# Profender side effects?



## Bigsize9foot (Sep 6, 2017)

Hi
Last night I treated both my cats with Profender. My female is fine but my male Archie (8 months) seems really unwell. I noticed first thing he was quite subdued. He ate his breakfast slowly but then went and hid under my bed and wouldn't let me touch him. I fetched him out and put him on the top of the bed. His third eyelid was partially out and he looked sore- was hunched up. He eventually curled up in a ball but his breathing looked quite quick and he had what I can only describe as a terrified look in his eyes- they were quite wide and he appeared very jumpy and he didn't want to be touched. Usually he is very friendly and affectionate and begging to go out but he wasn't interested.
Took him to the vet who did the usual tests- Temp fine (maybe slightly low), heart rate fine, didn't appear to be reactive to anything painful, gums and mouth fine. Chest fine. In short they couldn't find anything obviously wrong but they did agree they could see he wasn't quite right. The only thing I did notice is that my female doesn't have the same greasy patch where the Profender has been applied like Archie does and I'm wondering if hes licked it off her? I mentioned it to the vet -they don't think its connected to the Profender as he is eating. They gave him a painkiller and sent him home. 
Got him home and he took a few treats off me but still resisting contact. He did however jump up on the window sill as I was leaving for work. I've to monitor how he gets on. 
Does anyone else have any experience of this? I know him well enough to know when he's not well. 
Thanks
B


----------



## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hi,

These are some of the reported side effects to Profender:

" In a controlled, double-masked field safety study, cat owners administered PROFENDER Topical Solution to 606 cats. Adverse reactions reported by the cat owners included licking/excessive grooming in 18 cats (3.0%), scratching treatment site in 15 cats (2.5%), salivation in 10 cats (1.7%), lethargy in 10 cats (1.7%), alopecia in 8 cats (1.3%), agitation/nervousness in 7 cats (1.2%), vomiting in 6 cats (1.0%), diarrhoea in 3 cats (0.5%), eye irritation in 3 cats (0.5%), respiratory irritation in 1 cat (0.2%) and shaking/tremors in 1 cat (0.2%). All adverse reactions were self-limiting."

https://www.drugs.com/vet/profender-emodepside-praziquantel-topical-solution.html

Although the percentage of bad reactions is low in the study it is possible your cat could have reacted to either of the active ingredients (emodepside and praziquantel) Especially if he licked some off your other cat.

I use Milbemax wormer for my cats which contains praziquantel/milbemycin, but not emodepside. It is a tiny tablet which can be hidden inside a pill pocket or Easy Pill cat putty and given orally. Or crushed and hidden in food. Could you maybe switch to this next time you need to give a wormer?

I hope Archie recovers soon.


----------



## Bigsize9foot (Sep 6, 2017)

Hi chillminx,

I had read this list online. It might involve some of that. He's not picked up from the painkiller so he's back again to the vet tomorrow. Unfortunately because it's classed as an emergency I can't see my own usual vet who knows my kittens well. I'm quite worried as he's so not himself :-(

B 


chillminx said:


> Hi,
> 
> These are some of the reported side effects to Profender:
> 
> ...


----------



## Bigsize9foot (Sep 6, 2017)

Archie is in a critical condition. We are devestated. He developed respiratory distress very rapidly. Vet doesn’t know why. He is too unwell for any investigations. He has not responded a well as expected to an oxygen tent and an injection to help clear his lungs. He is about to have a chest drain put in. We won’t know more until the morning. He is only 8 months old. I will never forgive myself if it’s been caused by the profended. I see similar horror stories online before I stopped reading.


----------



## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)

Oh lor... you poor love. Fingers crossed he picks up overnight.


----------



## SbanR (Jun 16, 2017)

I'm very sorry Archie is so ill. Thinking of you both n sending lots of pf vibes


----------



## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

@Bigsize9foot: I am so sorry to hear this; you must feel absolutely awful. Archie is clearly very ill, and I hope he will soon recover. Does the vet not suspect this is connected to the Profender?


----------



## SpringDance (Mar 18, 2016)




----------



## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

I'm so sorry to read this 
Topping up the PF vibes for Archie, fingers crossed he is better today xx


----------



## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

I hope the little guy is OK; I had him in mind as soon as I got up.


