Why give metronidazole to a parvo puppy with similar symptoms?

Question

is metronidazole necessary for puppies who recovered from parvovirus? Considering its side effects cause nausea, vomitting, diarrhea and loss of appetite , which are all the symptoms for parvovirus. Pet's info: Dog | Yorkipoo | Male | unneutered | 2 months and 18 days old

Andrea M. Brodie, DVM · Accepted Answer

Since parvovirus causes damage to the intestines and therefore wnables intestinal bacteria to enter the blood stream , your puppy needs to be treated with antibiotics that cover a variety of bacteria (gram positive and gram negative). Metronidazole kills those bacteria and also seems to have a positive effect on the immune system, so it is the antibiotic of choice in parvovirus infections. We always weigh up the advantages (treating the infection) vs the disadvantages (side effects) when prescribing medications, so in this case the advantages outweigh the side effects and Metronidazole is indicated. Your puppy should aslo receive fluids and pain medication. You should also try to feed it very small amounts of wet food very often in order to keep its intestines working. It is usually best to hospitalize the puppy for a few days.

Why give metronidazole to a parvo puppy with similar symptoms?

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