r/AskVet • u/No-Chicken7703 • 15h ago

Metronidazole

So.. My Siberian husky (6y, F, 42lbs) and German shepherd(3y, F, 60) had diarrhea bad. Shepherd started first then husky. Vet prescribed metronidazole and panta flora packets. Told us to stop pills once diarrhea stops and they should be good.

Shepherd was fine, husky was not after stopping. Took her to the ER vet since we were traveling and she was impacted and needed an enema. They represcribed metronidazole but lectured that we had to finish the full course and upped dosage to 1 1/2 pills every 12 hours for husky. All her labs and bloodwork came back normal no parasites no bad bacteria nothing. So why did one vet say stop once diarrhea stops and the other up the dose?

3 Upvotes

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13

u/Shantor Veterinarian 14h ago

I've have never once seen a dog have constipation without serious medical problems. I doubt this dog truly needed an enema.

Metronidazole is rarely and should rarely be prescribed for diarrhea since more diarrhea is self limiting and can be addressed with a few days of fiber and probiotics. When it's used, it's used sparingly and since it has a good chance of killing off a good portion of gut bacteria, I recommend only giving it until the diarrhea clears and then the owner can stop.

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u/No-Chicken7703 14h ago

Thanks so much! Thats what the first vet said as well. I really think she just needed a stool softener but when they showed the Xray they showed a small pocket on her back snd they said the fecal matter was hardened there.

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u/Shantor Veterinarian 13h ago

A healthy dog wouldn't have constipation. Even hard stool will pass if they are drinking and eating normally.

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u/ArtichokeOwn6760 13h ago

Vets use antibiotics differently. Metronidazole is sometimes used as an “antibiotic” and sometimes used for its seemingly magical ability to stop diarrhea of unknown causes that we cannot determine on tests but seems to work anyway.

Diarrhea that does not resolve with a single 3-7 day course of metronidazole warrants further work up. I hope you can get
Some answers and your pup gets better.

1

u/No-Chicken7703 12h ago

Thanks! She seems better but she also has the world’s most sensitive stomach 😅