# GI Issues after finishing Metronidazole



## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Sounds like he has a puppy parasite of some kind. Metronidazole will firm things up, but it won't get rid of the issue, so it will flare right back up without the metro on board. I'd recommend doing a full fecal (get three consistent samples). Giardia and coccidia can be really hard to get positives for, but it sounds like something like that is going on (especially with the nighttime diarrhea). Good luck.


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## WiggumsMom (Aug 4, 2015)

We are going through this right now with our 6 month old. He was having diarrhea and the metro was helping a little, but not much. We got a call a few days later from the vet saying he had giardia. They had me start adding panacur to one of his meals each day for 7 days. 

If it is giardia, the metro will help, but may not completely solve the problem. I would definitely have the vets take some more fecal samples to see if they can find a parasite.


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## Wvsteph23 (Sep 4, 2015)

You have described what we are going through with our 3 1/2 month old girl right now! She has diarrhea in her crate at night and is fine the rest of the day. We go back on Friday to discuss options with the vet. She tested negative for a parasite last trip. I was using the Diatamaceous Earth food grade on her food and then stopped. I'm wondering if stopping g messed her belly up?? I just got her some probiotics and sprinkled some on ER food at lunch. I would love to follow this and hear what your vet says! Good luck!


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## joeycofrancesco (Jul 20, 2015)

Thanks, everyone! I go to the vet on Sunday and will be sure to update - but would love to continue hearing from others who have (or are currently) experienced a similar situation!


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

joeycofrancesco said:


> Thanks, everyone! I go to the vet on Sunday and will be sure to update - but would love to continue hearing from others who have (or are currently) experienced a similar situation!


 I would try to go sooner if you can. If it is a parasite, it can be very uncomfortable for your pup, and lots of diarrhea can cause inflammation of the colon or intestines (and you might see blood).


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## 115809 (Jul 27, 2015)

I had the same thing happen with my Rylee... long story short exactly what you describe. She was on Metro 3 different times (2 x for 5 days and 1 x for 2 weeks). They did 2 fecals that came back negative, she was wormed and was on food she had been eating from the beginning with no issues. The vet then put her on Tylan power for 30 days and knock on wood she has been off it since Friday morning with no issues thus far. 
Good luck! It will get better.. may take time but it will!


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## Love_my_Max (Jul 29, 2015)

My pup is 14 weeks & we have been battling this same thing for weeks, every time he goes off an antibiotic it comes back. He has had liquid amoxicillin twice for 5 days then they did a fecal test, said they seen clostridium, gave him amoxicillin pills for 2 weeks rechecked said they seen nothing but the diarrhea came back so they gave him Albon for 5 days & said they may be missing coccidia, he took his last dose Sunday & today the diarrhea is back. The diarrhea usually is worse at night with hourly trips outside with mucous diarrhea. As soon as we start antibiotics he is fine. I don't know what he will suggest now, surely all these antibiotics can't be good on his stomach either.


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## Wvsteph23 (Sep 4, 2015)

I'm just wondering if I has something to do with the food they are on? Maybe too rich for their stomachs or something?? Good luck everyone and I hope we can ALL sleep better soon!


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## joeycofrancesco (Jul 20, 2015)

Hi everyone -

Negative fecal, coccidia, and giardia from the vet yesterday. Given that he has had bouts with diarrhea few times, the vet thinks he could just have a weak stomach --- although I do not think that explains the middle of the night diarrhea that happens once every few weeks.

She provided me more metro to give on an as needed basis and recommended switching from pro-plan to a blander food.

Does anyone have any experiences with Royal Canin Golden Retriever Puppy or Royal Canin MAXI? That is what she recommend, but I am also open to other bland options!


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## AngelCoopersMom (Oct 15, 2015)

Our pup started the diarrhea at 15 weeks and we just started metronidazole yesterday. He was eating Purina Pro Plan large breed puppy from 7 weeks until Saturday (almost 16 weeks) 0when we went to rice and chicken...the diarrhea slowed but he wasn't eating much. When we tried adding a little of the PPP with the chicken and rice back on Monday and bam...more diarrhea. The vet wanted us to try a different food and recommended IAMS. So far with that and the metro he hasn't pooped since yesterday morning. He's had two meals so far.


