Is it safe to take a cat off diarrhea medication earlier than the prescribed amount of time after noticing the symptoms improved? Can I estimate the dosage and administer the same medication to my other cat if she also has diarrhea?
Original Question: My dog was given Metronidazole Benz 50 mg/ml (1cc2xdaily) and Sulcrate Plus 5 ml (2cc 2x daily) for diarrhea plus she was given a B12 injection and another injection 0.42 Cerenia. Due to some research, I was extremely worried that this causes death. The instructions are to continue for 8 days however after approximately 2 bouts of both she appears to be on the mend with her regular poops. Not only that, we have great difficulty in giving her meds so we have stopped. Is that wise? Hot off the press my other baby (Persian) Olive is only 2 years old and she now has diarrhea since this morning she has gone 3 times even though we have been on top of cleaning the litter, etc. Is it safe to give her some of the meds as well but a smaller dosage as she is a small cat. I am so stressed out! I am in the process of boiling some rice and a piece of chicken to see if that will help. I welcome any comments. At least no vomiting. Thank you again! - Marlene
Oct 12, 2017
Hi Marlene,
Thanks for contacting us! You are not alone in dealing with diarrhea in your cats – a very common problem! I do have some suggestions for you to consider. I did not see you list any results of diagnostic tests – if these have not been done, I would strongly recommend doing some testing, especially if the problem continues. Since both cats have been affected, I would be suspicious of something infectious – you can investigate this further by submitting a fecal sample to your vet to look for parasites. More advanced testing can be done on feces as well to screen for other pathogens if your vet deems appropriate. Blood work and imaging may also be warranted – please discuss this further with your vet if the problem is not resolving.
You should administer the medications as directed by your veterinarian and for the length of time that it was recommended for. If you are having difficulties administering the meds, they may be able to provide you with a different formulation or advice on how you can give it more easily. Don’t hesitate to give them a call – I am sure they would be happy to help. I would not recommend adjusting the dose of the medications prescribed for your older cat in order to give them to your younger cat. Every pet is different and prescriptions are calculated carefully for each pet. An overdose can happen easily in pets. Their smaller body size means that a small dose change can have a big impact. Please do not give any medications without consulting your vet – they know them best! Best of luck with your kitties.
Dr. Kim Hester
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