Metronidazole dosing?

bluerexbear · Jan 19, 2011

My vet gave all my cats the metronidazole for giardia. However, he gave them all 1ml only 1 time a day. Is this right??? My dog once had a bloody stool and my vet treated for giardia as a precaution and his med was twice a day. Is this normal or should I call the vet? Maybe he is under dosing the cats? The babies weigh about 6-7 pounds. Blue is more like 9-10 pounds. They are all on the same dose.

carolina · Jan 19, 2011

Oh my, he gave you liquid? Yucks! Good luck giving that to them! Metronidazole is just about the most horrible tasting medicine ever!

If I were you, I would go back there and get pills/tablets - your kitties will foam and spit this so badly there is no way you will get it all in IMHO. And it is SO bitter, forget about compounding with anything... really... It is that bad. Try it - put a little on your tongue and you will see what I am talking about

I never had single doses of Metro to be honest, I always had it 2x a day, and I had a LOT. But, that is not to say it can not be done... I am not sure how much he put in this 1ml... As I said, I never had it liquid... Bugsy was on 100mg 2x a day long term, which is a lower dose than usual - he is a big cat, at 17lbs.

bluerexbear · Jan 19, 2011

Mine are on 60mg 1 time a day. My cats haven't done too bad with it...I put the thing way back in their throat and squeeze fast. I have only had one cat slobber and foam afterwards and that was Blue. He only did it once - I pulled the dropper out too fast and a drop hit his tongue.

But 60mg 1 x per day seems like nothing! Of course, Bugsy is 17 pounds which means Bear is literally 1/3 the size of him and he gets 60mgs per day to Bugsy's 200. That is close to the same...sortof.

carolina · Jan 19, 2011

Originally Posted by BlueRexBear

Mine are on 60mg 1 time a day. My cats haven't done too bad with it...I put the thing way back in their throat and squeeze fast. I have only had one cat slobber and foam afterwards and that was Blue. He only did it once - I pulled the dropper out too fast and a drop hit his tongue.

But 60mg 1 x per day seems like nothing! Of course, Bugsy is 17 pounds which means Bear is literally 1/3 the size of him and he gets 60mgs per day to Bugsy's 200. That is close to the same...sortof.

Yeah, but Bugsy's dose, as I said was a low dose to be used long term - for months in a row (he had diarrhea for 98 days, was on metro for over a month at a time). It was taken as an anti-inflammatory.

bluerexbear · Jan 19, 2011

I wonder why my vet is doing it this way.

I wonder if it is because they are kittens? But Blue is not a kitten...of course, he is elderly though.

My dog, Rosco, is only on 250mg a day and he weighs double what Bugsy does! They last time they thought Rosco had giardia, they did give him Metro 2x a day - so 500 mg total each day. Of course, this is preventative for Rosco because he never showed any signs of giardia - just lives in the house with the cats who have it. I don't know, but it bothers me...especially since Bear is not really getting better!

carolina · Jan 19, 2011

Here is the Study from Cornell:
22mg per kg of body weight, 2x a day, 5 days.
that makes approximately 10mg/lb, 2x a day. Your kitty is 6lbs, so 60mg 2x a day... or 120mg a day, although they do not say anything about once a day dosage.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3446447

Metro is prescribed in different dosages for different purposes - if you research the net, make sure to research for Giardia... I keep seeing 22/23mg per kilo 2x a day...

Also, some say 5 days, but a lot say 10 days to be sure.... I would do the 10 - you run the risk of coming back for more if you don't...

bluerexbear · Jan 19, 2011

I am going to give my vet a call tomorrow and see why he prescribed such a low dose.

I will be absolutely SICK if the low dose is the reason we are still fighting this junk!

carolina · Jan 19, 2011

Originally Posted by BlueRexBear

I am going to give my vet a call tomorrow and see why he prescribed such a low dose.

I will be absolutely SICK if the low dose is the reason we are still fighting this junk!

How long have they been taking it? And how long have you known this vet for?

bluerexbear · Jan 19, 2011

He has been my vet for about 6 years (since I moved here). When my dog was having severe allergies, he was the one to finally suggest allergy shots. The allergy testing literally saved Rosco's life and me thousands of dollars medicating him. My vet is a great guy and generally very knowledgable. He is actually a "cat lover" himself and prefers cats over dogs in his own household. He treated Sissy the time she ate a lily and saved her life! He also tends to not charge for things that most vets would charge and arm and a leg for...for instance, he charged me $35 for 3 bottles of Metro, Blue spending the day at his clinic to receive SubQ fluids, a shot of antibiotic, a dose of metro and a dose of his thyroid med which I had forgotten that morning. $35! That barely covered the cost of the 3 bottles of Metro, but he knew I had just spent almost $500 on Blue a few days before that at the ER vet. He is a good guy and a good vet.

