I'd clarify with the specialist what kind of reaction to what med he is
talking about.  Metronidazole can cause neurological complications (my cat
had them, I thought he was dying!).  Don't be afraid to call back and get a
clear answer.

I can virtually guarantee you that if Phil sees this post, he is going to
nix the Baytril, in favor of ... oh, cr@p, I can't remember its name!  At
any rate, another drug that's newer thsan Baytril.  (And when my hard drive
was reformatted last year, I lost all of the saved info about this kind of
stuff.)  There was a huge discussion here on rpch+b once, re: Baytril.

Debbie was on it for over 4 years, w/ no apparent probs.  And she had
frequent full panel blood work done, to keep track of her liver enzymes, her
thyroid levels, etc., etc.

Research that was delved into at the time of the discussion showed that only
in high doses (beyond the recommened doasge - way beyond, IIRC) was
blindness or partial vision loss an adverse effect that may (odds were one
in how many? very low, at any rate) occur.  Then again, Jasper's virtually
blind, so perhaps it's a moot point, no matter if he's on the lower -
recommended - dosage, where it's not going to happen, anyway?

It *is* true that Baytril is a strong drug, & is only used when: A) a first
line of defense has proven to be ineffective, or B) the case is severe
enough to warrant the immediate use of Baytril.  Debbie was on amoxicillin
first - it didn't help her, whereas Baytril did the trick, re; her liver
disease.  Same thing with my one of my other cats, Herrie.  He was on an
antibiotic for a UTI, which didn't clear it up, whereas Baytril did.

The twitching, or the med regimen?  If the twitching, I'd keep an eye on him
& along w/ the oozing butt syndrome you mention below, keep the vet up to
date with his symptoms.

My gut reaction is just that his system is

As long as your plans are set (or ready to e-mail in to the office to give
to a sub), you could take a sick day, or a personal day, I suppose...

Cathy

Metronidazole can cause tremors or other neurological signs.  Baytril - even
at the 'new' dose can cause ataxia and seizures - but very rarely.

If hypoglycemia is a potential problem, you might want to think about
picking up a glucometer to monitor is blood glucose.  Urine dipsticks are
useless for detecting hypoglycemia - the lowest they go is just negative for
urine glucose.  You buy an Accu-Chek meter and I'll send you a double box of
100 test strips. How's that?

It seems he only twitches, as I

Did you ever pick up a tube of Nutri-Cal?

Metronidazole & steroid is a standard protocol for IBD.  Metronidazole is
'Flagyl' which is used to treat Giardia and anaerobic infections but it also
surpresses cell-mediated immune responses in the intestines - which may be
why he's not vomiting (?).  Its a little hard to tell if he had a
self-limiting bout of acute pancreatitis or if he's responding to IBD
therapy ;-/   Right now, who cares which - as long as he's stabilized and
improving!  You probably won't know which until your vet tapers or
discontinues the meds.

I'm not a proponent of Baytril - but I'm not sure why he even prescribed *a*
fluoroquinolone.

Metronidazole and Baytril can both cause diarrhea. It might take him a few
days to equilibrate the meds and eating again.

Leaky butt and all! ;-)

Pam, you don't look very well.... better play it safe and call in sick
tomorrow..... ;-?

Phil

Umm. I think cats, like dogs, sometimes twitch when they are
dreaming.