Giving Flagyl at the same time as Clavamox? Any good reviews for Flagyl after reading all the scary

Hello all

Kitty has to take Clavamox and has had loose bowel movements since i started 10 days ago. We have to do a 30 day treatment and vet wants to give her Flagyl now to help with loose stools.  I've read all the scary reviews on this drug and now am a little freaked out about it.

Having called the vet and asked again about using Flagyl she still feels we should use this drug.

It's only for a 7-10 day treatment to get her back to normal again.

Anyone had good outcomes with this drug please?  I am getting it compounded so it will go into her food.

thanks,

Melanie

I think you'd do much better with S. boulardii. This is a non-traditional probiotic in that it is a non-colonizing yeast. It is probably one of the most researched probiotics there is, and there are many large studies (in people) behind it - it is effective for antibiotic-induced diarrhea (among many other things), though often discussed in relation to IBD (or in people, Traveler's Diarrhea).

Is the kitty an adult? If so, to stop the diarrhea, the therapeutic dose is 2.5 billion CFU administered twice a day (AM and PM). Because it is a yeast, you don't have to worry about when you give it in relation to the antibiotic. Many, many IBD kitties are finding relief with the use of S boulardii, especially when they have to be put on antibiotics.

I use Nutricology brand. The capsules are 3 billion CFU each (dose is marketed as 9 billion CFU, but dose is 3 capsules daily - so each capsule as 3 billion CFU). You can use basically a full capsule. Probiotics are not an exact science, and a little more than the suggested effective dose won't hurt.

Here is a great review piece: http://www.horizonpress.com/cimb/v/v11/47.pdf

Here is a current review piece, addressing more of the safety issues: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3296087/pdf/10.1177_1756283X11428502.pdf

There are several vet sites that recommend it, if you'd like to take all of this to ask your vet about it:

http://viim.org/dog-cat-diarrhea-chronic.php

http://www.vetinfo.com/probiotics-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-treatment-cats.html

http://www.petcarenaturally.com/articles/diarrhea.php

Thank you for your advice. I got a second opinion from another vet yesterday.  After she looked at all the lab work etc. she saw no evidence of my cat having a bacterial infection and told me to stop the Clavamox since we'd done a 10 day treatment already.  Hopefully the loose stool will now cease!  I do appreciate your information though on the probiotics.

We still suspect, pancreatitis, IBD and or liver issues and Lymphoma is still on the table.

I believe our plan of action is Prednisolone and B12 injections for the future.  She also thinks her teeth are bad and needs to be cleaned and probably with some extractions.

Thank you again,

Melanie