Metronidazole questions

My cat was diagnosed with C. difficile from a pcr fecal test for on and off loose stools and bloody mucus and gas she's had for years. It's the minor spectrum of it so not severe case, but she does have it. She is 13 years old and 13 pounds.

Vet wants to give her 80 Mgs twice a day for 3 weeks. What worried me is reading online metronidazole usually given only for 10 days, and it said longer doses can have dangerous side effects.

Is anyone here a vet or knows about this medication and c diff? Will 80mg once a day for 2 weeks help, what about 50 mg twice a day for 2 weeks. Giving it twice a day is going to be hard, and 3 weeks really seems too long for a minor case, she might have IBD which metronidazole also helps but figuring out what is needed to eliminate the overgrowth of bad bacteria is bad, and vets can be money hungry in my area so its hard to trust their judgement sometimes because medicine equals money.

However I want her to be normal and well again, and not giving the right amount could mean she doesn't get better and that would be bad, I don't know what prescription to ask for, and how much/ long?

I know certain probiotics were suggested for helping but my cat has this for 12 years I think it might be really tough to get rid of without antibiotics.

What is standard dose/length of treatment of this for a cat

It's not really our place or within the TCS guidelines to tell you dosages or duration of treatments but what I would suggest is discuss your concerns with your vet or ask for a second opinion. Metronizidol treats a variety of GI conditions so length of treatment may depend on the type of illness.

StephenQ said:

It's not really our place or within the TCS guidelines to tell you dosages or duration of treatments but what I would suggest is discuss your concerns with your vet or ask for a second opinion. Metronizidol treats a variety of GI conditions so length of treatment may depend on the type of illness.

Click to expand...

My vet keeps changing dosage and duration, and this is our 3rd vet we've switched in the past year the vets here aren't good. I'm really confused what is even a safe amount, one vet almost killed one of my cats from overdose and someone on here actually saved him from that because they made me aware ahead of time! This is the place to ask cat questions, medicine included that's one of the most important things any pet owner has to worry about.

I'm asking other people who've had their cats on it what they were on so I can judge what dose seems to be given most often. And usually medicines have standard doses, even for people you can look up a medication and it tells that. What my vet is saying isn't listed anywhere and I don't see why its wrong to research into it, because I've had problems here about this and switching isn't an option and letting the medical condition go isn't an option, but I don't have a reliable source to trust!

As StephenQ mentioned, it's against the site's policies to offer medical advice:

2. Do not provide medical advice. Discussing various options is encouraged and you may share your experience including details about what kind of medication was administered and dosage. However, do not suggest to another member that they should change anything in the course of treatment prescribed by their vet without first consulting with a qualified veterinarian.

Click to expand...

It's a liability and legal issue for the site. No one here knows your cat's current condition, medical history or weight. There is no way anyone here can tell you the proper dose for your cat.

Yes, as you can see above, members can share what doses their cat may have been on, but you also don't know their cat's condition, medical history or weight.

I'm sorry you are having such a difficult time with the vets in your area. Would it be possible to call a vet slightly further away?

Good Luck! :cross:

I understand your problem and you are right to be very cautious using metronidazole -- not that anyone here can give you anything but their own experience.  I have never used it more than 10 days, so I am no help with that. I can give you a few links and tell you my cats had no side effect with 10-day dosing -- I don't remember how many mg/lb offhand but could look it up if that's important to you.

The Merck Manual deals mainly with its use in dogs. 

http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/pharmacology/antibacterial_agents/nitroimidazoles.html

It is not yet approved by the FDA for use in cats, although it is still used in cats, but cats are even more likely to suffer from the potential toxic side effects as dogs so you are totally right to be concerned and not to trust just any vet's opinion.

Here is a link to a Yahoo article about it from 2010, not smoothly written but one I have in my collection (I over-research anything my cats may be prescribed!) 

http://voices.yahoo.com/advantages-disadvantages-metronidazole-cats-5924218.html

I do think the writer is totally wrong in saying you can crush a pill and mix it in their food and expect them to eat it, because it is the most bitter substance I've ever tasted (and I taste anything I'm going to give to any cat).  I ended up crushing the pills, inserting them in gelatin capsules, dipping the end of the capsule into mayonnaise and popping it into the back of the cat's throat and quickly followed that with a half & half cream chaser from a syringe.  It worked.   I would suggest that if you are going to use it, you and the vet should monitor the cat very closely for any invisible negative side effects, including doing blood counts weekly and also continuing to test the stool for C. Difficile and stopping the treatment when the test becomes negative X2.  If the c diff isn't that much of a problem for her, you might choose to just let it be.  I don't know if there is any safer drug that will cure it, but you might do some research on that too before trying the metronidazole.

Keep in mind that metronidazole is sometimes given for different reasons in cats, so the dosage and duration might be different depending on what it is treating. 

Sebastian was on metronidazole for his chronic pancreatitis for over 4 months.    It was meant to help control bacteria in his gut that may have been a factor, and also act as a mild anti-inflammatory for his inflamed pancreas. I was more nervous about his pancreatitis flares (which are severe) than any negative side effects of the metro. However, after reading these two TCS threads...

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/270801/...tro-is-genotoxic-and-potentially-carcinogenic

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/272498/...tibular-problem-has-your-cat-ever-taken-metro

...I decided to start weaning him off the metro with my vet's blessing. She thought as long as he is doing okay and doesn't flare-up, that I could go ahead and start weaning him off.

