Wrong dosage metronidazole - help!!

[midwest_beardie_parent]

I took my 11month old beardie to the vet today as she has been lethargic and not eating well. They tested for parasites and she has coccidia. They prescribed 2 doses of Ponazuril (pre-filled syringe) and 7 days of the antibiotic Metronidazole. The dosage on the bottle was 0.07ml but I mistakenly gave her 0.7ml! I feel so horrible. I reached out to the vet but they have limited knowledge and couldn't find much information on the risk. I am trying to contact some other reptile vets, but does anyone here have any knowledge on this issue? Sh was healthy up til a few weeks ago when the parasite issue started. She did fill her belly with crickets and had a bath before I realized what I did. I tried to give her more greens and water but she wasn't interested.

 

[KarrieRee]

I took my 11month old beardie to the vet today as she has been lethargic and not eating well. They tested for parasites and she has coccidia. They prescribed 2 doses of Ponazuril (pre-filled syringe) and 7 days of the antibiotic Metronidazole. The dosage on the bottle was 0.07ml but I mistakenly gave her 0.7ml! I feel so horrible. I reached out to the vet but they have limited knowledge and couldn't find much information on the risk. I am trying to contact some other reptile vets, but does anyone here have any knowledge on this issue? Sh was healthy up til a few weeks ago when the parasite issue started. She did fill her belly with crickets and had a bath before I realized what I did. I tried to give her more greens and water but she wasn't interested.

We need Tracie to advise - she's a vet tech mod on here flagging her-- @Drache613

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Oh dear. How is she doing after that dosage?
If you have some activated charcoal, please start her on a few doses. If you don't have any
activated charcoal, get some parsley, cilantro, mint, oregano & basil to make a paste when
adding a little bit of water. It helps with detoxing. You wont need to give anymore of the
Metronidazole right now. Let her body try to flush that out. You can try giving extra oral fluids,
daily as well.
Try to keep her warm overnight to help boost her system & metabolism. Usually around 75-80F
overnight is perfectly fine.

Tracie

 

[midwest_beardie_parent]

Thanks for your reply. She slept through the night and when she woke up this morning I gave her a warm bath and keeping her tank warm. She is not interested in food (other than live crickets). I will keep trying to entice her to eat her greens with the mixture you suggested. Also I have some critical care feed that the vet gave me and I can oral feed if she isn't eating voluntarily!

 

[CooperDragon]

It's good that she seems OK the following day. I'd keep an eye on her and offer plenty of water and give her some time to process the meds.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That is good to hear she slept through the night. So no black beard right now?
Definitely continue to try getting oral fluids into her & encouraging her to eat if at all possible.
Keep us posted on her!

Tracie

 

[midwest_beardie_parent]

Thank you! No blackbeard - she was just being chill again today and did eat after her bath. She basked a bit and went back to her cave. I will keep trying to coax her to take more fluids and spend more time out of her hide. I will keep you posted!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That is great news to hear she seems to be doing fine despite the excess meds. Just try to keep
encouraging her to bask as much as possible. It sounds like her system has been doing a good
job of metabolizing the medication & flushing it out.
Keep us posted on her progress!

Tracie