As a rule, different specialized drugs are used to treat people and animals, but some medicines can be considered universal. One of these drugs is the antibiotic Metronidazole, originally intended to treat people, but today it is also widely used in veterinary medicine.
It is forbidden to use it alone on animals, and only an experienced specialist can take the drug, taking into account the diagnosis and weight of the pet to calculate the correct dosage.
Appointment
Metronidazole treatment for cats and dogs is carried out if the animal has certain skin diseases, parasites or infections of the oral cavity. Cats are especially sensitive to side effects, so when choosing a medication, you should take this into account and regularly monitor the health of the pet. Animals during pregnancy, feeding cubs or with liver failure are prohibited from prescribing this drug.
In veterinary pharmacies, Metronidazole for cats can only be purchased by prescription. The drug is sold in the form of tablets and injectable solutions. The features of the latter option should not even be considered, since only a veterinarian can use it in treatment. In tablets, the medication is prescribed for home treatment, and you can learn more about pet therapy from the material provided.
Drug action
Metronidazole tablets for cats can be bought from any manufacturer. A change in the pharmaceutical company does not affect the effectiveness of the drug. A medication is available in a dosage of 250 or 500 mg. The tablets are always white in color, round cylindrical, with a bitter taste.
Metronidazole belongs to antimicrobial and antiprotozoal agents of a wide spectrum of action. It can be used in the complex treatment of mastitis, gingivitis, postpartum infections, gastrointestinal diseases, dysentery, stomatitis, diarrhea, balantidiosis, necrobacteriosis, giardiasis, infection with amoeba, trichomonads and so on.
"Metronidazole" for cats, dogs and other domestic animals (even cattle) is an excellent remedy for many diseases, in addition, they are infected with parasites much more often than humans themselves.
How to give a drug
Cats are very sensitive to any taste changes, so they rarely eat food with mixed medication. The bitter taste of the pill repels the animal, and treatment requires choosing a different tactic.
As such, instructions for the use of Metronidazole for cats do not exist, since the drug is intended for human therapy. You can find out all the nuances of dosage and administration at the veterinarian.
Experts advise washing your hands thoroughly before working with the medication. After that, the required amount of the drug must be crushed into powder and diluted with a small amount of water so that the liquid fits into the syringe without a needle.
The animal needs to be immobilized, tightly wrapped in tissue, open the cat’s mouth with fingers and pour the contents of the syringe directly into the throat. Only in this way the pet will not be able to spit out the drug and injure the owner.
Dosage
On average, the norm of the active component of the drug is 10 mg per 1 kg of cat weight. The dosage of Metronidazole for each specific case is calculated individually depending on the severity of the disease and the exact weight of the pet. For some individuals, for a complete and quick recovery, it is enough to give only 8 mg / kg.
Multiplicity of admission is always 2 times a day with an interval of 12 hours. It is recommended to choose morning and evening time for this. Relief of the condition of a sick pet occurs after the first dose, since the concentration of the active substance remains at around 80% for 8 hours after administration.
Bans to use
"Metronidazole" is contraindicated in cats with lactation, since the active substance of the drug passes into milk, making it bitter and affecting the health status of kittens.
If necessary, such treatment is interrupted by feeding kittens to artificial mixtures. In the future, offspring already rarely return to breastfeeding, so the owner should be prepared for the fact that he will have to feed kittens on his own. You can not treat the animal during pregnancy, as the substance can harm future cubs.
A contraindication is also liver failure of the pet and a tendency to allergies. Cats are generally very sensitive to many external and internal irritants, therefore, the appointment of the drug should be carried out taking into account all the characteristics of the animal’s body and possible reactions when several medications interact.
Side effects
The use of Metronidazole for cats, like any other antimicrobial drug, significantly affects the animal’s immunity, weakening the body’s protective functions. That is why during treatment with the drug it is recommended to isolate the pet from other animals and keep it at home for a certain time in complete cleanliness. Against the background of a weakened immunity, a pet may show signs of an allergy that was not previously noticed, which will lead to a deterioration in the condition of the animal.
In addition, a cat may experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, loss of appetite and other disorders of the digestive tract.
Hyperactivity, weakness, frequent urination, drowsiness, dizziness, and depression are observed in animals. As a rule, you can notice such negative reactions at the first manifestations, since the body of cats is very sensitive.
An extremely rare increase in body temperature is also a side effect of taking the drug. During the illness, it is difficult to determine the relationship between the fever and the prescribed drug independently, so you need to carefully monitor any changes in the behavior of the pet.
The elimination of all secondary reactions is carried out by stopping the medication, but, as a rule, this is not required, since in most cases the correct dosage does not entail any negative consequences.
Recommendations of specialists
To avoid serious problems with the health of the pet, you should regularly prevent infection with parasites. Cats, especially those that go outside, have a tendency to develop enterobiasis, pediculosis, the appearance of fleas and other pests.
Metronidazole may not always help cats, therefore, at the first symptoms of infection, you should consult your veterinarian for appropriate help.
If the animal has diarrhea and there is no opportunity to visit a doctor, you can give the drug to your pet yourself, but only by calculating the dose correctly. Even if after this the symptoms stop, you still need to seek the advice of a specialist.
You can store Metronidazole at temperatures from -10 to +40 without loss of therapeutic properties, the main thing is not to leave the medicine in open sunlight and with free access of children. You can buy the drug in any pharmacy at an average cost of 25 rubles.
Analogs
If necessary, an antibiotic can replace drugs with a wider spectrum of action:
- "Levomycetin";
- Ofloxacin;
- "Doxycycline" and others.
Along with the therapeutic effect, the list of contraindications, side effects and the risk of their occurrence are increasing, so if the doctor recommends using Metronidazole exactly, you should not replace the product yourself or ask a specialist about it.
Reviews
Veterinarians have long been using in their practice not only specialized preparations for animals, but also medicines from ordinary pharmacies. As for the treatment of dogs, finding a suitable drug is much easier, but when treating giardiasis in cats, veterinarians trust only Metronidazole. It so happened that nothing more effective has yet been invented. As for the treatment of animals that have contraindications for health reasons, then, despite all the advantages of the medication in question, it is simply necessary to replace it for the health and life of the animal. The instruction for Metronidazole (for cats, the veterinarian prescribes the dosage) provides for treatment at any stage of parasite infection and guarantees the result. Veterinarians respond extremely positively to the drug, since it shows the best performance indicators and, with the right dosage, is generally well tolerated by pets. Experts assure that in order to consolidate the result of treatment, it is necessary not only to complete the entire course, but also provide the pet with proper nutrition in the future, which will be enough for prevention.
Owners of cats say that in rare cases, but the animal’s body can react negatively to the medication.