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## moyamuhle (Oct 15, 2015)

I'm so sorry to read all of these other stories that sound so similar to ours. I hope all the pups are recovered but do feel better knowing our story is not unique.

We've had our fair share of issues since bringing our Dela home October 23. We've had infections, hot spots, giardia, etc. My sweet girl has been on FIVE sets of antibiotics and she isn't even five months old yet!!! At our last vet appointment on Tuesday the vet did yet more fecals and declared no parasites but that her gut had absolutely NO good bacteria left (no surprise there!!! Too many antibiotics!) He promptly prescribed Purina Forti Flora (although I had been doing a proflora spray) and then another round of antibiotics!!!???!!! (This time general amoxicillin). Still wondering how the proflora won't die off with the antibiotics...but the idea of having normal stools is tooooo good. My fingers are crossed. OH! And also went on Prescription Diet I/D leaving our Taste of the Wild. I know many of you have questions about Science Diet and Hills. Hoping to get back on to a higher grade food soon. But perhaps my girl also has a sensitive stomach. *sigh* At this point I'm willing to try ANYTHING to get her well. 

Really wished I had taken the pet insurance option from the beginning HA! 

This post seems to have turned out to be a "oh poor me" rant rather than contributing advice or asking for help. But I just want to say how much I enjoy these forums. They are so so helpful. Thanks to EVERYONE who contributes.


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## AngelCoopersMom (Oct 15, 2015)

Bless her heart! She has been through so much in 5 short months. :-( I hope she gets stabilized soon.


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## Lambeau0609 (Aug 3, 2015)

My puppy when he was 12 wks went through the same thing. The nights were brutal with him up with diarrhea. He was on metro for giardia and it took about a month of metro and antibiotics and being put on Royal Canin prescription GI food for it to finally clear up. I also started him on probiotics twice a day. After about a month on RC GI food I switched him to Royal Canin puppy food for Golden Retrievers and have never had a soft poop since. 4 months since his stomach issues and he is doing great. Try switching your food.


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## Wvsteph23 (Sep 4, 2015)

Hopefully this is something you can get under control very soon. It's very hard to figure out exactly what is wrong and what food is going to work for their little tummies. We have been on Purina Pro Plan Lamb and Rice for about 3 months now and it seems to be working for her. I hope you find the rice mix for your baby!


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## moyamuhle (Oct 15, 2015)

Well, I actually cried at the vet today. My Dela sure is consistent! Absolutely fine with an antibiotic (Metro or Amox) but two days after that finishes, she is back with diarrhoea. I have been giving her FortiFlora and she is on I/D food. I've taken her off all other treats. No bully sticks, rawhides or treats. She gets her kibble as a treat which she seems to love. Alas. Just took a sample in this morning and should hear back soon. They are doing a snap test (she had giardia awhile back), cytology and a normal fecal exam. 

Luckily, she still has energy, an appetite and is hydrated. This poor girl only 4 1/2 months has basically been on an antibiotic since November!!!!!! No wonder she has ZERO good bacteria in her gut. Whew, what a roller coaster. Plus, it seems this always happens on a Friday. *sigh*

So many of you have had similar experiences. I assume they all go away eventually but few post how you got your pups well. Several have hinted at the change in food and how that helps. I'll speak to the vet again and ask. They really want my girl on Hills Prescription Diet-puppy. I haven't heard great things about that. Any experience with that food? She was on Taste of the Wild (Venison Puppy) until we put her on the Hills I/D for these GI issues. 

Would a food allergy/intolerance be hidden by an antibiotic? 

I've noted many people recommending:

Royal Canin Puppy food for GR
PPP
Wellness (Duck/Oatmeal)
Natural Balance (Venison/Sweet Potato) 

Look forward to everyones thoughts. I really do appreciate your attentiveness to Dela and me. <3


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## WiggumsMom (Aug 4, 2015)

Hi moyamuhle,

You mentioned allergies in your post. I can tell you a little bit about my story with Wiggum.

Wiggum had giardia when he was around 4 months old (he's almost a year now). He was in doggie daycare, so it wasn't a complete surprise as all you need is one other dog in there with it and it can spread like wildfire. He was put on metro and while it helped, it still seemed like something was wrong. Even after being off the metro for a while, and being diagnosed as giardia-free, his overall stool was much better (no diarrhea) but he still would always have a tiny bit of pudding-like stool right at the end of his bathroom trip. So imagine perfectly normal stool followed by a tiny bit of mushy stool.

