# 7 month pup on Flagyl (metronidazole) and Cerenia, anyone have experience w/ these?



## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

Flagyl is also an anti-inflammatory, which is probably why it was prescribed. It's pretty common.

Brain damage was listed on one site as an extremely rare side effect. I've never heard of it. Heck, water will kill you if you drink too much of it.

It's good to be aware of side effects but I certainly wouldn't stress over it.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

Flagyl's the first go-to for a GI upset most of the time for most vets. It shouldn't be used in young dogs for any length of time, but for quick relief it is a good drug. You don't always have to finish all drugs your vet gives you- if you got the results and found that she had nothing for the flagyl to kill, I'm sure they'd be fine w/you stopping it. Ask. It's one of those antibiotics that get given in a day's dose and never completed pretty often, most everyone I know carries it in their tack box. They probably sent it home w/you to get on top of anything she had...though I have to say that 350 is a super high vet visit for so little.


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## elly (Nov 21, 2010)

Chester is on Flagyl and has been for many many months now for inflammatory bowel. He's fine with it and although he's a bit crazy at times  I am sure there's been no neuro side effects!!


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## NewfieMom (Sep 8, 2013)

I had to go look up Flagyl to be sure it was Metronidazole. Since it is, I can tell you not to worry about it. My Lab, Biscuit, was on it for many years and now my Newfodundland, Griffin, has been on it for a few years. My current vet researched the HECK out of it (and she went to Cornell veterinary college) because Griffin went on it at a younger age than Biscuit and without having undergone all the scopings that Biscuit did. *She found out that a dog can safely live his whole life on it. * Which Biscuit, of course had, with no problems whatsoever. (Biscuit had been scoped and there was hard evidence that he had irritated upper and lower intestines and stomach, if I recall correctly, which I probably do not). Griffin "just" had symptoms that made him miserable.

*Griffin is not happy when I wean him off the metronidazole, so he lives on it.* Even with a controlled diet. (Biscuit, by the way, was on such a strict diet that I couldn't even give him chewable heartworm pills!)

Metronidazole is your friend and it has no bad side effects. If you read the PDR about every drug you take, you would never take anything a doctor prescribed for you either. Metronidazole is my friend. And, yes, I have been on it at times, too. Prescribed by my own board-certified doctor!

NewfeiMom


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Our collie has been regularly getting flagyl for his chronic gut issues... and about the two side effects that I can think of as far as LONG TERM use - it does affect the liver after a while, so you have to keep an eye on #s and have them checked a couple times a year.... and the other more drastic problem is it does not work as well and we've had to go to preds for some flare ups recently. 

For the goldens - we always keep a bottle on hand and treat as needed. Our goldens really have not had too many digestive indiscretions, but when they've had minor stomach viruses (gastroenteritis - your pup may have had this) It's one of those things I think is a huge deal making sure it's in your medicine cabinet with dogs...


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## lilypad819 (Nov 3, 2013)

Thank you all! it's a relief to hear your dogs have been on it safely. She seems fine, just the normal teenage spaz. Although since the vet visit she has barely pooped at all.


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## NewfieMom (Sep 8, 2013)

Megora said:


> Our collie has been regularly getting flagyl for his chronic gut issues... and about the two side effects that I can think of as far as LONG TERM use - it does affect the liver after a while, so you have to keep an eye on #s and have them checked a couple times a year....


I disagree with what you wrote above. Metronidazole never damaged my dogs' livers despite long term use. Perhaps you might have said that it _*sometimes causes*_ liver damage. Also: my veterinarians never recommended tests for my dogs' livers while they were on Metronidazole and I have had excellent vets. That does not mean that all vets operate the same way. Other excellent veterinarians may think that testing the liver _*is* _wise. But I want to share my own experience. The vets treating my dogs have considered Metronidazole very benign. As another poster stated, even water can be lethal. One of my (human) clients gets his enzymes out of balance by drinking too much water and often has to be hospitalized, so I was struck by the truth of that remark.

NewfieMom


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Newfie Mom, you need to talk to your vet about this or get a second opinion. _Yes_. It does cause liver numbers to be higher with long term use (our collie is almost 9, he's been getting flagyl fairly regularly since he was 2). And yes, it can cause damage to the livers if used more regularly than we have. YES we have his blood checked every year, and YES his numbers do fluctuate based on flagyl use. 

I don't think our vets ever advice blood tests, but based on the warnings - we do them anyway. 

At the mildest though - long term use means that it might not work as well down the road. And as we experienced with Arthur, he had to be put on prednisone a couple times because of bad flare ups.


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

I use metronidazole all of the time in practice. I use it in my own dogs and tonight as I look at Tiki's pantaloons, perhaps,she needs it.. I have seen it cause a problem once in almost 28 years of practice. And that was at the highest dose and it caused seizures...in a greyhound..


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## Ruby13 (Dec 28, 2013)

Flagyl is the drug of choice anytime you have a flora imbalance in the intestines. (Bad bacteria exceeds good bacteria, causing vomiting and diarrhea because of the imbalance...)

I would not worry about the potential side effects for short term treatment...I would be more concerned over a dehydrated critically ill pet, which could very easily happen, if untreated. 

Interestingly enough, any time you have a bacterial imbalance, it is always possible that it was caused by antibiotics initially - the human equivalent of Clostridium difficile. 

Many medications elevate liver enzymes _while _taking them. But, in most cases, the benefits outweigh the risk, and the liver enzymes will return to normal quite rapidly after stopping the medication. Usually the only medications _proven_ to raise liver enzymes are those that are taken long term at higher than maintenance dosages. 

If impaired liver function exists, flagyl will not work as well because the liver metabolizes the medication, however, clinical trials do not suggest that flagyl will _cause _impaired liver function. It's actually even safe to use with a diagnosis of mid stage hepatitis, so that indicates that the possibility of liver damage is minimal, if at all.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Metronidazole was a lifesaver for Shala in her early days with me. She was on it 3 times within her first 3 months home with me - once for 3 weeks. I was ready to take out stock in the company!

Cerenia - my dear old girl, Tesia, got it once when she was nauseous and not eating. It didn't help at all - but she was dealing with some pretty heavy duty antibiotics and chemo drugs. If I remember correctly, cerenia is given by injection and hurts going in (stings). So you have to weigh the benefits against that.



lilypad819 said:


> Thank you all! it's a relief to hear your dogs have been on it safely. She seems fine, just the normal teenage spaz. Although since the vet visit she has barely pooped at all.


 I often find that after Shala has had diarrhea, whether she gets metronidazole or just some rice, she doesn't poop for 12-24 hours as things firm up and get back to normal. It was the same with Tesia.


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