Cat on Metronidazole

[RampantRiptide]

Hi there. My cat, Rascal, has had an issue with diarrhea for the past month or so. He had been eating, drinking, and acting normally so I wasn’t too concerned but finally decided to get him checked out. I took him to the vet just last Monday (Feb. 1st) and they said he looked fine, but ran a senior cat lab (he’s 9) and did a fecal test. The vet prescribed 1.25 mls of Metronidazole twice a day and a FortiFlora packet mixed with food once a day. His lab and fecal tests came back normal.
He seemed fine after the first couple of doses of metronidazole, though he certainly did not enjoy the liquid. He didn’t poop for a day or so, but then had a normal looking poop on the third day. Now, however, it’s been a couple days again and I don’t think he’s pooped. He also has seemed more lethargic today and not his usual outgoing, “rascally” self. After reading a bunch of other threads,
I’m concerned he’s having an adverse reaction.
Has anyone else observed or experienced this behavior with their cat after almost a week on metronidazole? I’m wondering if I should stop the metronidazole and continue with the probiotics. Any thoughts, suggestions, or reassurance would be appreciated! I’ve been so stressed over this since reading the scary threads.

 

[stephanietx]

I haven't had this issue with metro and one of my cats was on it for a period of time. I would stop the metro and see if the probiotic alone helps.

 

[Ellis75]

I would definitely give your vet a call before deciding anything. If they're open, they should be happy to give you advice, switch the medication, adjust the dose, etc. If they're not open, you might be able to try calling an emergency vet and see if they can advise you on what to do until your regular vet opens. In terms of not pooping for a couple days, I don't think that's uncommon when starting metronidazole, since he probably got a lot out of him when he was having diarrhea and his intestines are kind of regrouping in a sense. If he's still really lethargic though, it might be worth getting him checked out just in case there's something else going on.

 

[Juniper_Junebug]

While on Metro, my kitty would go in her box, dig, make like she was going to poo, and then just give a little meow without going. I figured she was constipated. Toward the end of the course, the constipation turned into diarrhea. It took her several weeks for her to normalize, and the vet said this was normal (granted, she had had giardia for several months). S. Boulardii did seem to help.

 

[neely]

Welcome to TCS! I'm sorry that your first post on the site concerns a health issue with your cat, Rascal, but thought this thread might have some helpful information for you about Metronidazole:
Question about Metronidazole

I agree it would be best to contact your vet and update them on his condition since they have his medical history. That way they can advise you what to do or not to do. Best of luck, please keep us posted on his progress.