Why is my 2-month husky's poop still soft and dark on metronidazole?

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!

Her maximum daily dosage for 18.5kg is 900mg per day. I would not be giving 400mg three times a day as it could cause neurologic effects. You could try a bland diet of cooked white rice and boiled chicken breast or talk to your vet about deworming or a hypoallergenic diet.

That depends on how soft it is and how frequently that is happening. For some dogs, their ‘normal’ is firm in the beginning of the stool and then softer (but still formed) at the end. If every thing else seems to be normal and you don’t see any problems with the whole stool being soft/loose and no liquid/unformed stool at the end, you may do nothing and just monitor for now. It may also be beneficial to take a photo of the questionable stool and post again so that we can see what you are seeing. I assume you have done all the parasite testing (including giardia) and routine deworming to rule out parasites? If I have a patient who is continuing to have a softer stool, I will often treat them with a 5 day course of Panacur just to be certain no parasites remain. I agree that if the metronidazole does not seem to be making a huge difference, I would probably shy away from that. If I suspect a bacteria cause to continued soft stool, I will often treat for 6 weeks with an antibiotic called Tylosin or I will treat for 10 days with a sulfa-type antibiotic. Lastly, a continued soft stool could also be related to food allergy. The diet you are feeding is excellent. It’s meant to break down easily and decrease the work load on the cells. This diet is very good for dogs who can’t handle the richness of most dog foods. It is not however formulated for dogs who have food allergies. That is a different immune process. Don’t be tempted to put him on a grain free diet. Most dogs who do have legitimate food allergies are not allergic to grains. Instead know for sure if it is a food allergy. The diet I recommend is made by Royal Canin and called hydrolyzed protein adult HP. Since Bentley is a boxer puppy, he is still growing. This diet is formulated to meet the requirements of growing puppies so it will both help with food allergy as well as support normal growth of his bones and soft tissue. You would conduct a food trial on him which will last for 12 weeks. The stool is normal at the end of 12 weeks, then you know it’s an allergy. I recommend to discuss any of these options with your veterinarian if the stool is still abnormal or if Bentley continues to get problems with a loose stool in general. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions!

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.

Hi and thanks for your question. If the diarrhea starts again after the metronidazole, it could any number of issues. If she was diagnosed with a parasite, like Giardia, or a bacteria, it could be she still has the parasite or bacterial present in her GI and will need another round of metronidazole. That is not totally uncommon. A viral infection may be another possibility as well as a food allergy or inflammatory bowel disease. I hope this helped!

Hi, If it is only diarrhea and otherwise Luna is active, no vomiting and eating, I would for now change the her food to a bland diet of boiled chicken breast and rice. It may be worth it to bring a few different samples of her faces so you can bring it with you to the vet appointment. But I suggest you wait with the antibiotics until you discuss it with the vet tomorrow.

I agree that this poop is quite a bright color yellow! This is not normally caused by metronidazole, so it's hard to say why it might be happening. Poop can sometimes be yellow or orange in color, and it may not mean anything in particular... so I wouldn't necessarily be concerned unless it stays this was for several days in a row, or she's having other symptoms of a problem. If she's still acting normal and this stool is improved vs. yesterday (which I'm assuming it is, since it definitely looks better than bloody diarrhea!) it should be okay to continue on her meds as prescribed by your vet, and monitor for the next few days. If her stool is not back to normal within the next 3-5 days, or if she develops other new symptoms in the meantime, then I would recommend having her rechecked by your veterinarian.