My dog's eye looks blind after Parvo & Metronidazole. Side effect?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Lucky is not acting himself and may be having a hard time balancing. These types of signs, called vestibular signs, can be a side effect of Metronidazole toxicity, however the signs tend to occur while a dog is taking the medication, and signs tend to resolve within a few days of stopping the medication. There are many causes of vestibular signs, such as a stroke, a mass within the brain, or something like a severe middle/inner ear infection. I recommend having Lucky seen by your veterinarian at their next available appointment for a physical exam and a neurologic exam. Based on these findings, your vet can try to localize the problem. Ultimately, they may recommend an MRI to determine the cause of Lucky's clinical signs. I hope this is helpful - best of luck getting care for Lucky!

Not typically. Metronidazole does not have any listed side effects like that. Some common side effects are: Nausea or vomiting. Diarrhea. Drooling. Gagging or regurgitation. Loss of appetite. Lethargy or fatigue. Blood or darkening of urine. Fever. So, If the stools are very dark brown that is not really a problem, but black, that is serious and you should call your vet. Black typically means there is bleeding somewhere in the GI tract. If he is straining to defecate he may be constipated but straining can also be from diarrhea (if the stools are very soft/watery). I really don't have quite enough information to be helpful so I think it is probably best if you call your vet. If you want to do a one on one consultation with one our vets where we can chat back and forth then we may be able to help you better.

Since parvovirus causes damage to the intestines and therefore wnables intestinal bacteria to enter the blood stream , your puppy needs to be treated with antibiotics that cover a variety of bacteria (gram positive and gram negative). Metronidazole kills those bacteria and also seems to have a positive effect on the immune system, so it is the antibiotic of choice in parvovirus infections. We always weigh up the advantages (treating the infection) vs the disadvantages (side effects) when prescribing medications, so in this case the advantages outweigh the side effects and Metronidazole is indicated. Your puppy should aslo receive fluids and pain medication. You should also try to feed it very small amounts of wet food very often in order to keep its intestines working. It is usually best to hospitalize the puppy for a few days.

Unfortunately no, it may not be enough to be effective. I'm quite concerned that Kaia is having neurological symptoms and that is a medical emergency. This is not something you should see how she does at home or try to treat at home, this requires a vet visit right away. I strongly urge you to take her into a vet immediately to get checked out. Best of luck.

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!

Blindness in one eye would be very unlikely as a direct result of parvo (indeed if the developing eye was affected then both eyes would be expected to be attacked by the virus). There are many possible causes of blindness and severe infection or inflammation of any sort can occasionally cause inflammation and damage to the back of the eye. There are many other possible causes and I would recommend assessment by an ophthalmologist to determine the underlying cause and if any preventive measures should be taken to preserve sight in the other eye

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.