Diarrhea after Metronidazole in cats

127 reports to the FDA describe diarrhea in cats given Metronidazole. That is 32% of all reports for this medicine, compared with 5.1% across reports for all cat medicines, so it is reported unusually often with this medicine.

127Reports

51%Marked serious

18%Recovered

18%Died or euthanised

3 daysTypical onset

How soon it started

Same day

24 22%

1–2 days

21 19%

3–7 days

23 21%

1–4 weeks

20 19%

Over a month

20 19%

How the animals did

Recovered

22 17%

Recovered with lasting effects

1 0.8%

Still unwell when reported

61 48%

Died

9 7.1%

Euthanised

14 11%

Not known

20 16%

Problems reported at the same time

50 39%

39 31%

35 28%

31 24%

22 17%

17 13%

15 12%

14 11%

Age of the animals

Under 1 year

1–3 years

4–7 years

8–11 years

12+ years

About this medicine

Metronidazole treats some bacterial and parasitic gut infections.

Questions owners ask

Can Metronidazole cause diarrhea in cats?: 127 reports link the two, but a report alone does not prove the medicine was the cause: other illnesses, other medicines or coincidence can be involved. Your vet can judge it for your animal.
How soon after a dose was it reported?: In half of the reports with dates, it started within 3 days of the first dose.
What should I do?: Don't give another dose until you've spoken to your vet, and keep the packaging so you can tell them the product and dose. Your vet can also report it to the FDA (or you can, through the manufacturer or FDA form 1932a).

Diarrhea with similar medicines

Diarrhea after Cefovecin (Convenia) 701 reports · 8.1% of its reports
Diarrhea after Amoxicillin + Clavulanate (Clavamox) 317 reports · 13% of its reports
Diarrhea after Enrofloxacin (Baytril) 46 reports · 2.9% of its reports
Diarrhea after Amoxicillin 63 reports · 12% of its reports

All reported side effects of Metronidazole in cats · Medicines most reported with diarrhea