----------



## Bigsize9foot (Sep 6, 2017)

The vet called this morning to say that Archie's breathing rate has started to slow down and he is a bit perkier. He was trying to say hello at the cage door. This is good news. The bad news is that the vet now suspects something going on with Archie's heart as he can hear more clearly now the fluid has been removed. He was meeting with the other vets this morning to decide whether to start tests or to give him longer to recover. I am hoping to hear more this afternoon. 
Who knows if it is connected to the Profender. I guess I will never know. However Archie is a cat that has had issues since we got him- as is his sibling Luna but Archie is definitely the weaker one. Only the other day my husband and I were talking about how much more he sleeps than Luna. Not sure if this is a co-incidence. 
Thank you for all your thoughts. Such a devastating time. x


----------



## SbanR (Jun 16, 2017)

Thank you for the update. Holding you both in my thoughts


----------



## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)

Fingers crossed for him.


----------



## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

Glad to hear that there is an improvement in Archie's condition; it must be a relief for you.


----------



## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

I am very pleased to hear Archie has perked up.  Sending many good wishes for his continued improvement, bless him.


----------



## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

Bigsize9foot said:


> I guess I will never know.


No, I don't suppose you will; but my guess is that you will never use it again. One of mine had an immediate dreadful reaction to a flea treatment (Stronghold) and I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole now; not on the cat involved and not on the others. The vet advised me to write to the manufacturers (tho' she herself didn't do); I was fobbed off with an evasive reply.
I hope Archie's condition continues to improve!


----------



## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Calvine said:


> No, I don't suppose you will; but my guess is that you will never use it again. One of mine had an immediate dreadful reaction to a flea treatment (Stronghold) and I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole now; not on the cat involved and not on the others. The vet advised me to write to the manufacturers (tho' she herself didn't do); I was fobbed off with an evasive reply.
> I hope Archie's condition continues to improve!


An adverse reaction to any veterinary medicine should always be reported to the Veterinary Medicine Directorate (VMD) - government department. Usually the vet does the reporting if it is prescribed medicine (as Stronghold is). If not you can download a form online and do it yourself.

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/veterinary-medicines-directorate


----------



## Bigsize9foot (Sep 6, 2017)

Positive update. Archie continues to improve. X Ray shows no fluid round his lungs now. Heart looks ok. Still a bit of fluid left on lungs. They’re sending him home with medication and will re x-Ray him in a week. I’m so relieved but also cautious and hoping it doesn’t return. In my heart I wasn’t sure he’d get back home- the vet and I both had doubts he’d make it through the night. Vet says sometimes this just spontaneously happens?? Im not convinced about that. 
You are right- I will never use profender again. And thank you chill minx- I will report this. I’m also wondering if it’s possible he has eaten something outside. I took a very large mouse like thing off him the other day and he vomited up what appeared to be a sausage shaped furry thing- thought initially was a hair ball now think it was an animal of some kind. Big thing for a small cat to vomit up. I will keep him in all this week until his next x Ray. He’s such an outdoor boy he will hate that but I need to keep
Him safe. 
❤Archie❤
Thank you for all your kind words- such a comfort at a really horrific time xx


----------



## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)

That is so good to hear that he's improving.


----------



## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

Phew so glad to read to the end and hear Archie is doing well. xx


----------



## SbanR (Jun 16, 2017)

Wonderful news


----------



## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

You must be so relieved. What great news!!:Cat


----------



## Bigsize9foot (Sep 6, 2017)

He is home  very weak and sleepy and clearly still poorly. He’s a bit raspy still but so delighted to see us and vice versa. He’s sleeping in his bed now. Hoping tomorrow brings more improvement. X


----------



## Polly G (Apr 30, 2013)

So pleased that Archie is home with you. I hope he continues to improve xx


----------



## Bigsize9foot (Sep 6, 2017)

Mixed overnight bag. Archie is brighter. Washing himself. But seems subdued. He asks for food then easy very slowly and doesn’t finish it. He is doing a weird kind of gulping as though something is stuck in his throat. I’m not sure how far the x Ray would have reached or If it would have shown if it was something like that. At times he seems quite purry and looking for fuss. Others he doesn’t want me to touch him. He’s not interacting with his sister of playing. I just feel like something has been missed. If it wasn’t the weekend I’d take him back :-(


----------



## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)

Did they intubate him at the vets? It may be he has a sore throat because of the tube.


----------



## Bigsize9foot (Sep 6, 2017)

Well we are currently at the small animal hospital at university of Glasgow. Archie has suspected heart failure. They are very thorough here so I am glad he is here. My vet says we throw whatever we can at him to give him the best possible chance. I think he sees a specialist cardiologist on Monday. They’re keeping him here till then to keep him stable as he went down so quickly before. Thankfully we have insurance that allows us to do this for Archie xx


----------



## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)

Ah no! Let us know how it goes and lots and lots of virtual hugs for you.


