Metronidazole problems

Update--putting the metro back in the fridge definitely helped with the drooling issue.  I've also started trying to taper down on it with both Jake and Molly and am putting pumpkin in their food.  I discovered I have to use it judiciously--too much pumpkiny taste and they won't eat.  They're on grain free food almost exclusively though I'm still putting in a bit of wet Friskies for the familiar taste/smell.  Last night we gave them their monthly B injection.  Usually hubby does it while I hold them but he's a little squeamish about it so I tried doing the injections this time and it worked out fine, yay.

Next step is to talk to the vet about the best way to taper down on the metro.  The problem is that my vet, who I just loved, has just moved out of the area      and I really don't like the vet who replaced her.  I'm hoping they get somebody in there who's more knowledgeable about IBD and will work with me (instead of trying to order me to follow this or that protocol without ever having seen me or the cats--which is what this woman did.)  Not a good way to start a working relationship! 

I'll be doing some research on probiotics (when I have time!)  :-)  In the meantime, I bought some probiotic chews that I crumble up in their food and they don't mind eating it.  Anybody know if  those things useful at all--I know sometimes the chews don't have enough of a dosage of whatever's in them to do much good.  I got the NaturVet Digestive Enzymes Plus Probiotics brand.  And does it do any good if they're still on the metro?  

And the beat goes on....I appreciate all the good advice and support. 

I've got Jake and Molly down to one dose a day of metro, and sometimes skip a day now!  No diarrhea or vomiting, they both seem fine.  They've taken just fine to getting pumpkin in their food.  I've cut back quiet a bit on the amount of dry food they get and have been able to switch to mostly a grain free diet with them (though I still have to mix a bit of Friskies wet in with it--they're super addicted to the stuff).  

I've been thinking about getting Fortiflora for them but have read mixed reviews, some saying that that the ingredients are not that healthy--anybody have any experience using it or thoughts on whether it's good for them or not?

I am so glad they are almost off of the metro.  Fortiflora isn't a very good probiotic.  It is very good as a topper when transitioning cats to another food because it has animal digest in it which is the same stuff a lot of companies spray on their kibble to make it so addictive.  A human grade probiotic is better.  A lot of people here use one called Nexabiotic 20.  I don't use a probiotic, hopefully someone will be along with info about dosage and other choices.

Denice said:

 
I am so glad they are almost off of the metro.  Fortiflora isn't a very good probiotic.  It is very good as a topper when transitioning cats to another food because it has animal digest in it which is the same stuff a lot of companies spray on their kibble to make it so addictive.  A human grade probiotic is better.  A lot of people here use one called Nexabiotic 20.  I don't use a probiotic, hopefully someone will be along with info about dosage and other choices.

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Thanks, Denice!

Well, Molly's completely off the metro.  She's very happy to be taking only budesodine, I guess that tastes a lot better!  Jake is vomiting a little, so I've got him on a small dose of the metro. for now, along with his pred.  I got a probiotic at the health food store called "Pet Dophilus" by Jarrow.  And I'm still using pumpkin in their food, too.  So far, so good....

I am so upset that I gave my 9 month old kitten Metronidazone! I went to the vet today because my cat has been having diarrhea for the last week. The vet recommended a stool sample which I gave them and  that she take Metronidazone 100mg twice a day for 7 days. The only side effect the vet mentioned was a bit of drooling and that it was safe and a normal reaction. Thank God I was only able to administer .1mL of the .8mL that I was supposed to give her. My cat had an immediate reaction to the small amount. She foamed at the mouth profusely, instantly starting vomiting, and acted crazy bouncing off the walls until she lay there on the floor lethargically. She is hopefully going to be okay but after looking up the this drug it is NOT FDA approved for animal use (which I wasn't told) and reading all the side effects I am angry that I was mislead by my vet that this was safe and effective for her upset stomach and diarrhea. I will never administer another drug to my animals without looking up the information first! I am also going to a new vet because I believe this drug would have killed my precious kitty if I kept giving it to her, especially after reading how many other people cat's have died from it. I hope this information is helpful to other cat owners and prevents this from happening again.

