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Perscribing Metronidazole for treatment of IBD. Is this counter intuitive?
- Thread starter jclark
- Start Date
Nausea and vomiting are possible side effects of just about every medication. Even Phenergan has vomiting as a possible side effect, and it is a common anti-emetic!
I'm guessing that you're battling IBS/IBD with your kitty?
I'm guessing that you're battling IBS/IBD with your kitty?
Yes, vomiting can be a side effect. It can also cause decreased appetite, depression, etc.
We had a strange experience with metronidazole. Our IBD cat's main problem was vomiting, so this med was tried first before steroids.
The vomiting stopped practically immediately, but he lost his appetite and became depressed and lethargic. By the end of the third week these side effects were so bad our vet agreed it would be best to stop the med. (We were supposed to try it for a month.)
The very next day after he was no longer getting metronidazole he started vomiting again and the vomiting was as bad as before. As if he had never had any medication for all that time. It was truly mind-boggling.
(Tablets hidden inside of empty gel caps work very well, the cat never tastes the medication.)
I can only say, if you decide to try metronidazole, keep a close eye on your baby and watch like a hawk for possible side effects such as decreased appetite, depression, etc.
We had a strange experience with metronidazole. Our IBD cat's main problem was vomiting, so this med was tried first before steroids.
The vomiting stopped practically immediately, but he lost his appetite and became depressed and lethargic. By the end of the third week these side effects were so bad our vet agreed it would be best to stop the med. (We were supposed to try it for a month.)
The very next day after he was no longer getting metronidazole he started vomiting again and the vomiting was as bad as before. As if he had never had any medication for all that time. It was truly mind-boggling.
(Tablets hidden inside of empty gel caps work very well, the cat never tastes the medication.)
I can only say, if you decide to try metronidazole, keep a close eye on your baby and watch like a hawk for possible side effects such as decreased appetite, depression, etc.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #4
Yes. My cat has developed IBD. He probably suffered from mild IBS for years but it was probably masked until February when I changed his food from HypoAllergenic to something with more protein so he would gain weight. An older, now deceased, cat was on the Hypo and we fed them both the same food.
And yes he is on the Metronidazole and he can't keep anything down. Today I understand my vet is going to try a low does steroid to get him eating agin. The recent history with this cat has been eventful. Major dental work in Feb, food aversion after dental work, struggle to fund the "right" food for him that he would eat everyday, underweight but stable, and now IBD. Exciting times.
On the bright side the Vet care has been great (both his Vet and the ER Vet) and the diagnosis has been consistent, both are on the same page and have been communicating. IF he passes on I will be at ease since I have a good idea as to the "why" whereas the last one (Dec 2012) was a complete surprise with no definitive diagnosis
Have you checked out www.ibdkitties.net? My IBS kitties got better overnight on a raw diet, but I understand that some cats are more complicated. I hope you find something that works.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
Yes I have. It's a good site and interestingly one of the foods they recommend is currently the food of choice for my two Main Coon kittens. Raw diets are interesting but with a senior cat who is very weak, I'd rather not subject his immune system to it. Interestingly he scoffed down about 3 oz of raw chick about a week ago while my back was turned. That may have pushed him over the edge
In addition I wonder what protein he's allergic to. Due to this post-op food aversion I've introduced him at various time to just about every protein type out there (Chicken, Turkey, Lamb, Venison, Duck, Rabbit, Beef, Fish). The difficult part for me is his underlying food aversion. The vomiting from the Metronidazole and/or IBD re-inforces this aversion. His mouth is just fine (no redness from the surgery or pain response).
I responded to your PM as well, but I can't stress this enough regarding food aversion. You and your vet need to address his nausea before giving any appetite stimulants. I know that's difficult with the vomiting, but a lot of vets don't treat the nausea first.
As someone with a cat that had a problem with vomiting and in appetance, I have to agree with vball91. Has your vet given your cat Cerenia? It can be given as a shot, or in pill form. Obviously you would use pill form at home. But he needs to be able to keep his food down.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #9
No but I will ask about it. Thanks!As someone with a cat that had a problem with vomiting and in appetance, I have to agree with vball91. Has your vet given your cat Cerenia? It can be given as a shot, or in pill form. Obviously you would use pill form at home. But he needs to be able to keep his food down.
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- #10
UPDATE: Steroid shot which should last 2-4 weeks. I asked about the nausea and the Vet stated that the steroid should calm down his stomach and bring up his appetite. It has been a week since he has been able to keep anything down. The steroid is supposed to take about 2 days to work. Tried feeding him some bits of food this AM and he of course threw up. He continues to try to drink water. This guys has been through a lot this past two and a half weeks.
