Onyx is blind ??

[sirrahbed]

oh NO!!! I would certainly contact the manufacturer - Bayer. The vet may not have been informed about this side effect - but OH MY GOSH I hope he is well aware now. I am so sorry!!

FDA link about Baytril and feline blindness

edit: Please direct any questions about Baytril or any of the Bayer products to Bayer Veterinary Services, 800-422-9874

[Craftlady]

Bayer HealthCare, LLC
Animal Health Division
P.O. Box 390
Shawnee Mission, KS 66201

Or call Bayer Customer Service at 1-800-633-3796

[momcat]

Oh no! Prayers being prayed for Onyx.....

[lvpets2002]

Oh you poor baby Onyx & I am so sad for you & hope the eye doct. can be of help.. Now in my case my past vet gave my dog to much of high dosages of med for her thyroid prob & now she is 3/4 blind in both eyes & yes I was & told the vet all about it & now use diff vet.

[catmandu]

YOU,WILL HAVE TO BE CAREFUL,THE WAY,THAT YOU APPROACH OYNX,UNTIL SHE,IS SETTLED.
THE THING,ABOUT THE FOUND CATS,IS THAT THEY SEEMED,TO RECOGNIZE THAT PRINCESS,HAD A HANDICAP,AND ARE VERY CAREFUL,WITH HER,EVEN PRECIOUS,WHO USED,TO CHASE,THE PRINCESS AROUND.
AND SCRAPPY 2,AND THE PRINCESS,ARE FRIENDS,NOW,THAT SCRAPPY 2,IS MATURING.
GOOD LUCK,WITH ONYX,AND PLEASE KEEP US,IN TOUCH.

[AlleyCat]

I will keep you all updated. I've been making sure she finds her water and food and litterbox. We moved to a new house last month and I'm grateful it has already been a month so she knows her surroundings as she seems to be making her way around pretty well. Just a little disoriented. I will be seeing the vet tomorrow and will let you know what happens.

[NoahsMommy]

Oh honey, I'm so sorry.

When I worked at the vet, they typically prescribed Baytril for the rabbits, birds and rodents, not kitties. But I never knew why.

Gosh, this has to be horrible for you. And our poor Onyx.

((((hugs))))) to you both. I'll be praying the opthomologist can offer some answers and a reversal for Onyx.

Take care,
Kelly

[furrykidsmother]

OMG!!! How horrible!! I am hoping and praying that Onyx will be all right! I too had to give a course of it to Gidget after her surgery and 2 rounds of Clavamox! Fortunately, she suffered no ill effects, but that is terrible!! We were not warned of any side effect either.

[smokey the elder]

The info in the Dear Doctor letter suggests that the blindness may be reversible, is VERY rare and dose-dependent. Was Onyx on a very high dose? It also suggests that Baytril should not be prescribed for more than one month. Did the cat have injected meds? As of 2000 these were not approved for cats.

[Randi]

How is Onyx doing today? I feel so sad about her.

I think (as someone else suggested) you should write a letter to Baytril and tell them about this! Things like this happening should be written loud and clear on the packet - and all vets ought to know it too!

[AlleyCat]

Originally posted by smokey the elder
The info in the Dear Doctor letter suggests that the blindness may be reversible, is VERY rare and dose-dependent. Was Onyx on a very high dose? It also suggests that Baytril should not be prescribed for more than one month. Did the cat have injected meds? As of 2000 these were not approved for cats.

She was only on it for 5 days. And depending on how you interpret the letter, she was on a rather high dose. Not more than what they suggested, but pretty much the maximum. I think she should've had a lower dose, but I didn't know to question that when I picked that up. Depending on the outcome of her vet visit today I probably will send off a letter, especially since she was only on it 5 days.

[AlleyCat]

We're back from the vet. The opthamalogist confirmed that she is at least partially blind. Vague shapes is about all Onyx is seeing, he thinks. Given that the onset was so quick -- only 5 days of meds -- it happened so fast that he thinks this will be permanent. If it were a gradual loss of vision then possibly it could be reversed to some degree, but he doesn't think that's going to happen to Onyx in her case.

My heart breaks for all the squirrels and birds she will never see again, for all the toys she won't play with anymore. We'll have to make adjustments with the litterbox and food and get her more "noisy" toys that she will play with, hopefully. She's only 12 and her bloodwork is very good so I have no reason to think she can't go on for a long time.

I just feel awful that this could have been prevented had we known about the potential side effects. I would have had to weigh bladder infections + urine accidents (she can't tolerate amoxicillin products - she vomits violently) to the potential side effect of blindness in Baytril, and it's hard to know now AFTER the fact, but I would like to think had I known and weighed this, I probably would've opted not to use the Baytril and look for another solution.

Thanks for all your posts and prayers for Onyx. She's truly a sweet cat and we love her, no matter what!

[furrykidsmother]

I am so sorry to hear this and so very angry that they didn't tell you about possible side effects. I've been thinking about it since last night when I read your post. It is so upsetting. Poor Onyx! As we know there are many special needs kitties and doggies on this site and they all do well, but it is unfortunate that this happened due to a vets lack of giving you information and allowing you to make a decision. I gave the same to my Gidget not knowing that there were side effects and we were lucky, but how many like your Onyx are not!! My heart goes out to you and her. Good thoughts and prayers that she will adjust quickly!

[kittycats_delight]

I am soooo sorry !!! I hope the specialist is wrong and that Onyx shocks em all and gets sight back. It breaks my heart knowing that this is something that never should have happened. I asssure you now my cats will never use Baytril. It doesn't matter if it is a 1/1,000,000 chance we need to be informed about these side effects. I know though that no matter what Onyx will have a happy and comfortable life, you will see to that. And I am sure before long the old Onyx will become her old self again even with impaired vision. Poor baby. Lots of extra cuddles for Onyx from me and the girls

(((((HUGS))))

Michelle & the girls

[Glacier]

i'm sorry to hear this.

I have a completely blind dog. Preacher has progressive retinal atrophy. He's been completely blind for over a year now. You'd never know unless I point it out. He gets around just fine. I can't rearrange my furniture, but that's about it. Preacher finds his way around using his ears and whiskers. He plays with squeaky toys occasionally (he's an older dog so he doesn't play much). I keep his food and water dishes in the same spots. It's fairly remarkable to watch. I was much more upset about him loosing his sight than Preacher was. He just kept going. I bet Onyx will adjust too. I've heard that cats adjust even better than dogs since their whiskers are more sensitive and provide more guidance. I hope Onyx makes a smooth adjustment.