Metronidazole

[jaffacake]

Has anyone been prescribed this for their cat?

Maisie was back at the vet`s today for her second lot of vaccinations and was prescribed this for her chronic diarrhoea. The vet gave her the first dose.

On the way home she had diarrhoea and vomited in her carrier which she has never done before. We did have to take a bit of a detour on the way home so she was in the car longer than usual.

Needless to say she had to have a bath when we got home which she tolerated suprisingly well.

I settled her down in my bedroom in the warm and she went to sleep. then she woke up and vomited clear fluid.

She was off colour when she had her first lot of vaccinations but she`s never vomited since I`ve had her.

I wondered if it could be a reaction to the metronidazole?

 

[debskats]

I've never had cats vomit with metronidazole, at least not so soon and after just getting one dose. That doesn't mean it can't happen though. I've mostly seen loss of appetite after they've been on it awhile and Katy, who was just recently tried on it, turned into a rolled-up ball of fur who wouldn't move from my bed.

One thing that was mentioned to me when I posted here about metronidazole was to give it on a full stomach.

I know it's a good med, but it does have quite a few side effects. If I were you, I'd call and talk to the vet before I gave Maisie another dose.

 

[white cat lover]

Metronidazole, also known as Flagyl. It's stinks. Horrible tasting. The shelter here uses it to treat Giardia. Many cats vomit.

Can you ask your vet if you can use Albon instead? It tastes much less bitter, but you will have a give a little bit more.

Also, it could be a reaction to the vaccinations. I strongly suggest you call your vet!

 

[emmylou]

It tastes terrible and one possible side effect is nausea. However, my cat has taken it a lot and hasn't really thrown up. What I gather is that it's a very effective medication with the fewest possible side effects -- the real downside is that it's hard to get cats to take it.

You can reduce the chances of vomiting by giving it just after the cat has eaten, rather than on an empty stomach.

 

[mooficat]

aww sweet Maisie Moo, I hope shes settled down OK now that shes home

give her some chin scritches from us for being a brave girl

 

[jennyr]

Two of mine were on it for internal parasites, and I was told always give it after a meal, as it might make them sick. They didn't vomit.

 

[jaffacake]

Thanks for all your replies!

I`m going to ring the vet in the morning I think. She`s supposed to take it twice a day and she gave us some Hills ID as nothing else is working but she wont eat it. I can`t pill her on my own and there`s no-one here to help and as she hasn`t eaten I better wait anyway going on what you`ve all said.

She seems alot happier this evening and is sat on my lap purring at the moment.

Vet said she will have to go on course of steroids if this medication and food doesn`t work.

 

[gothicangel69]

I've never used metron on cats, but I've had to use it numerous times on puppies. Like other people have said, it can cause nausea, however, none of the puppies I've given it to have ever vomited. Its a great medication in my opinion though. The pet store I used to work at always had some on hand in we ever had a case of diarrhea or soft stools and all the tests have come back negative because it works so well.
It could very well have been an upset tummy due to the fact that she was given the meds on an empty belly. Please let us know what the vet says.

 

[starryeyedtiger]

It's Flagyl- and yes, we use it at the shelter i work at all the time. We use it more often on our dogs- but we still do use it for cats on occassion and it works very well. I have actually taken a combination of Flagyl and Cipro myself when i had colitis from food poisioning back in March. The vet gave her good stuff- this should help settle her tummy

 

[jaffacake]

Is there an easy way to pill a cat?
I just cant get her to take it even with someone holding her! Just had anouther go on my own but she spat it out and then I couldn`t get her mouth open again. I don`t want to stress her out so I stopped.

She`s not beem sick today and is eating a little more this evening. Seems more herself but she hasn`t been to the toilet since we got back yesterday.

 

[emmylou]

I found it terrible to give Flagyl as a pill... because of the bitter taste, cats often foam and drool after you give it, even if you coat it with butter. They'll take it to a dark corner and spit it out if they can, or drool most of it away.

A compounding pharmacy can make it into a flavored liquid that's much easier to give. My cat still doesn't like it (particularly as you get to the bottom of the bottle, where the Flagyl flavor is more concentrated), but he's perfectly happy a few seconds later... big change from the pills.

 

[gothicangel69]

Grab the head with one hand :thumb on you side of the face, first finger on the other, and the rest of your hand over the head and ears. You should be able to find what seems to be two grooves which your fingers should fit right into. Push in a little bit and use the other hand(first finger) to open the mouth. Make sure to only place the tip of your finger on the edge of the cat's mouth and it should open with almost no resistance. Then just drop the pill right into the very back of its throat, close the mouth, and then stroke the throat. You can also try blowing in the cats mouth to encourage it to swallow. If that doesn't work, try giving the pill with a squirt of water. Then they usually will swallow the water, and the pill goes down too.
If you are doing it by yourself, sit against a wall with your legs apart. Put the cat in between your legs (facing out so that if he backs up, he backs up into you) Make sure the cats bum is in right against your body. Once you have the cats head, they usually don't make as much of a fuss.
That what I use when pilling dogs and cats and it works almost every time (even on the difficult ones)
Good luck!

