...if only they'd known what they meant.

I agree with you....best we can do is give heads up here on DOL.

Even if it's just knowing more about conditions.....or knowing what might be hugely important. All the time I was trying to tempt Gracie with tasty food.....there should have been alarm bells going off at the loss of appetite continuing.

[Rappie]

Mita, I am very sorry to hear what you've been through

It is very hard to say what really happened but you were doing your best for her the whole way through. It may be that there was another problem that was not related to the clindamycin and loss of appetite is a very nonspecific sign, so please don't think that you have failed her in any way. Major side effects in dogs and cats are uncommon, they are seen more in people and herbivores, and when seen it is a very serious fatal necrotising diarrhoea due to Clostridia proliferation. The class of drugs can cause vomiting and nausea (and loss of appetite) but these are not due to the same mechanisms as the diarrhoea.

Again, I'm very sorry for you loss.

[mita]

Thank you for that info, Rappie.

Bless DOL for existing at times like this. There's such wonderful support from people who know how heartbreaking it is to lose a loved pet, too sudden & too soon.

And the more we share information & experiences, the more we can understand better & make better decisions.

[mita]

Updating. I went to a vet I used to take our pets to when I had to travel a distance to work at the uni.

Ran the details past.

This vet said....it would be about risk management.

Clinacin contains clindamycin which can cause life-threating effects in dogs hypersensitive to it.

Gracie had a history of hypersensitivity tendency....even to the internal suture material when desexed.

Need to weigh up risks of giving it to her... for a condition which in itself was not life-threatening.

If prescribed at all, then this risk would require monitoring for any side effects which include loss of appetite. (I reported that this happened.)

Further monitoring would then be required to check if the appetite loss continued after ceasing to give the pills.

That could indicate a high risk situation...because a reaction to clindamycin can be life threatening via development of colon problems.

Immediate investigation then necessary to check if adverse reaction happening....or some coincidental condition.

Even tho' I reported the continuing loss of appetite.... no investigation.

Gracie's last hours showed gastro-intestinal disturbance....vomiting & discomfort.

To say I'm not happy is an understatement. But our loved Gracie, the best of all dogs in all ways, is gone.

I can only urge people to look up drug manufacturers' websites to get full information themselves. And not rely only on information the vet gives.

If I had done that....I would have realized for myself what might be happening for Gracie. I would have learned about the composition of this drug & the processing in the dog's body. I would have moved heaven & earth for an investigation into the continuing loss of appetite.

And get a second opinion, if necessary.

Edited October 1, 2007 by mita