One day, and because of completely unrelated symptoms, we decided to get Wiggum an allergy test. Lo and behold, his food (Orijen Large Breed Puppy), while a great brand and grain-free, contained some of his allergens (sweet potatoes and green peas). As soon as we switched him to another limited ingredient food that was completely free of his allergens, his digestive system resolved itself. 

I'm not saying that this is the answer for you (and I don't know if an antibiotic would even be capable of hiding an allergic reaction), and it would require you to pay for an expensive allergy test, but you never know.


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## moyamuhle (Oct 15, 2015)

WiggumsMom said:


> Hi moyamuhle,
> 
> You mentioned allergies in your post. I can tell you a little bit about my story with Wiggum.
> 
> I'm not saying that this is the answer for you (and I don't know if an antibiotic would even be capable of hiding an allergic reaction), and it would require you to pay for an expensive allergy test, but you never know.


I LOVE the name Wiggum! Is there a story behind it? Sounds so boisterous, fun and adventurous!

As for the allergies, that is a very interesting take. I will certainly keep that in mind if our symptoms don't clear up. So glad you were able to get to the bottom of Wiggums problems. 

The vet called back with the results and, good news, they found nothing! No parasites, no giardia, zilch. So the good news is also the not so good news. They didn't find any reason for her stools being so so loose other than she still does not have any good bacteria in her gut. So we decided to keep her on the I/D food along with the FortiFlora for the weekend. We will hope to see some improvement. :crossfing Otherwise the vet suggested doing blood work and sending another stool sample off for testing elsewhere. 

I'm certainly feeling a little less stressed this afternoon as she hasn't had any more diarrhoea nor loose stools since this morning. LONG MAY IT LAST!

Thanks again for your story.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Giardia often goes dormant for several weeks and then flares up again. That's very common. It won't be like that forever - they generally just have symptoms until they are older and their little systems are strong enough to fight it off (generally around 6-8 months old). I would treat again, continue with the vet food for a while, once the next round of meds are done, resume the FortiFlora and then very slowly transition to a food similar to the prescription food (for us, Shala was on Purina EN and then onto Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy).


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## Krg7il (Apr 9, 2021)

I know this was forever ago. But what was the outcome? I have a 4 month old pup going through the exact same thing. Feeling hopeless.


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## MadMax930 (Apr 15, 2021)

Krg7il said:


> I know this was forever ago. But what was the outcome? I have a 4 month old pup going through the exact same thing. Feeling hopeless.


Wondering the same thing! This is exactly what we are going through with our 6 month old golden, Max. 

He has had consistent loose stools several times per night since he turned 4 months. He has been tested for parasites probably 8 times. He has tried 2 different probiotics, did a course of deworming meds as a precaution, anxiety meds. The only thing that works is metronidazole. Within 1 dose his stool is solid and regular throughout the day. He has been on 2 rounds of Metro and both times he started having loose stool again the 2nd night after he went off the antibiotics. He has had many many vet exams, diarrhea panel, general blood work, GI blood work. The only thing that came back slightly abnormal was mildly low folate levels so he is now on a supplement. Cant get him in to see an internal medicine specialist until June! 

Hope your pup is doing okay and you find answers! If anyone has any past experience with this and what worked, let us know!


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## JulieCAinMA (Jun 19, 2020)

Krg7il said:


> I know this was forever ago. But what was the outcome? I have a 4 month old pup going through the exact same thing. Feeling hopeless.


I totally relate to your hopeless feeling. I have been scouring the forum, as my 14-week old Archie just can’t get a break. Since we brought him home 6-weeks ago, he has basically been on Royal Canin GI food, 2-courses of Metro, (which stops it immediately, but then it starts up immediately after the last dose) and a probiotic the entire time. He’s had 2-fecal tests, (one was very in-depth), and both were clear. After 4-weeks, I left the 1st vet (her style wasn’t a match...after waiting 3-full days for a call-back, in the throws of blood tinged mucus diarrhea and not wanting to drink much water, I decided it was in Archie’s best interest to move on) and we have been with the new vet for 12-days, the length of the 2nd Metro course. The last pill was on Sunday and 24 hours later my poor guy was right back where he started. I’m waiting to hear back from vet #2, as to what to do next.