 

[angie8]

Metronidazole (aka Flagyl) is a staple in my house, it ranks right on up there with food and litter as a necessity. 2 of my girls have IBD and need to take it on occasion so I keep it handy.

I'm not at all surprised your kitty vomited in the car after taking it. I'm guessing it went down on an empty stomach, then the car ride after being at the vets (think motion sickness on top of stress)..........I think I'd throw up, too

. Seriously, though, this drug is notorious for causing stomach upset and lack of appetite; it tastes very, very bitter & if kitty gets the slightest taste of it in her mouth, she is guaranteed to foam & salivate like nothing you've ever seen. You've got to be really, really quick & good at pilling a cat to get these down them without them ever tasting it. I give the pills, but I've been pilling mine for 7 years and have just gotten the hang of it. My first few tries pilling Gabby with Flagyl were a nightmare........and on rare occasions, if I don't get that pill just right on the back of her tongue, it'll still happen. All of that being said, it's a great antibiotic.......does the trick 9 times out of 10 with mine.

Always, always give it on a full stomach. If you've already been giving it & she doesn't want to eat, you may need to skip a dose or two until she's eating again, then re-start--only giving it when you're sure she has eaten. Also, double check with your vet about getting it compunded to one of the flavored liquids--might be easier. If, despite giving it on a full stomach, she still seems too sick or lethargic, check with your vet. It can cause lethargy, but it's always a good idea to ask if the cat seems sicker on the drugs than she was with the original problem. Good Luck...

 

[jaffacake]

Thanks guys!

I think I will have to ring the vet monday because I still cant get her to take it. I can`t get her to open her mouth wide enough so she has to swallow and not spit it out.

Will ask about compound as she`s not scratching or trying to bite but I think she`s getting pretty fed up of me trying now. Poor girl

She has finally done a poop which wasn`t runny this morning so I guess it`s ok to wait until then.

Think I`d keep my mouth clamped shut if it tastes as bad as you all say!

 

[white cat lover]

I do not blame her one bit for locking her jaw on you! I know sometimes cats are difficult to medicate....hopefully her stools remained formed until you can call the vet or longer!

 

[jaffacake]

Originally Posted by white cat lover

I do not blame her one bit for locking her jaw on you! I know sometimes cats are difficult to medicate....hopefully her stools remained formed until you can call the vet or longer!

Me too!
I think it`s a bit worse cuz they gave me huge pills that have to be broken into quaters so you can taste it more as it`s crumbly. I just licked it to see...

 

[debskats]

Originally Posted by Jaffacake

Me too!
I think it`s a bit worse cuz they gave me huge pills that have to be broken into quaters so you can taste it more as it`s crumbly. I just licked it to see...

Sorry, but I just got a visual there!

One thing you could try is either coating the pill in butter to help it slide down easier, but the best thing is to put it in an empty gelcap, then she won't get any taste of the medicine in her mouth. That's what I do when I have to give metronidazole.

 

[jaffacake]

Originally Posted by DebsKats

Sorry, but I just got a visual there!

One thing you could try is either coating the pill in butter to help it slide down easier, but the best thing is to put it in an empty gelcap, then she won't get any taste of the medicine in her mouth. That's what I do when I have to give metronidazole.

That`s a good idea! I will see if I can get hold of some.

 

[cathyc]

Metronidazole is also a staple in my house. My pharmacy compounds it into a capsule and I have no problems giving it to my kitty but he is easy to pill. Right now I have another cat with a UTI and have given him 3 rounds of antibiotics and he still has the infection. The reason being I can't get the meds in him. He gets a little bit in but spits most of it out. It has been a nightmare. Finally yesterday my vet gave me 7 syringes of Baytril and showed me how to inject it and I cannot tell you how much easier this is for me and him. If you continue to have problems you might ask your vet if this is an option. Good luck!

 

[pookie-poo]

Originally Posted by Jaffacake

Me too!
I think it`s a bit worse cuz they gave me huge pills that have to be broken into quaters so you can taste it more as it`s crumbly. I just licked it to see...

Cleo gets metronidazole when she has flare-ups of her IBD. For some reason, my vet always gives me a very high concentration liquid. I only need to give about 3/10 of a cc, twice a day. I also heard that it was an obscene tasting medicine, so, of course, I had to taste it myself. OMG!!!! It was the vilest thing I've ever put into my mouth (and it was barely a drop.) I immediately started putting it into a small empty gelcap, so that poor Cleo wouldn't have to deal with that obnoxious taste. It has worked beautifully for us. Cleo is an absolute dream to pill, but I'm sure if I had given it to her by syringe, it would have been a completely different story!!!

It works wonderfully to control her IBD symptoms, which for her is diarrhea. I also used it when I had an outbreak of Giardia from the sewers backing up in my basement...all three girls (what a nightmare!) The Flagyl worked like the magic that it is.

The only problem that I've ever encountered from Flagyl (metronidazole) is that Cleo's liver enzymes become elevated when she is on it for an extended time. Her liver numbers (AST & ALT) both return to normal fairly quickly once the Flagyl is stopped.

Good luck....hope this does the trick for you!

Pookie & the girls