----------



## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

Sorry to hear this, but glad you're getting the best possible care for him. I wish him well, poor little guy.


----------



## LJC675 (Apr 24, 2017)

OH that's rubbish, lots of best wishes to the poor little man. Hugs to you


----------



## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

Oh no, not good news. So sorry 
He is in the best place as said, fingers crossed for a quick improvement xx


----------



## Bigsize9foot (Sep 6, 2017)

Devastating news for Archie. He has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. He is in congestive heart failure. They are trying to stabilise him over the weekend. He is doing ok so far. Then the cardiology specialist will rescan him Monday. We’ve been given a guarded prognosis. Not really sure what that means but it doesn’t sound good. 
At least I know it was nothing to do with the profender. 
The best we can hope for us some extension to his life. I asked the vet directly if it was the right thing to do. She said yes but to discuss it with the cardiologist although she also thought she’d say yes. 
Thank you for all your support. Not really the news we wanted for our beautiful boy. Xx


----------



## ChaosCat (Dec 7, 2017)

Oh no! So sorry for Archie and you! Keep my fingers crossed for Monday and hope the cardiologist will be able to give some support.


----------



## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

I am so sorry to hear this news about Archie, bless him. I do hope he can be stabilised and come home to you soon. 

Thinking of you and sending many good vibes to Archie. x


----------



## Rascalsmom (Sep 6, 2018)

BigSize9foot: Thank you for posting this. I wouldn't be sure that Profender did not cause the heart failure, or at least contribute to it. After reading this, and all of the side effects on the Vet's Database page, I'm not using this on my cat. In Rascal's case, he doesn't even have a confirmed case of worms. There is just nothing else to explain his weight loss and behavior changes in his 15th year of life. He does not tolerate any medications at all, so there is no way in hell I will administer this, especially without confirmation of a parasite. I'm so sorry about your Archie but again, thank you for posting your experience.


----------



## Sacrechat (Feb 27, 2011)

I've only just seen this. I'm so sorry about Archie's diagnosis. I've lost two cats to ARVC, another type of Cardiomyopathy, and I have had three cats with HCM, two still living and one who died but not from HCM. It's heartbreaking.

@Rascalsmom Cardiomyopathy is a genetic condition and cannot be caused by Profender. A cardiologist knows the difference.


----------



## Rascalsmom (Sep 6, 2018)

@Rascalsmom Cardiomyopathy is a genetic condition and cannot be caused by Profender. A cardiologist knows the difference.[/QUOT

Actually, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can develop in a previously normal heart, usually over time, due to high blood pressure, aging, drugs, etc. However, after researching Profender and its adverse events myself, I will not administer this to my cat. Just because a vet, or even Bayer, claims there is no correlation to cardiomyopathy or heart failure, does not make it fact. I would never put my trust in such few sources. The well-being of my cat is simply not worth it.


----------



## Sacrechat (Feb 27, 2011)

Rascalsmom said:


> @Rascalsmom Cardiomyopathy is a genetic condition and cannot be caused by Profender. A cardiologist knows the difference.[/QUOT
> 
> Actually, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can develop in a previously normal heart, usually over time, due to high blood pressure, aging, drugs, etc. However, after researching Profender and its adverse events myself, I will not administer this to my cat. Just because a vet, or even Bayer, claims there is no correlation to cardiomyopathy or heart failure, does not make it fact. I would never put my trust in such few sources. The well-being of my cat is simply not worth it.


Yes, Cardiomyopathy can develop over time; I've seen it happen in all five of my cats. It is still a genetic condition. Whether or not you use profender is up to you. I'm not saying you should or that you shouldn't.


----------



## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

I would very much like to hear back from @Bigsize9foot (who originally started this thread back in January) and know how Archie is now doing. It was a very worrying time for her.


----------



## Tigermoon (Apr 2, 2013)

@Rascalsmom did you join the forum just to resurrect an old thread so you could post your opinion as fact?



Calvine said:


> I would very much like to hear back from @Bigsize9foot and know how Archie is now doing.


Sadly they've not been active on the forum for a while now.


----------



## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

Tigermoon said:


> Sadly they've not been active on the forum for a while now.


Very strange, as OP received many replies and good wishes. Not the first time this has happened - I hope he's OK.


----------