Medicine:
3 doses of Mirtazapine (Full dose May 10, very very small dose May 13, Full dose May 15)
1 mls 2x/day of Metronidazole (liquid)
1 shot of a steroid.
Food he has eaten prior to May 15:
Kitten kibble.
Hamburger May 13-14 (threw up) (First sign of something wrong that I missed)
RC Hypoallergenic 1/2 can May 14
Stole some raw chicken May 15
I suppose over these next two days will be key.
Medicine:
3 doses of Mirtazapine (Full dose May 10, very very small dose May 13, Full dose May 15)
1 mls 2x/day of Metronidazole (liquid)
1 shot of a steroid.
Food he has eaten prior to May 15:
Kitten kibble.
Hamburger May 13-14 (threw up) (First sign of something wrong that I missed)
RC Hypoallergenic 1/2 can May 14
Stole some raw chicken May 15
I suppose over these next two days will be key.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #12
He is 14 which apparently is the average lifespan for Main Coons.
We spoke about an ultrasound and the Vet also mentioned pancreatitis as an outlier scenerio and with IBD (confirmed via X-ray) the two together are essentially fatal for a cat at his age. At the moment we're concentrating on food intake as he is starving himself. Defiant til the end as he's stubborn like his daddy. God love him.
The steroid may or may not settle his stomach, and this cat can't wait 2 days to find out if it helps. He needs some food now. It's already been a week with very little food. He must be in danger of developing hepatic lipidosis at this point. Please advocate for your kitty and talk to your vet about Cerenia and/or ondansetron.
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My IBD kitty went through a bad flare that went into two types of hepatitis one of them being fatty liver disease. He had a feeding tube put in which made feeding much less stressful. He was also on a daily dose of a steroid along with the [color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]metronidazole. [/color][color= rgb(24, 24, 24)] I was able to crush up the pills and put them in the slurry that I gave him through the feeding tube. He stayed on both for awhile after the feeding tube came out. They put the metronidazole in gel caps and that worked until one came open in his mouth and my normally easy to pill cat became very difficult to pill. That was all over two years ago and he is still on a small daily dose of a steroid and he is 10 years old now. Not eating will only make things worse.[/color]
Agree, at this point, your kitty must eat. Ondansetron is good for vomiting, but can cause some sedation as well. It can be used along with the steroid as well. 1/4 of a 4 milligram tablet is an appropriate dose if your cat weighs 10 pounds. . You may need to give it twice daily; once a day may not be enough. A friend is currently treating her cat who has intestinal lymphoma with this drug amongst others for the cancer.
A drug I like for nausea, available over the counter here, is famotidine (Pepcid AC), which reduces stomach acid. The dose is 1/4 of a 10 milligram tablet, once to twice daily.
Best to you and your kitty.
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- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #17
I was wondering
How much longer are you supposed to use metronidazole?
For days? Weeks?
I'm very worried about what this med is doing to your cat and wish you could ask your vet to stop it and just go with steroids from here on.
How much longer are you supposed to use metronidazole?
For days? Weeks?
I'm very worried about what this med is doing to your cat and wish you could ask your vet to stop it and just go with steroids from here on.
Metronidazole can be used long term.
Metro is EXTREMELLY bitter. I have no clue why your vet gave this thing in liquid form? Please get it in pill form, and then put it inside gel caps - it is THAT bitter.
I wouldn't be afraid of raw, if you do a slow transition, it might be the best thing for your cat - diet can be what is bringing the immunity down, and all these problems. It was the case for my cat. I was as concerned as you are.... I also thought raw would kill my cat. I was wrong. Everything else was ruining him - once he went on raw he became healthy and strong.
I introduced him one tea-spoon at a time though...... Very slowly.
Anyways..... Good luck to you, hope your baby gets all better. No matter what you do, make sure he eats and keeps it down.
Has an ultrasound been done to rule out a mass?
Metro is EXTREMELLY bitter. I have no clue why your vet gave this thing in liquid form? Please get it in pill form, and then put it inside gel caps - it is THAT bitter.
I wouldn't be afraid of raw, if you do a slow transition, it might be the best thing for your cat - diet can be what is bringing the immunity down, and all these problems. It was the case for my cat. I was as concerned as you are.... I also thought raw would kill my cat. I was wrong. Everything else was ruining him - once he went on raw he became healthy and strong.
I introduced him one tea-spoon at a time though...... Very slowly.
Anyways..... Good luck to you, hope your baby gets all better. No matter what you do, make sure he eats and keeps it down.
Has an ultrasound been done to rule out a mass?
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