Hi everyone -
I have a 13-month old cat who has chronic diarrhea. She eats and drinks and plays like there's no tomorrow; she is not dehydrated and seems totally healthy and happy. She uses her litterbox correctly and doesn't use it any more or less than I'd expect.
We have tried several diet changes over the course of the last 8 months, including grain-free, and low-residue. We have tried yogurt, pumpkin, and Fortiflora.
My regular vet finally sent me to an internist for help. She has been tested for giardia, coccidia, and tritrichomonas, and everything else under the sun.
The internist says the cat has a sensitivity to her own bacteria.
The only thing that seems to get her stool back to normal is Metronidazole. Witin 2 days of ceasing the medication, she is back to the runny stool.
The internist suggests that we simply keep her on a low dose of Metronidazole forever. (I'm not home right now, so I can' tell you exactly, but the dose is a quarter of a tablet per day - I just can't remember, off-hand, the size tablet!)
Any thoughts on whether it's really safe to keep her on this los-dose of the drug indefinitely? Any other good ideas?
Thanks ...
I have a 13-month old cat who has chronic diarrhea. She eats and drinks and plays like there's no tomorrow; she is not dehydrated and seems totally healthy and happy. She uses her litterbox correctly and doesn't use it any more or less than I'd expect.
We have tried several diet changes over the course of the last 8 months, including grain-free, and low-residue. We have tried yogurt, pumpkin, and Fortiflora.
My regular vet finally sent me to an internist for help. She has been tested for giardia, coccidia, and tritrichomonas, and everything else under the sun.
The internist says the cat has a sensitivity to her own bacteria.
The only thing that seems to get her stool back to normal is Metronidazole. Witin 2 days of ceasing the medication, she is back to the runny stool.
The internist suggests that we simply keep her on a low dose of Metronidazole forever. (I'm not home right now, so I can' tell you exactly, but the dose is a quarter of a tablet per day - I just can't remember, off-hand, the size tablet!)
Any thoughts on whether it's really safe to keep her on this los-dose of the drug indefinitely? Any other good ideas?
Thanks ...