[Millie & Daisy]

I took my girls to the vet the other day because they've had severely loose, foul stools. They gave me some flagyl for the diarrhea. It's working so-so...but I was curious as to what flagyl actually is, so I looked it up and found out that it's actually an antibiotic used to treat bacteria resistant infections. I really want to know exactly what's going on and why they are being given this type of medicine, because it's never been fully explained to me. On top of that, I specifically saw that the FDA released a warning that Flagyl is CARCINOGENIC in RATS and MICE. I think I just had a mini heart attack.

I really want to know what the purpose of giving my animals a carcinogen is. They're on 0.1 cc each. Should they be on it? I'm not a vet and I know that most people here are not vets, but I am at my wit's end. Now I feel sick to my stomach...rats are already cancer prone as it is, I feel like I must have been force feeding them tumors for the last two days. Is it possible that they could develop cancer just from having been giving it these last couple of days? Why would the vet give them this if it's not even for diarrhea? Every time I ask what's going on with my girls health, it is never fully explained to me.

 

[RedFraggle]

It's n antibiotic for treating anaerobic infection which is what your vet suspects is causing the diarrhea. A short term course is likely to do more good than harm. Rats are not cancer prone most tumours on rats are benign, I only had one case of cancer in 17 years.

 

[FallDeere]

You should call and ask it be properly explained to you before giving them another dose.

Have you tried yogurt to help with the diarrhea?

 

[DustyRat]

Diarrhea is frequently caused by a change in diet. I think you should stick to lab blocks until the diarrhea runs its course. Be wary of dehydration too. Give them plenty of liquids and check skin elasticity every day.

 

[Rat Daddy]

Flagyl is metronidazole. I've used it to treat hole in head disease in discus fish and just did two courses myself for a digestive issue similar to what your rats have. Aside from being effective on certain bacteria it's also effective on other types of parasitic microorganisms.

It's likely fair to say that most medications have risks of side effects. I used to use chlorampenicol HCL to treat all kinds of otherwise incurable fish illnesses. But the stuff wound up being banned because it killed red blood cells too. After lots of kids died from a certain otherwise incurable illness, it's back in production and comes with more warning labels than will fit on most medicine bottles...

Used sparingly and appropriately, I used chloramphenicol to save a lot of rare and expensive tropical fish that would have otherwise died for sure. I'm also sure some careless doctors or vets used it to kill their patients. Like guns, medicines can cure or kill or both, knowing when and how to apply either is the difference between life and death. If your vet knows what he's doing and understands the risks, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Like I said, I just did two courses of metronidazole myself. And for the most part, although it didn't help, I'm no worse for wear, so far.