Clinical efficacy and palatability of pradofloxacin 2.5% oral suspension for the treatment of bacterial lower urinary tract infections in cats

Background: Pradofloxacin is a 3rd generation veterinary fluoroquinolone designed to restrict the emergence of antimicrobial resistance during therapy. Hypothesis: Pradofloxacin 2.5% oral suspension is a safe, efficacious, and palatable treatment for bacterial urinary tract infections (UTI) in cats. Animals: Seventy-eight cats presented with lower urinary tract signs and were positive on bacterial culture of urine. Methods: Cats were allocated into 3 treatment groups depending on bacterial susceptibility results: pradofloxacin (n = 27), doxycycline (n = 23), or amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (n = 28). All antimicrobials were presented in palatable liquid form. Posttreatment urine specimens were collected after completion of the course of treatment and submitted for bacterial culture and sensitivity. Owners were questioned before and after treatment about their experiences with administering oral medication to their cats. Results: Posttreatment urine culture was negative in all cats in the pradofloxacin group, but there were 3 treatment failures in each of the other groups. Owners' perceptions of the difficulty of administering oral medication to their cats was more positive posttreatment than pretreatment (P =.001; P <.001). There was no difference in palatability among the treatment groups (P >.05). Conclusions and clinical importance: We conclude that pradofloxacin 2.5% oral suspension is a highly effective and safe antimicrobial treatment for bacterial lower urinary tract infection in cats, and that the palatable formulation optimizes owner compliance. These findings make pradofloxacin a useful addition to the veterinary formulary.