Sebastian situation is different than yours and he was on metro a long time, which was the main concern.

P.S. Did you do a search for metronidazole on TCS? A lot of threads come up.

B bugmankeith , the purpose of me suggesting to do a TCS search was not to ask the same questions in old threads. I have already provided some input in your "stool tested positive for c. difficile" thread that I thought would have answered some if your questions. And I figured reading some more member experiences would have helped as well.

If you are looking for validation from a vet, I would suggest that you explore a site like JustAnswers.com where you pay to get input from a vet (although, I do not know what their policy is).

GoHolistic said:

B bugmankeith , the purpose of me suggesting to do a TCS search was not to ask the same questions in old threads. I have already provided some input in your "stool tested positive for c. difficile" thread that I thought would have answered some if your questions. And I figured reading some more member experiences would have helped as well.

If you are looking for validation from a vet, I would suggest that you explore a site like JustAnswers.com where you pay to get input from a vet (although, I do not know what their policy is).

Click to expand...

I'm am not taking this diagnosis/treatment lightly let alone I'm not doing well with finding this out. I am worried and not getting answers I need. I can't fully trust the vet. I am the type I need definite answers before I do anything major involving health of something. The way I feel I don't want to give anything but its clear my cat needs something. Then there's the what if I can't even get her to take the medication, then what? Also nobody is saying what is considered a high dosage or long dosage, the ones where cats got seizures from, is 160mg a day too much, is 3 weeks too long? I did look at threads and can't find any with these long prescriptions so that further made me paranoid. And there is nothing wrong with asking other members, threads are old but they came closest to others having similar issues.

I have really bad anxiety and literally am having a panic attack over this and upset and not sleeping at night, I don't do well with these situations. Plus the fact I went through this illness myself and it was the worst thing I have been through, plus worry if I'm at risk getting sick again too! So I'm sorry if I'm paranoid but I have a lot of worries and no answers what am I supposed to do at this point?

Hi @bugmankeith

If you don't fully trust your vet then I would suggest you get a new vet or get a second opinion. A second opinion is always a good idea anyway, but if you have anxiety I am going to suggest that this is not the right place to help it, as you will often get contradictory opinions here, and you won't have any empirical evidence as to which ones (if any) are correct, and none of them should be taken over the advice of a vet who is a trained professional.  We are not trained professional vets.

I saw that you posted a similar question about Metro Dosing in another thread the other day, a thread that is 3 years old and is unlikely to produce new results.

I've had difficulty finding good articles on this subject for you but I have one linked below and I will keep looking, but I will repeat my suggestion that you look for and try to obtain professional guidance.  A second opinion by another vet should increase your confidence and reduce your anxiety.  This is important not just for you, but potentially for your cat's treatment.

http://vetbook.org/wiki/cat/index.php/Clostridium_difficile

I was told to give my general location in case anyone lives nearby and may suggest vets they go to or someone who I can contact for answers. I live on Long Island, NY in Suffolk county if that's a help.

bugmankeith said:

Also nobody is saying what is considered a high dosage or long dosage, the ones where cats got seizures from, is 160mg a day too much, is 3 weeks too long?

Click to expand...

Quoting myself from the other thread:

GoHolistic said:

 
According to 1800petmeds.com's dosing information (http://www.1800petmeds.com/Metronidazole-prod10098.html), it seems as though the dose your vet ordered is within range for her weight.

Click to expand...

I would also suggest, again, that you read through this thread:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/270801/...tro-is-genotoxic-and-potentially-carcinogenic

Don't be turned off by the title. There are responses in that thread that may help you make informed decisions with the questions you are asking. If this does not suffice, I would also suggest, as @StephenQ has done, getting some input from another local vet or from an online vet from a site like JustAnswers.com (you pay a fee). They have a pets/vets section: http://www.justanswer.com/pet/

I don't know anything about your area.  I did, however find a practice with a board certified feline specialist.  http://www.foresthillscathospital.com/feline_veterinarians.html   It's a husband wife team and the wife has the board certification.  I don't know the area but I think it is generally in your area.

There are fewer than 100 vets that have completed the requirements for board certified feline specialist.  The head vet at the clinic that I go to is a board certified feline specialist.

I know that isn't as good as a personal reference but it's something you might consider.

Denice said:

 
I don't know anything about your area.  I did, however find a practice with a board certified feline specialist.  http://www.foresthillscathospital.com/feline_veterinarians.html   It's a husband wife team and the wife has the board certification.  I don't know the area but I think it is generally in your area.

There are fewer than 100 vets that have completed the requirements for board certified feline specialist.  The head vet at the clinic that I go to is a board certified feline specialist.

I know that isn't as good as a personal reference but it's something you might consider.

Click to expand...

I wish I knew vets in Long Island, the forest hills vet is in Queens, so not that close.  Do you have any friends in long island who can make a recommendation?

@bugmankeith you can also do a phone consult for a reasonable fee with a vet from the Cornell Vet school of Medicine.  The initial call is free so you can talk to the about the process, and then set up the consult.  They have limited hours, but all the info is at http://www.vet.cornell.edu/FHC/health_resources/camuti_service.cfm

And here is alist of long island vets: http://www.yellowbook.com/yellow-pages/?what=veterinarians&where=suffolk+county,+ny