How did it finally work out for your pup?


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## goldy1 (Aug 5, 2012)

JulieCA,
Sounds like a rough time. Check into *Hill's Prescription Diet Gastrointestinal Biome Chicken Flavor Dry Dog Food*.
I've been very happy with it since we switched over in January.
This will not stop the diarrhea but better stools once you i.d. the cause of the problem. Nothing works like metronidazole.
We also consulted an internal medicine vet at a specialty practice. Was worth the wait.


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## diane0905 (Aug 20, 2010)

JulieCA said:


> I totally relate to your hopeless feeling. I have been scouring the forum, as my 14-week old Archie just can’t get a break. Since we brought him home 6-weeks ago, he has basically been on Royal Canin GI food, 2-courses of Metro, (which stops it immediately, but then it starts up immediately after the last dose) and a probiotic the entire time. He’s had 2-fecal tests, (one was very in-depth), and both were clear. After 4-weeks, I left the 1st vet (her style wasn’t a match...after waiting 3-full days for a call-back, in the throws of blood tinged mucus diarrhea and not wanting to drink much water, I decided it was in Archie’s best interest to move on) and we have been with the new vet for 12-days, the length of the 2nd Metro course. The last pill was on Sunday and 24 hours later my poor guy was right back where he started. I’m waiting to hear back from vet #2, as to what to do next.
> 
> How did it finally work out for your pup?


I had this go on with my first Golden for the first two years. He started out with coccidia. It went back and forth, but we got better at managing it. Have you tried Propectalin tablets? You can get them on Amazon and they were among the most helpful things we tried to firm up the stool. Of course, blood tinged requires Metro. We used the Royal Canin GI. Eventually, Luke seemed to outgrow it.


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## JulieCAinMA (Jun 19, 2020)

goldy1 said:


> JulieCA,
> Sounds like a rough time. Check into *Hill's Prescription Diet Gastrointestinal Biome Chicken Flavor Dry Dog Food*.
> I've been very happy with it since we switched over in January.
> This will not stop the diarrhea but better stools once you i.d. the cause of the problem. Nothing works like metronidazole.
> We also consulted an internal medicine vet at a specialty practice. Was worth the wait.


Thanks for your response!
Vet called back and we had a very good discussion. She also brought up an internist, which there’s a great group across the bay from me in Santa Cruz, CA.


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## JulieCAinMA (Jun 19, 2020)

diane0905 said:


> I had this go on with my first Golden for the first two years. He started out with coccidia. It went back and forth, but we got better at managing it. Have you tried Propectalin tablets? You can get them on Amazon and they were among the most helpful things we tried to firm up the stool. Of course, blood tinged requires Metro. We used the Royal Canin GI. Eventually, Luke seemed to outgrow it.


Wow, 2-years! I haven’t tried Propectalin, but will immediately look into it! Vet did say today that some pups have immature intestinal systems. Maybe Archie will be like Luke and just have to outgrow this, while we learn to manage it. Thanks for your response!


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## diane0905 (Aug 20, 2010)

JulieCA said:


> Wow, 2-years! I haven’t tried Propectalin, but will immediately look into it! Vet did say today that some pups have immature intestinal systems. Maybe Archie will be like Luke and just have to outgrow this, while we learn to manage it. Thanks for your response!


You're welcome. I used to buy Propectalin at the vets, but then I realized I could get it online -- a much larger amount for less money. Chewy sells it also. It's one tablet per 20lbs and you can give it several times a day (says on the label.) It takes a day or two, but usually works to firm stool right up.


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## Krg7il (Apr 9, 2021)

MadMax930 said:


> Wondering the same thing! This is exactly what we are going through with our 6 month old golden, Max.
> 
> He has had consistent loose stools several times per night since he turned 4 months. He has been tested for parasites probably 8 times. He has tried 2 different probiotics, did a course of deworming meds as a precaution, anxiety meds. The only thing that works is metronidazole. Within 1 dose his stool is solid and regular throughout the day. He has been on 2 rounds of Metro and both times he started having loose stool again the 2nd night after he went off the antibiotics. He has had many many vet exams, diarrhea panel, general blood work, GI blood work. The only thing that came back slightly abnormal was mildly low folate levels so he is now on a supplement. Cant get him in to see an internal medicine specialist until June!
> 
> Hope your pup is doing okay and you find answers! If anyone has any past experience with this and what worked, let us know!





