Metronidazole

[Walliered]

Ho many days does it take for Metronidazole (500mg) start to start working?

 

How

[Feisty49]

My Annie took the last pill this morning of 10 days on 250 mg of Metronidazole and it did nothing. Actually, her diarrhea is worse. Today I pick up more Metronidazole and probiotics (cream and capsule) from my vet. I'm at my wit's end wondering if this will ever be resolved.

[TheFullHouse]

The usual course is 7 to 10 days. My vet usually tells me to give immodium along with it. Gee just had another go around with a bad tummy this week and I started her on both drugs and it took two days to get her back on track. I've also started her on probiotics which may be what helped this time.

[Guest HHHounds]

It always worked pretty fast for me - within a day diarrhea was better...

[greysmom]

Dorie is going on 10 days (with a gap in the middle) of 250 mg 2x per day with no appreciable improvement in her diarrhea situation.

[Newgreymom]

Metronidazole did nothing for Dylans diarreha, but when we tried Tylan powder (Rx from vet) that did the trick. Actually, he doesn't even get the occassional poops at all anymore...

[greyhead]

It didn't help Spencer's diarrhea at first, three years ago, either. Neither did tylosin. Then we had an actual poop culture and sensitivity done, figured out the actual bacteria that were the problem, and which three antibiotics would kill it. It took *all three*, given serially over two months' time, to get the job done. Metronidazole was one of them. When we went back to giving it again, it was at a much higher dose than had been tried the first time. Can't remember just what that dose was, but I believe it was over 1,000 mg/day.

 

So this is why I always suggest a C&S on the poop, just like we do with urine for UTI's, if nothing else is working for diarrhea. Long-term diarrhea creates more serious problems, like intestinal malabsorption and IBD, both of which are permanent, which is what happened to Spencer.

 

Oh, and after all those antibiotics and treatment, he had to be on metronidazole long-term, and it did take the addition of tylosin to finally get the poop firmer. By that point, months down the road of treatment, I was amazed that the addition of something as relatively mild as tylosin would have such a big effect!

 

Hugs, scritches, and every good wish to all those pups and people struggling with this problem.

[TheFullHouse]

Gee goes on 500 mg. 3 times a day when she starts having problems. Little Jilly Bean was on 250 3 times daily so maybe 250 is to low a dose to show significant improvement in some.

[MerlinsMum]

Gee goes on 500 mg. 3 times a day when she starts having problems. Little Jilly Bean was on 250 3 times daily so maybe 250 is to low a dose to show significant improvement in some.

 

Yes. Merlin took 500mg once a day for a long time for his IBD and it didn't stop the flare-ups, and his appetite would come and go. We only started to see a tangible improvement when we upped his dose to 1000mg a day (500mg twice a day). His appetite came back with a vengeance, his stools are AWESOME. Dosage, it seems, can be just as important as the type of medication used. If the dose is too low it's not going to do much.

 

Merlin is a muscly boy, but he is still under 80lbs (74lbs to be precise). 250mg a day, even for a female, seems low to me.

[joejoesmom]

I know it is a different situation because Joe's diarrhea is a side effect from long term chemo, but OSU has me give him 500 mg twice a day (a total of 1000 mg) and continue for 5 days. The diarrhea usually starts clearing up in 24 hours. Joe weighed 75 pounds before his amputation.

[Walliered]

Thanks all. It is not diarrhea this time. It is panting, pacing and wanting to be in the other side of the house without me and he always wanting to be close to me...He has IBS and now she is changing his diet from Science Diet I/D to Science Diet Z/D because she thinks this was triggered by a food allergy. I confessed I had give him a tiny bit of sardines in water and I thought that is what started it again. Anyway I was up at 3:00AM giving him Kaopectate (2-3 oz) and he is still wanting to be in the other end of the house alone. Today was the 3rd day on Metroidazole and he is panting a little less, but that is about all....I went to the vets today and left a message for the vet: Can she cut out the bad part of his gut or is there anything we can do that will long range help him..This dog food is $80.00 for 25 lbs. I cannot afford this, but I also cannot afford vet bills every other week. Sorry about the whining.

Thanks, Nan

[Walliered]

He acted a little better this afternoon, but now we are back to square one. I am going to take him back to the vet tomorrow and see if she can figure it out.

[mychip1]

My Dustin gets 500 mg and we usually see the blood stop within 48 hours and normal poo within another day after that.....He gets sucalfate with it to coat his stomach.

 

 

[Walliered]

Guess I am not totally convinced it is an IBD flareup this time. He just stands in the middle of the room staring at me. He acts spooked at the slightest thing, like the light on in the bathroom. He is panting all of the time. I gave him 2 Tramadol (spelling?) a little earlier this evening and it seems to be easing what ever the pain is from. I know we cannot go on like this.

