back to runny stools after finishing 10 days of metronidazole

Our 6 month old male kitten always had soft smelly stools since we've got him 2 month .
After a few deworming stool test was negative. Vet prescribed 10 days of Metronidazole and stool became normal after very first day of treatment. But just after he finished Metro he got a lot of very smelly poop about 4 times a day. ( when he was on treatment he was having only twice a day after the meal small,hard not very smelly stools). And I was giving him probiotic too. Vet recommended another 14 days of Metronidazole and stronger probiotic and if his stool isn't normalized then do additional testing. What can be his problems?
Can all this meds kill his flora and create even more loose stools?
Please help

innaur said:

Our 6 month old male kitten always had soft smelly stools since we've got him 2 month .
After a few deworming stool test was negative. Vet prescribed 10 days of Metronidazole and stool became normal after very first day of treatment. But just after he finished Metro he got a lot of very smelly poop about 4 times a day. ( when he was on treatment he was having only twice a day after the meal small,hard not very smelly stools). And I was giving him probiotic too. Vet recommended another 14 days of Metronidazole and stronger probiotic and if his stool isn't normalized then do additional testing. What can be his problems?
Can all this meds kill his flora and create even more loose stools?
Please help

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The point of using Metronizadole is that when it works (and it sounds like it is) it normalizes the bacteria in the gut.  The larger issue may be, why is your cat having these issues in the first place?  Sometimes vets and docs don't know so they treat the symptoms in the hope the symptoms go away (and sometimes they do) but if repeated treatments fail to address the larger issue you may need more diagnostics....

Did you have a stool sample sent out for a PCR test as opposed to standard in house testing. PCR testing is fairly new and extremely accurate, much more so than any other type.

Thanks for your reply. No stool test was done in-house. This poor kitten has a lot of health problems we had no idea about when we've got him - he had ear mites, some weird skin problems each seems to clear now and digestive problems. He was always very fast and and had a soft stools. I blame myself - we didn't know much about cats so I called breeder we got him from with all this questions and she was very confident that she knows what it is and she can help. We went back to her place a numerous times but only now I realize that everything she was doing is treating different problems with amoxicillin. May be that is the reason for his compromised gut flora- we don't know what she was giving him for the first 4 months of his life. Or maybe it food related, I still didn't figure it out

If this course of Metro doesn't clear things up, I'd suggest a GI PCR (this tests for parasite/protozoans/bacterial infections.) If that comes back negative, then you can start looking into food triggers.

Sorry you've had some many problems with this baby. He is very lucky to have ended up in your home!

Thanks. Not so sure he feels lucky - I have to doctor him all the time he doesn't even like me [emoji]128542[/emoji]

Yes, I've been there as well with some of our sicker rescues. For me, I've found rewarding with an extra special treat (freeze-dried meat treats like PureBites) or playing with a special toy (Neko Flies or DaBird) right after giving medication helps to make the process less traumatic and helps the bonding process. Save that special treat/toy for only after meds are given.

Hopefully he will be on the mend soon!

Also, just a mention...
If you're giving liquid metronidazole, as your vet to have it compounded in either pill or capsule form. That med is horribly bitter (regardless of added flavor.)

Guessing to figure this out either won't work or will take a long time.  Send out for a PCR stool test.

Thanks. Makes sense.

my kitten was having loose frequent smelly stools that only got better when she was on metronidazole. turns out that is the symptoms of TRITRICHOMONAS FOETUS you can do a PCR test to check for TF , regular fecals don't screen for TF. IF your kitty is positive for TF the treatment is ronidazole. my cat was treated for TF after I spent a bunch of money on other tests,diet changes and probiotics nothing helped for any length of time. but after the ronidazole no more smelly poo!! you can look up tritrichomonas foetus and see if your kitty has symptoms and suggest testing to your vet, most vets don't check for TF routinely. if your kitty does have TF and you decide to treat they recommend a cat be off metronidazole for at least 1 week and give no probiotics or diarrhea meds during treatment. there is info on TF at NC State University College of Veterinary Medicine Dr. Jody Gookin DVM.

Thanks a lot for the info