My dog has giardia. Is Metronidazole safe for puppies? Best probiotic?

Yes, it is safe to give those medications together - and both are necessary if she has a bacterial cause of her cough in addition to a giardia infection. Medication is dosed according to weight, so the amount of medication she is receiving should be appropriate for her size. Hope this helps!

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.

Hello. I am sorry that Jagger has giardia. You should be able to get a prescription from your vet that diagnosed the giardia. In general Metronidazole (sometimes sold as 'Flagyl') is used to treat giardia. Of course, if you think your family has this then you will need to go to the doctor to get a stool sample done, and get medication from your family from your doctor. Other medications can work as well however Metronidazole is the most common 'go-to'. Best of luck with Jagger.

This is very difficult to assess fully but metronidazole is generally considered more likely to result inn stomach upsets. Probiotics are very helpful after a course of antibiotics but are less effective if given alongside. Your vet should be able to confirm the risks and benefits of stopping treatment early given possible side effects

Hi! I would say that it is likely ok. Sometimes it takes a bit longer to see results. If it is just soft and Snowball is otherwise fine, I would just give it a few days before getting concerned. Keep in mind that metronidazole is not always a curative medication for diarrhea but rather an antibiotic with anti-inflammatory properties that help with colitis. This means that it will not treat an underlying disease every time. Perhaps try a few days on a bland diet mostly composed of boiled chicken or turkey and rice. If no resolution within a few days, it may be appropriate to start her on a probiotic or try a different medication such as Tylosin. Best of luck with her!

I'm curious as to why your vet prescribed metronidazole to Loki. It can be excreted in breast milk and should not be prescribed to nursing mothers. It's also not safe for young puppies. I personally do not recommend giving it to her based on this, and I would withhold that medication until you can speak to your vet about it and its safety in nursing mothers. You can also take Loki into another vet for a second opinion. I hope this helps!

Some dogs that have an underlying disease like inflammatory bowel disease do need long term antibiotic use, but it is best to have a diagnosis before continuing medications long term for two reasons: one is that antibiotic usage can sometimes mask the underlying problem, and the other is that there can be effects on the gastrointestinal flora. There are many diseases that could cause chronic diarrhea including a food intolerance, pancreatitis, or inflammatory bowel disease as stated above. I would recommend talking to your veterinarian to see if other tests or treatments are recommended at this point to try to diagnose the problem - some additional tests might include a pancreatic lipase test, cobalamin/folate, abdominal ultrasound or even obtaining intestinal biopsy samples to try to determine what might be causing chronic diarrhea. You might also want to talk to your veterinarian about a hypoallergenic food trial.