Dog health info needed, please.

[RhiannonW]

My 12 year old lab recently drank some water from a creek. He got severe diarrhea and took a round of Metronidazole - an antibiotic. He's been off the medicine for 8 or 9 days now. Has anyone else used this medicine for their pet? If so, what were the side effects and how long did they last after the medicine was stopped?

Has anyone experienced their pet suddenly drinking a ton of water? If so, what was wrong?

I've got an appt with the vet in a few days, but was just hoping to hear some info from some of you.

Thanks, in advance.

 

[elaineyue]

Has your dog been drinking a lot of water since the diarrhea? Maybe he's losing a lot of water from the diarrhea and is just rehydrating. Is he throwing up also? Does he seem lethargic? If so, I would probably try to bring him in sooner.

I'm no vet, so I don't have any advice for you, but I know how you must feel! My puppy came down with parvo the day after I got him, and he was throwing up and had diarrhea. We had to give him subcutaneous (under the skin) fluids so he wouldn't get dehydrated. I was a wreck! But he got over it and now he's 2 years old and has abundant energy.

I wish you the best!
Elaine

 

[bestoutwest]

Hi!

Metronidazole can certainly cause increased thirst and urination. Other less common side effects can be neurologic symptoms (weakness, stumbling, head tilt, etc). These would all be while the dog was taking the medication, not after he's done.
If he had severe diarrhea, it is more likely that he was just dehydrated and making up for it by increasing his thirst. Other causes of increased thirst include diabetes, kidney or liver disease, thyroid disease, and certain types of cancers.
I would definitely keep the appt. and they will probably want to do blood tests to see if anything is seriously wrong.
I hope everything's ok! Good luck!