Bear started the metro on Thursday of last week - so a week ago tomorrow.

Blue, Rex, and Rosco started the metro on Friday of last week - so 6 days tomorrow.

carolina · Jan 19, 2011

Originally Posted by BlueRexBear

He has been my vet for about 6 years (since I moved here). When my dog was having severe allergies, he was the one to finally suggest allergy shots. The allergy testing literally saved Rosco's life and me thousands of dollars medicating him. My vet is a great guy and generally very knowledgable. He is actually a "cat lover" himself and prefers cats over dogs in his own household. He treated Sissy the time she ate a lily and saved her life! He also tends to not charge for things that most vets would charge and arm and a leg for...for instance, he charged me $35 for 3 bottles of Metro, Blue spending the day at his clinic to receive SubQ fluids, a shot of antibiotic, a dose of metro and a dose of his thyroid med which I had forgotten that morning. $35! That barely covered the cost of the 3 bottles of Metro, but he knew I had just spent almost $500 on Blue a few days before that at the ER vet. He is a good guy and a good vet.

Bear started the metro on Thursday of last week - so a week ago tomorrow.

Blue, Rex, and Rosco started the metro on Friday of last week - so 6 days tomorrow.

So basically they are over the 5 days already... Yeah, I think you would have seen a difference by now for sure... Sounds like he is a good vet though...

bluerexbear · Jan 19, 2011

I am still going to call tomorrow and just make sure that this is what they want me to keep doing - The bottle even said 2x a day, but at the last minute, the tech ran out and said, "no, no, Dr. J wants that to be one time a day, not two" and marked through my bottle.

At the very least, I want to know WHY we aren't giving him the full dose. As for Blue and Rex, I definitely saw a difference in a very short period of time.

carolina · Jan 19, 2011

Originally Posted by BlueRexBear

I am still going to call tomorrow and just make sure that this is what they want me to keep doing - The bottle even said 2x a day, but at the last minute, the tech ran out and said, "no, no, Dr. J wants that to be one time a day, not two" and marked through my bottle.

At the very least, I want to know WHY we aren't giving him the full dose. As for Blue and Rex, I definitely saw a difference in a very short period of time.

Hummmm That sounds very weird... Because what we calculated with the regular giardia dose, you are at exactly 1/2 of it - meaning, you'd be perfect if it was 2x a day.... Now that you say the bottle is marked for 2x a day.... That is a bit too coincidental...

hissy · Jan 19, 2011

Just a caution when you shoot it down their throat they can aspirate (get fluid in the lungs) a better bet is to take it slow and careful, just drop it in or put it to the side of their gums slowly. Follow up with a yummy like a small dollop of cream cheese to chase the taste away. Aspirating can cause UR distress and even pneumonia.

kody's mom · Jan 20, 2011

Kody's dose was 125 milligram (pill) once a day--he weighs 12.8 lbs.

bluerexbear · Jan 20, 2011

Called the vet office this morning and they are so darn confused! First they told me they made a mistake and I should now do two times a day for 5 days..but only for the bigger cats - not Bear (who is the one with the issues)!!!!!! I should do Bear one time a day for 10 days.

Then I told them I had already given everyone 5 days of the Metro with a single dose...so then they ammended the first advice and told me to just give another 5 days to the bigger cats and the dog at 1 dose per day! And keep Bear like he is - one dose a day for another 5 days. I AM ABOUT TO SCREAM!!!!!!

I am taking another poo sample to them today. Bear has, if anything, gotten WORSE since being on the Metro. Before, he would have an occasional accident in the house and that was it. Now, his rectum is raw, the poo is dribbling out of him at times, and the diarrhea is just as mucous-y and loose as ever.

carolina · Jan 20, 2011

Originally Posted by BlueRexBear

Called the vet office this morning and they are so darn confused! First they told me they made a mistake and I should now do two times a day for 5 days..but only for the bigger cats - not Bear (who is the one with the issues)!!!!!! I should do Bear one time a day for 10 days.

Then I told them I had already given everyone 5 days of the Metro with a single dose...so then they ammended the first advice and told me to just give another 5 days to the bigger cats and the dog at 1 dose per day! And keep Bear like he is - one dose a day for another 5 days. I AM ABOUT TO SCREAM!!!!!!

I am taking another poo sample to them today. Bear has, if anything, gotten WORSE since being on the Metro. Before, he would have an occasional accident in the house and that was it. Now, his rectum is raw, the poo is dribbling out of him at times, and the diarrhea is just as mucous-y and loose as ever.

If I were you, I would really discuss a higher dose... And while you are there, ask them for Neo-Predef is a wonderful powder for his raw bottom - he will get better in no time!!

Metronidazole dosing?

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