Pfizer Animal Health has announced the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Convenia (cefovecin sodium), the first and only antibiotic for dogs and cats available in a single veterinarian-administered injectable dose.

Convenia provides up to 14 days of antibiotic treatment in a single dose for the most common skin infections in dogs and cats - the No. 1 reason pets are prescribed antibiotics.

By relieving pet owners of the often impractical responsibility of giving pills to their pets several times a day for weeks at a time, Convenia ensures the antibiotic course of treatment is completed on time, giving the pet the best chance for treatment success.

"We understand how difficult it can be for owners to give their pets the right pills at the right time. With career and family responsibilities, many people simply aren't around at appropriate intervals once, twice or even more times a day despite their best intentions," said George Fennell, vice president, Companion Animal Division, Pfizer Animal Health. "With Convenia, the pet gets the dose it needs right in the veterinarian's office - so owners don't have to worry about when and how to give pills to their pets."

The third in a string of new companion animal products in 15 months - following the approvals of the first canine obesity medication and the first veterinary drug to control vomiting in dogs, both in early 2007 - Convenia represents yet another first from Pfizer Animal Health. Convenia is now available at veterinary practices nationwide.

Antibiotics currently in use for dogs and cats, while generally effective, can be challenging for owners to give due to the need for daily or twice daily oral doses over several weeks. Besides busy lifestyles that often don't allow owners to be physically present to give their pets oral medications at the right times, owners often forget to give pills and they prematurely end therapy when their pets start to look or act better.

Some pet owners report that pets resist "pilling" or other orally administered medications. Research shows that 30 percent of dog owners have trouble pilling their dogs, while cat owners rank pilling as one of the most stressful activities involved with caring for their cats.

When doses are not given on time or when they are missed or stopped prematurely, pets do not receive optimal treatment and risk treatment failure, deterioration of health, and additional veterinary visits. Veterinarians report that non-compliance is the major cause of treatment failures and/or relapses in antibiotic therapy.3

"The approval of Convenia, the first in its class, marks a significant milestone in the effective administration of antibiotics for companion animals," said Amy Trettien, DVM, Pfizer Animal Health. "For the first time, we may be able to see what 100 per cent antibiotic compliance looks like."