The case against the use of metronidazole in canine canine diarrhoea gains traction
I’ve been uneasy for a while about the drugs we often use in acute vomiting/diarrhoea dogs. Metronidazole being high on the list. Recent evidence supports the contention that metronidazole isn’t necessary. And that’s not taking into account any possible longer-term adverse effects on gut microbiota.
Front. Vet. Sci., 04 June 2019 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2019.00163
A Randomized Double Blinded Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial of a Probiotic or Metronidazole for Acute Canine Diarrhea
Justin Shmalberg1*, Christina Montalbano1, Giada Morelli2 and Gareth J. Buckley3
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2019.00163/full
‘Dogs presenting with acute diarrhea achieved acceptable fecal consistency after 3.5 ± 2.2 days when receiving probiotic, 4.6 ± 2.4 days with oral metronidazole, and 4.8 ± 2.9 days with placebo; statistically significant differences were not identified between treatment groups‘
The same is true for the other, similar, recent study:
J Small Anim Pract. 2018 Jul;59(7):398-403. doi: 10.1111/jsap.12862. Epub 2018 Jun 7.
Evaluating the effect of metronidazole plus amoxicillin-clavulanate versus amoxicillin-clavulanate alone in canine haemorrhagic diarrhoea: a randomised controlled trial in primary care practice.
Ortiz V1, Klein L1, Channell S1, Simpson B1, Wright B1, Edwards C1, Gilbert R1, Day R1, Caddy SL1,2.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29882249
