Give Ronidazole to Cats with Trichomoniasis

Trichomoniasis is a parasite that causes diarrhea in cats. The most effective treatment for this infection is giving the cat a medication called Ronidazole. While effective, this medication needs to be handled and given carefully, as it can cause side effects in your cat and it poses a health risk to humans. Because of this, people administering Ronidazole to cats need to protect themselves from contact with the medication. However, despite these risks, Ronidazole can clear up your cat's infection, so it is important to give it to your cat as directed by a veterinarian.[1]

Steps

Protecting Yourself and Your Cat

  1. Wear gloves when administering Ronidazole. Ronidazole is believed to have carcinogenic properties in humans when exposure occurs over long periods of time. This means that you should not touch it with bare hands at all. Always wear gloves and avoid any skin contact with this medication.[2]
    • This medication usually comes in capsule form. Do not open the capsules unless directed by your cat's veterinarian, as this can pose the risk of inhalation.
  2. Protect yourself when cleaning your cat's litter box. While your cat is taking Ronidazole, you should protect yourself from contact with its urine and feces. This means that you should wear gloves while cleaning its feces. You should also double bag your cat's waste and used litter.[2]
    • Place the bags of waste directly into your outdoor trashcan.
    • Continue to wear gloves and double bag waste for three days after your cat finishes its course of medication.
  3. Do not administer the medication if you are pregnant. Those who are pregnant should not handle Ronidazole at all, even with gloves on. It has the risk of being toxic to embryos, so it should be avoided.[2]
    • Instead, find someone else in your family to give the cat its medication, and to clean out the cat's litter box.
  4. Keep an infected cat isolated from other cats. If one of your cats is found to have Trichomoniasis and others in your household are not, then the infected cat should be kept isolated. Trichomoniasis is spread via feces or oral contact, so other cats are likely to be infected if they are continually exposed to the infected cat.[1]
    • If one of your cats is infected, all of your cats should be tested for the parasite. It is important to have all infected cats in a household treated.

Treating Trichomoniasis with Ronidazole

  1. Follow the directions for treatment. With this medication it is important to follow your veterinarian's instructions precisely. The dosage prescribed should be followed exactly and you should read the label carefully.[2]
    • Discuss the medication with your veterinarian when it is prescribed and feel free to call the veterinary office for clarification if need be. It is important to give your cat the right amount of this medication, as giving it too much can cause severe side effects.
  2. Give your cat its medication. There are a variety of ways you can get a cat to take medication, even when it needs to be given in pill form. In most cases you will need to Restrain a Cat the cat, open the cat's mouth, and then get it to swallow its pill.
    • There are also other techniques, including using a pill shooter, hiding pills in food, and using a pill pocket, which is a treat that is designed to disguise a pill inside of it.
  3. Give the medication for as long as prescribed. It is important to give your cat its whole prescription of Ronidazole so that the infection can be totally eliminated. In most cases, your cat will need to take a 14 day course of treatment.[2]
    • Even if your cat appears to be recovered or on the mend, you should continue treatment for as long as prescribed.

Monitoring Treatment

  1. Watch for improvements to your cat's condition. If your cat has taken its full course of treatment and its condition has not improved at all, then you should call your veterinarian and request a follow-up appointment. If your cat's condition has improved, even slightly, but has not been totally cleared up, you may just need to wait longer for the medication to do its job.[2]
    • The symptoms of Trichomoniasis tend to get more severe, then improve, and then get more severe again over the course of the illness. This may give the impression that the condition is improving even when it is not.[1]
    • It can take Ronidazole several weeks to fully eradicate a Trichomoniasis infection.
  2. Manage moderate side effects. Ronidazole can cause a variety of side effects in cats. These include drowsiness, weakness, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting. If your cat has any of these side effects, they will need a little extra care.[2]
    • Make sure that your cat has a comfortable place to rest and has easy access to a litter box. Your should also feed them easy to digest treats if they are hesitant to eat their normal diet. Giving your cat a little extra attention and affection is a good idea too.
    • If your cat has any of these side effects, you should contact your veterinarian and ask them about possible treatments for the side effects.
  3. Contact your veterinarian if your cat has neurological side effects. Neurological side effects can include the cat being uncoordinated, having rapid movement of the eyes, having seizures, tilting its head unnaturally, having a slow heart rate, or having unusual rigidity or stiffness of its body. If your cat has any of these problems, you should get it veterinary care immediately.[2]
  4. Keep an eye out for relapse. Relapse is common for cases of Trichomoniasis, even if it appears that the infection has been eliminated with Ronidazole. If your cat appears fine after initial treatment, but symptoms appear again some time later, then treatment may need to be repeated.[1]
    • Even with the risk of relapse, it is important not to increase the dosage given to your cat in hopes of killing off the parasite.

Identifying Trichomoniasis

  1. Look for diarrhea. Trichomoniasis is a parasite that infects the gastrointestinal tract and causes diarrhea in cats. In many cases, this diarrhea may be uncontrollable, meaning your cat cannot make it to a litter box, or it causes the cat to go to the bathroom more frequently. The diarrhea may also include blood or mucus.[1]
    • If your cat has diarrhea that does not clear up quickly, no matter what the cause is, then it should be seen by a veterinarian. Diarrhea that continues for more than a day or two can be life threatening to a cat.
  2. Look for signs of illness in young cats. While Trichomoniasis can occur in any aged cat, it is more likely to occur in cats that are under a year old. If you have a young cat that has severe diarrhea, you should have it seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible.[2]
    • Diarrhea can be a very serious health problem for very young cats in particular. Even one day of serious diarrhea can threaten a kitten's life.
  3. Take your cat to be seen by a veterinarian. If you suspect that your cat has Trichomoniasis, you should have it looked at by a veterinarian. Tell the veterinarian about your cat's symptoms and when they started, and allow your veterinarian to do a thorough examination of your cat. If your veterinarian suspects Trichomoniasis, they will then test your cat's feces to look for the parasite.
    • Tests that your veterinarian may use for diagnosis may include a saline diluted direct fecal smear, inoculation into a testing pouch, or DNA extraction and testing.[1]
    • Testing your cat's feces will take some time.

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4364588/
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/ronidazole
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