[Walliered]

Vet is going to operate on him Monday and see what is going on in his gut.

[Walliered]

She thinks his immune system is gone. IBS is caused by excessive nerve stimulation. It is caused by stress, fear and nervousness. Huck has all three and had them when he came to me. He is very close to being a spook. I really want some comments about this surgery.

[Batmom]

What exactly are his symptoms?

 

Has he had an abdominal x-ray and ultrasound? Bloodwork?

[Walliered]

A few months ago he had X-rays and blood work. She sent it to Texas A&M and it came back that he needed B12 shots for the rest of his life and that they strongly suspected IBS. Well he has been on a totally controlled diet of Science Diet I/D and doing OK..Last week he was walking by the mop and the handle fell on him and he panicked. He then got his leash tangled in a 5 gal bucket of folded towels and the faster it ran, the faster it came at him..I thought it was funny at the time, but I really think it threw him into IBS...On line it says IBS is caused by Excessive nerve stimulation. It says it is psychological and is characterized by stress, fear and nervousness. That is my dog in a nut shell. This time there is no big D or vomiting...just extreme pain in his stomach, panting, pacing and wanting to be in his crate in the back of the house. I can see the fear in his eyes.He has been on Metronidazole 500mg for 5 days with very little improvement. It seems to get worse at night. Any help would be really appreciated. Vet wants to cut him open Monday and see how bad his problems are. She says that is the only way to get to where his problems are.

[Batmom]

If there's no big D, why is he on metronidazole? That is the condition it treats.

 

If there's no big D and no vomiting, I certainly wouldn't do the surgery. It sounds like his digestive system is working well at this time. If there were serious, longterm vomiting and diarrhea that it didn't resolve with meds, I might consider surgery, but I'd want a repeat x-ray and ultrasound first.

 

It honestly sounds to me like something different is wrong. I might start looking at the meds he's been getting. Tramadol is pretty well-known for causing panting, pacing, and more or less stoned behavior. Metronidazole can also cause similar symptoms -- not as common as the Tramadol side effects but not rare either.

 

I wouldn't take a screech at the vets as evidence of stomach pain without supporting symptoms. I've had more than one dog that would screech if the vet palpated.

Edited September 10, 2011 by Batmom

[4My2Greys]

The only thing I see the surgery accomplishing is adding more stress to him. Like Batmom I wouldn't do it. I don't see what is to be gained by it.

[MerlinsMum]

I am not a vet but I agree with the above comments suggesting against surgery. Unless of course the vet suspects stomach ulcers, but even if that's the case, there are other far less invasive tests that can be done. Surgery is a big deal and it requires an extended recovery period; if he has an anxious temperament as it is, I wouldn't do it unless absolutely necessary and above all if the symptoms suggest that something is indeed very wrong with his gut. And in Huck's case there doesn't seem to be anything wrong, since he has no diarrhea or vomiting. I can see you're reaching the end of your tether and you have my sympathy. Merlin has IBD and this month alone we have spent $650 on him. Our very modest savings are dissipating into thin air.

 

Again, I am no vet, but it sounds to me as though there is something very different going on, from the symptoms you mentioned. I would cancel the surgery and explore options to get to the bottom of all the panting and pacing and wanting to be alone. One suggestion - if you aren't doing this already - is to watch him and write EVERYTHING down, including the time you observed the behavior, if it's before/after a meal, walk, or any other possible action or event that could be triggering his behaviour.

 

Some dogs can have severe reactions to certain medications. I= would start by taking him off the Metro (he doesn't have diarrhea anyway, right...? So not sure why he's on it). Then watch him to see what happens.

 

I am so sorry you're going through this. I know how stressful it is seeing him like this.

[Remolacha]

I wouldn't do the surgery either, at this point, unless the vet could explain to me exactly what she hoped to accomplish, and why it had to be surgery, rather than ultrasound or x-rays. I also agree about taking him off the medsto see if he is having a reaction. I would also want a battery of tests run to check for other possible causes.

 

I'm not a vet, but this is what I would do if it were my dog.

[tbhounds]

Repeat blloods- run a full thyroid panel. Have you run a TLI test before?? I think I would make an appointment with an internist before I jumped to surgery. Seems like your vet is jumping over some tests and diagnostic procedures unless, they just haven't been mentioned here before.

[Guest Swifthounds]

I agree with all three of the above.

Edited September 10, 2011 by Swifthounds

[TheFullHouse]

I don't think I would put my dog through surgery without further testing either. I would want an ultrasound for sure.