It is actually quite common for cats to foam at the mouth, have excessive drooling, etc when administered liquid metronidazole...it is very bitter. (This would also explain why your kitten vomited and went running through the house.) I have tried using every flavoring to no avail (though Watermelon seems to be the most tolerated.) I always use pills if possible.

I have used metronidazole countless times to treat diarrhea with kittens to senior cats without issue. If you think your kitten had an allergic reaction (facial swelling, hives, etc...) contact your vet immediately.

Otherwise, maybe see about getting the metronidazole in tablet form. You could also ask your vet about alternatives, though Metronidazole is used because it kills the bad stuff and leaves the good gut flora and it treats an array of GI problems.

Thank you for responding so quickly. I am just concerned because she reacted in such a way with so little medication. I am also weary about administering her the medication because we have not received her stool sample lab results back and how do I even know she has bad bacteria in her gut in the first place. She could have just had a reaction to something she ingested. I am upset at the vet and myself for no having an absolute diagnosis and telling me this would fix the problem. I understand you say this reaction is normal but it looked nothing but normal to me. I love my kitty and the last thing I want to do is give her something that she doesn't need and makes her worse.
Thank you

My kitty has been on metro a few times, he is an IBD kitty.  I have always gotten it in tablet form.  The vet clinic that I take my kitties to now cuts up the metro and puts it in empty gel caps so he can't taste it.  The stuff does taste really nasty.  A small number of kitties do have neurological symptoms with it but this sounds like an extreme reaction to the bitter taste.

I wonder why they just don't give it in pill form in the first place since it tastes so bad to cats. I thought i was hurting my kitty so it's comforting to hear that it was probably from the taste but I still don't get the vomiting part. She must be sensitive to it. I am not going to give her anymore until I know for sure what's going on with her. She actually just went to the bathroom and it was solid or the first time in a week so I will keep an eye on her and give her the probiotics instead.

Check to make sure the pharmacy is using the Benzoate ester form of Metronidazole.  It tastes much better.  If they balk at the Benzoate form for a cat - tell them to google Gigi Davidson's article regarding Metronidazole Benzoate and cats.  They can also change the flavoring and anything that your cat likes is a possibility.  They will have to do some research regarding formulas and compatibility though.  They can also make small sample batches for the kitties to try.  Good luck.  P.S.  If you do talk to them and the GiGi article information is outdated please reply on the forum and let me know!  Thanks!!!

After years of having to give cats bitter tasting melds, I learnt my lesson. Ask for the meds in the pill form, keep very thinly sliced beef in tiny pieces in the freezer, 10 minutes before meds time remove beef from freezer to thaw then wrap the pill and pop it in the cats mouth as far back as you can and keep her mouth closed and blow on her nose to make her swallow if she doesn't swallow on her own (a kiss on the nose works just as well). Sometime I give a little beef as a treat afterwards as well - the cats usually end up looking forward to meds time. I took in a new cat a few months ago who needed metro short term, she doesn't really like being handled and the vet said to give it a go but wasn't confident I would have much luck getting her to swallow the bitter pills. Used the method described and no problems . Hope it works for you!

Metronidazole, what a life for cats..... ours never came off of it and we eventually let him go to kitty heaven.... very hard to talk about..... we loved him a lot.....2yrs, too long..

One of my cats is on Prednisolone daily for IBD, gets fortiflora mixed in with his wet food (natural instinct variety limited ingredient turkey) and gets every other week b12 injections. All of this seems to be working alright. He would go on a 10 to 14 day supply of metro liquid when having flare ups. If we get any of the liquid in his tongue he will start drooling immediately and it would be a LOT. I'd have to chase him down to wipe it all away. We got the hang of getting it in the back of his throat so it wouldnt touch his tongue and he would be fine.

One thing that's always helped me was slowly giving 3cc's of water to help the pill or liquid go down. Even the compounded liquids are kind of thick so some hangs around in the mouth and throat. This seems to make them drool a lot less too.