My kitten has diarrhea. How quickly does metronidazole work?

Question

So I took my foster kitten to see our shelter vet today as he has had explosive diarrhea lately. She didnt seem interested in determining the cause and instead gave treatment for the symptoms; however, I expected this. She prescribed 0.6 ml of liquid metronidazole BID and 0.3 ml propectalen 2 to 3 times daily. He tested neg for parasites by the way. About how long will it take the metronidazole to work? I hope not long due to concern for dehydration. I am giving SQ fluids though. Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Male | unneutered | 2 lbs

Kevin Sanada, DVM · Accepted Answer

I wouldn't be too hard on the vet in this case, because shelter vets are quite used to treating these cases and metronidazole kills most of the offenders for causing diarrhea. You are right to be concerned about dehydration and how quickly the treatment should work. In most cases the diarrhea will improve within a day of starting treatment. It may be 3-5 days before his stools are back to normal though. If the explosive diarrhea continues for longer than a day after starting treatment and/or the kitten seems to be very depressed/inactive, then it would be best to return him to the shelter. There are some cases that require hospitalization, but I can assure you that most are treated well at home with the prescribed protocol. For now, I recommend following the veterinarians directions and calling the vet tomorrow if he seems to not be getting any better, or seems to be getting worse. Below is a link to an article about diarrhea in cats that may be helpful. https://www.petcoach.co/article/most-common-causes-of-diarrhea-in-cats/ I hope that helps and the foster kitten gets better soon.

My kitten has diarrhea. How quickly does metronidazole work?

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