My pet's diarrhea got worse on Metronidazole. Should I stop?

Without seeing Z in person, I can't say what is the best course of treatment for him. I'd trust your vet's decision, but if you do have questions, you can always take him into another vet for a second opinion.

Hi and thank you for using PetCoach. I am sorry to hear that Beau is having diarrhea. Since, Beau has only been on metronidazole for one day, I would continue it as it may not have started to work yet. It typically takes 24-48 hours to see any changes. However, if Beau stops eating, is lethargic or has blood in his stool, I would reach out to your veterinarian again and let them know. Beau may need another physical exam or other medications. Here is an article on diarrhea in cats that may be helpful for you and Beau: https://www.petcoach.co/article/diarrhea-in-cats/ Good luck and I hope he feels better soon!

I am sorry Damian does not feel well. I would recommend recontacting the vet to let them know Damian feels worse. Typically metronidazole works with in 24-48 hours. Typically if he is having liquid diarrhea he is not constipated. I would make sure a fecal is negative for parasites like coccidia. He might need deworming for coccidia since he is you. I would feed him the new food and you can start with a small amount of pedialyte however if he is still not improving I recommend taking him back to a veterinarian for more testing like bloodwork.

Hello. I am so sorry for your concerns about Mia. I would not stop the Flagyl without talking to your veterinarian. In addition to its antibiotic properties, this medication can have some anti-inflammatory effect especially in the gut. She may also need some anti-nausea medication like Cerenia to keep her comfortable. Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I wouldn't be too hard on the vet in this case, because shelter vets are quite used to treating these cases and metronidazole kills most of the offenders for causing diarrhea. You are right to be concerned about dehydration and how quickly the treatment should work. In most cases the diarrhea will improve within a day of starting treatment. It may be 3-5 days before his stools are back to normal though. If the explosive diarrhea continues for longer than a day after starting treatment and/or the kitten seems to be very depressed/inactive, then it would be best to return him to the shelter. There are some cases that require hospitalization, but I can assure you that most are treated well at home with the prescribed protocol. For now, I recommend following the veterinarians directions and calling the vet tomorrow if he seems to not be getting any better, or seems to be getting worse. Below is a link to an article about diarrhea in cats that may be helpful. https://www.petcoach.co/article/most-common-causes-of-diarrhea-in-cats/ I hope that helps and the foster kitten gets better soon.

Sorry Jake is having problems. Metronidazole is often used to treat diarrhea in dogs. It is not common for metronidazole to cause vomiting. However, the underlying CAUSE of the diarrhea is usually some form of gastroenteritis which is inflammation of the stomach and intestine. Gastroenteritis often includes vomiting and can occur for many reasons including: bacterial imbalance, viral infections such as parvovirus (Jake is too old for this to be a concern) ingesting non-food items such as trash or mulch inflammatory bowel disease cancer in the GI tract intestinal parasites At higher doses, metronidazole can cause "grogginess" or an unsteady gait. If he is showing those signs, discontinue the metronidazole. Correct, I would hold off on Pepto, but Pepcid AC is fine. I hope I've answered your questions, and I apologize that we did not get to your question sooner. Please feel free to post again if you still have questions or concerns with Jake. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. Yes, metronidazole can cause diarrhea. If you are seeing diarrhea or vomiting while on this antibiotic I would recommend discontinuing the drug and contacting the prescribing veterinarian to discuss this further. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I would add in a probiotics such as Purina fortiflora as well.