ahicks51 Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 Some of you may remember our foster who has been having problems remembering he should be going outside, rather than on the carpet. The vet had him on a course of Flagyl (metronidazole); even after discontinuing it, he continued to pee and poop on the carpet. His appetite is also way the heck down. I figured the vet put him on Flagyl for giardiasis, and that it didn't "take" the first time 'round, which would explain at least two of the three symptoms, and maybe all three. So, the adopter (who has had him for over a year now) took him back to the vet- urinalysis and bloodwork- and asked the vet why the Flagyl. Turns out he *didn't* find giardia- he put him on it for "an imbalance of normal bacteria." He's always had problems with his stool consistency, so I'm not sure if he tried that to fix it or not. This is a vet that used to work with greyhound rescue- he supposedly knows the breed. I'm just confused as to why he'd give Flagyl when there's no apparent parasite problem, but to "fix" a bacterial imbalance- one that (best as I know) didn't involve any culture of the stool. Anyone else heard of this? Quote Coco (Maze Cocodrillo) Minerva (Kid's Snipper) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubcitypam Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 As far as I've ever know flagyl isn't for parasites, but is an antibacterial and used to fix loose poops and tummy troubles. Rex had a standing script for his colitis -- runny and sometimes bloody poops -- before we discovered the wonders of beet pulp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SillyDog Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 Well, I have heard of vets giving flagyl for diahrea not attributed to a specific cause. I've also heard of giving flagyl when the dog is undergoing chemo and poops get soft -- might that cause an imbalance of the gut flora? Regardless of that, it seems like this vet is missing something with this dog. If the flagyl is going to work it's going to do it pretty quickly. It's obviously not working for this grey. Plus, the loss of appetite suggests something else is going on. What other differentials have been tested? I'd be looking for allergies, TBDs, joint pain or maybe a mild spinal column injury for this guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahicks51 Posted June 4, 2007 Author Share Posted June 4, 2007 As far as I've ever know flagyl isn't for parasites, but is an antibacterial and used to fix loose poops and tummy troubles. Rex had a standing script for his colitis -- runny and sometimes bloody poops -- before we discovered the wonders of beet pulp. Yeah; Flagyl is big for giardia and amoebas. The more I think about it, the pup came in with loose stools, so the vet cuts a script for Flagyl in the hopes it'll cure whatever's wrong- shotgun pharmacopoeia. As for what else might be wrong- he's a young guy (maybe 4 years old), and when he was here, his stool was never very firm. I think it's dietary; he was on Kirkland's when we had him here, and the adopter stuck with that. Maybe I'll see if she's tried the usual pumpkin, or if she's tried other diets. Quote Coco (Maze Cocodrillo) Minerva (Kid's Snipper) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinnieAndRexsMom Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 (edited) Also, I have learned that the flagyl dosage for giardia is huge compared to the flagyl dosage for tummy troubles. We did 6-250s a day when we were treating for giardia (sample was outsourced to a lab with flioiurescent stain testing and I didn't want to wait). When we treated for gut troubel/popopin' probs, we were taking much less. (the dogs, not me) We had a big run of the poos (pun intended) and gut problems and found out there was a formula change in the food. New brand, new poop. Good poop Adding: we gave acidopholous caps to restore the good bacteria after such a long run and high dosage of flagyl. Edited June 4, 2007 by VinnieAndRexsMom Quote Tonya, mom to May, and my angels Vinnie, Rex, Red, Chase, and Jake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubcitypam Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 As for what else might be wrong- he's a young guy (maybe 4 years old), and when he was here, his stool was never very firm. I think it's dietary; he was on Kirkland's when we had him here, and the adopter stuck with that. Maybe I'll see if she's tried the usual pumpkin, or if she's tried other diets. Two words -- Beet pulp. Probiotic that is supposed to also regulate water in the intestines. She might want to find a food high in it or supplement with it as Kennelmom does -- there are threads on it. Worked wonders for us and pumpkin and live culture yogurt didn't do anything. Every dog is different tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batmom Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 Flagyl is both an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory, so it's often used for gut problems of indeterminate origin. It's very safe and few dogs react badly to it; you can give it pretty much permanently without causing problems. IIRC, same dose for giardia, which may be why it isn't as effective as Panacur for that. Quote Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in IllinoisWe miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mandm Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 The dog could have SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) which is diagnosed with a fasting blood test. My dog had it and treatment options were Flagyl or Tylan. I went with the Tylan because it is supposed to be gentler on the system if used long term. And long term is often what is needed. My dog was on Tylan for one year. It helped, but didn't really "fix" the problem. The most effective thing was a change in diet. No carbs in any form, which means no kibble, grain free or otherwise. I tried many things but finally (reluctantly) settled on a low fat raw diet, which has solved the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KennelMom Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 Flagyl is both an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory, so it's often used for gut problems of indeterminate origin. It's very safe and few dogs react badly to it; you can give it pretty much permanently without causing problems. IIRC, same dose for giardia, which may be why it isn't as effective as Panacur for that. My understanding as well. I wouldn't have a problem w/a vet prescribing it with the symptoms you describe and not being able to find anything specific. Can't hurt and usually helps (in my experience). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greytlucy Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 As far as I've ever know flagyl isn't for parasites, but is an antibacterial and used to fix loose poops and tummy troubles. Rex had a standing script for his colitis -- runny and sometimes bloody poops -- before we discovered the wonders of beet pulp. Yeah; Flagyl is big for giardia and amoebas. The more I think about it, the pup came in with loose stools, so the vet cuts a script for Flagyl in the hopes it'll cure whatever's wrong- shotgun pharmacopoeia. As for what else might be wrong- he's a young guy (maybe 4 years old), and when he was here, his stool was never very firm. I think it's dietary; he was on Kirkland's when we had him here, and the adopter stuck with that. Maybe I'll see if she's tried the usual pumpkin, or if she's tried other diets. Could he have a food allergy? I had all kinds of issues with ZIggy when he was young until I figured out his allergy situation...not the least of it was frequent non firm poop issues.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tobinhr Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 Could he have a food allergy? I had all kinds of issues with ZIggy when he was young until I figured out his allergy situation...not the least of it was frequent non firm poop issues.... Mac also had food allergies that manifested itself in loose stools and general intestinal havoc. We did about three rounds of medication (flagyl) and then I switched him to raw. (This was after I started reading about food trials and all the work to find an appropriate kibble...I am a slacker hound mama.) He's been fine every since, but if he gets into kibble, the result is runny poop and noisy stomach! Jan Mac, the sensitive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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