Kitten on metronidazole hasn't pooped in 48 hours. Is this normal?

You should not be worried yet, after several days of diarrhea, the intestines empty completely and it takes 2-4 days to start and having stools again, as long as he is otherwise back to normal that's the most important thing. Flagyl also tends to cause slight constipation, but again nothing to be worried about just yet.

This may not be unusual. Pets with diarrhea will often flush out the distal colon and it can take 2-3 days before the stool is present again in the colon. Make sure Figlio is eating well and acting normal. This is generally a good indication that he is recovering as expected. If he does not have a bowel movement after 3 days or if he seems to be feeling ill again, have him re-examined. Daily walks will help the bowels to move as well. Lastly, make sure he is drinking plenty of water. I hope this helps and that he continues to recover well.

Sometimes when they have diarrhea and haven't eaten as much it takes a few days to build up enough stool to have a proper bowel movement. If he is struggling or straining to poop then yes, I would be concerned. But if he is eating, drinking, not vomiting and acting normally, then I wouldn't be concerned. If he hasn't had a BM by tomorrow morning, I would have your vet take another look at him. I hope this helps!

I would not be overly worried about her not producing stools just yet. The metronidazole and the buprenorphine can both cause a decrease in gastric motility but moreso the buprenorphine. If she is still on the buprenorphine I would discontinue it unless you feel like she is still in a lot of pain. If she will eat it, you can offer her some canned pumpkin as that may help stimulate her GI tract. Pure canned pumpkin, not pie filling. About one teaspoon 2-3 times per day. I would also recommend you start her on a probiotic - one made for cats, not humans. I like this one but any one made for cats is fine. ( https://www.amazon.com/Purina-Veterinary-Fortiflora-Nutritional-Supplement/dp/B001650OE0 ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

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.

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!

A cat can go up to 48 hours without pooping, meaning anything past 48 hrs is a cause for concern, especially if you see your pet straining to defecate and nothing coming out. Ideally every pet should have a bowel movement daily, however there can be some slight variations here depending on the GI transit time and diet. I would monitor for signs of straining and also vomiting, lethargy or lack of appetite which means that kitty should be seen for constipation/obstipation. There are also medications and supplements available through your vet (i.e. Laxatone or Lactulose) that can help keep the GI track moving along if this becomes a chronic issue. Also fiber supplementation can be discussed with your vet.