Parenterally administered vancomycin in 29 dogs and 7 cats (2003‐2017)

Abstract

BackgroundVancomycin is commonly used to treat resistant bacterial infections in people. Reported adverse effects of vancomycin in people include acute kidney injury (AKI), neutropenia, and systemic allergic reaction. Given the increased incidence of vancomycin‐resistant bacterial infections in people, support is growing for restriction of vancomycin.ObjectivesTo evaluate the use of intravenous (IV) vancomycin in a university teaching hospital and to describe potential adverse effects.AnimalsTwenty‐nine dogs and 7 cats.MethodsMedical records of dogs and cats treated with IV vancomycin at the Foster Hospital for Small Animals between January 2003 and October 2017 were reviewed. Information recorded included signalment, infection source, vancomycin dosing, potential adverse effects, and outcome.ResultsVancomycin was used to treat infections from a range of sources with a variety of dosing intervals. The most common bacterial isolates susceptible to vancomycin included Enterococcus sp. (11/36, 30.6%), methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (8/36, 22.2%), and methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (2/36, 5.6%). AKI occurred in 6 of 36 patients (16.7%) during vancomycin treatment but could not definitively be attributed to vancomycin treatment in any patients because of illness severity, additional nephrotoxic treatments, or both. Neutropenia or allergic reaction was not documented in any animal. In 2 of 36 patients (5.6%), susceptibility data documented an infection that was only susceptible to vancomycin. Most patients survived to discharge (25/36, 69.4%).Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceAdverse effects attributable to vancomycin were infrequent in dogs and cats. In most cases, there were potential alternative effective antimicrobials or lack of susceptibility data to support vancomycin treatment.

Antimicrobial Resistance in Bacteria Isolated From Canine Urine Samples Submitted to a Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Illinois, United States

“…Meanwhile, both rifampin and vancomycin were not included in the ISCAID guidelines for UTI treatment in dogs ( 20 ), as rifampin is known for its potentially hepatotoxic effect in dogs ( 41 ) and excreted in an inactive form in the urine ( 47 ). Meanwhile, vancomycin can cause kidney injury ( 48 , 49 ). More importantly, vancomycin is considered as the last resort option to treat Gram-positive bacterial infections in humans and animals ( 50 , 51 ).…”

Vancomycin‐Induced Kidney Injury: Animal Models of Toxicodynamics, Mechanisms of Injury, Human Translation, and Potential Strategies for Prevention

“…More recently, a retrospective study of 29 dogs treated by a veterinary clinic concluded that vancomycin was reasonably tolerated with an all‐cause AKI rate of 17% when given in clinical doses with therapeutic intent. The most common dose was 15 mg/kg intravenously every 6 hours, and all dogs received at least one additional antibiotic during the course of their therapy 52 …”

Rapid Colloidal Gold Immunoassay for Pharmacokinetic Evaluation of Vancomycin in the Cerebrospinal Fluid and Plasma of Beagle Dogs

“…Animal Dosing and Sample Collection: The choice of using beagle dogs for the pharmacokinetic studies of VAN in CSF and plasma is driven by their physiological similarities to humans, which make them a suitable model for predicting human pharmacokinetics [43][44][45]. Three male beagle dogs, each weighing approximately 11 kg and aged 10 months, were utilized for pharmacokinetic studies.…”