JulieCA said:


> I totally relate to your hopeless feeling. I have been scouring the forum, as my 14-week old Archie just can’t get a break. Since we brought him home 6-weeks ago, he has basically been on Royal Canin GI food, 2-courses of Metro, (which stops it immediately, but then it starts up immediately after the last dose) and a probiotic the entire time. He’s had 2-fecal tests, (one was very in-depth), and both were clear. After 4-weeks, I left the 1st vet (her style wasn’t a match...after waiting 3-full days for a call-back, in the throws of blood tinged mucus diarrhea and not wanting to drink much water, I decided it was in Archie’s best interest to move on) and we have been with the new vet for 12-days, the length of the 2nd Metro course. The last pill was on Sunday and 24 hours later my poor guy was right back where he started. I’m waiting to hear back from vet #2, as to what to do next.
> 
> How did it finally work out for your pup?


I am sorry. I also went to a new vet. We both wanted Reese off medication. I'm happy to say that Reese has had firm stool for 3 weeks without medication. He put him on a anti diarrhea medication *Diphenoxylate . *That helped with the sloppy diarrhea. We continued with daily probiotics, no treats, no bones. I think not being on flagyl and staying with the probiotics helped manage his diarrhea. Never went on a prescription food. With being a puppy I know it's hard with treats because you want to train as well. We train during meal times and use kibble and that as worked great. Now that is diarrhea is gone completely we have started reintroducing chews. Hope this helps. And good luck💩


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## JulieCAinMA (Jun 19, 2020)

Krg7il said:


> I am sorry. I also went to a new vet. We both wanted Reese off medication. I'm happy to say that Reese has had firm stool for 3 weeks without medication. He put him on a anti diarrhea medication *Diphenoxylate . *That helped with the sloppy diarrhea. We continued with daily probiotics, no treats, no bones. I think not being on flagyl and staying with the probiotics helped manage his diarrhea. Never went on a prescription food. With being a puppy I know it's hard with treats because you want to train as well. We train during meal times and use kibble and that as worked great. Now that is diarrhea is gone completely we have started reintroducing chews. Hope this helps. And good luck💩


It's funny, because Archie has never had treats, he'll do anything for 1 piece of kibble (LOL)! Glad to hear that Reese is doing well!


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## Taylor22 (Nov 6, 2021)

moyamuhle said:


> Well, I actually cried at the vet today. My Dela sure is consistent! Absolutely fine with an antibiotic (Metro or Amox) but two days after that finishes, she is back with diarrhoea. I have been giving her FortiFlora and she is on I/D food. I've taken her off all other treats. No bully sticks, rawhides or treats. She gets her kibble as a treat which she seems to love. Alas. Just took a sample in this morning and should hear back soon. They are doing a snap test (she had giardia awhile back), cytology and a normal fecal exam.
> 
> Luckily, she still has energy, an appetite and is hydrated. This poor girl only 4 1/2 months has basically been on an antibiotic since November!!!!!! No wonder she has ZERO good bacteria in her gut. Whew, what a roller coaster. Plus, it seems this always happens on a Friday. _sigh_
> 
> ...


I am having the same issues with my Labradoodle (yes, I know it’s a golden retriever page) where he took the Metronidazole and back to the diarrhea. When I went to the vet I had asked if I needed to keep feeding him chicken and rice and when I told him I fed him the Hill prescription ID dry food (adult 1-6) he said...no, that is great food and very bland, specifically made for digestion issues and to just feed him that. We actually buy it for my other dog with pancreatitis and my labradoodle gets it out of convenience. I hope that helps me good luck!


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## JulieCAinMA (Jun 19, 2020)

Update on Archie. We finally deduced that Archie has a chicken intolerance. Everything we were giving him to soothe his tummy was chicken. Finally switched to a completely chicken-free kibble, have to read the ingredients carefully, because it seems that some sort of chicken product is lurking in many dog foods! This and continuing his probiotic powder every day has done the trick. It’s been months since he’s had a loose stool (knock wood)!


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