# Medicine & foaming at the mouth



## alyssa060911 (Jul 10, 2012)

I took Olivia to the vet today. Last night I was giving her her usual foot bath and she pooped in the water, and there was a tinge of blood.
Long story short; The vet prescribed Metronidazole. I gave her a foot bath tonight, dried her off and gave her the first dose of medicine. Less than a minute after she swallowed it, she started foaming from her mouth and looked like she was gagging or choking!! (She has never annointed or foamed before.) I assumed this was annointing, but she did not spread it on herself. It was just all over the towel.

Has anyone else's hedgie ever done this? 

I am assuming she did not get any of the medicine, and I am about to call the vet to figure out what to do. I was just in total shock when it happened, I thought she was going to die.


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## Tabi (Jun 24, 2012)

My guess is that it was annointing, or vomit. But, vomit doesn't usually foam, so I guess annointing!  If you interrupted her foam, she most likely didn't feel like continuing to put it on her back.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Metronidazole is HORRID HORRID tasting and if you didn't mix it with something the taste was making her bring it back up. I've had that happen with numerous and most of the time they've started to foam like crazy. It's kind of like us when we get something so horrible in our mouths that our salivary glands go into overtime. Next time, mix it with a small amount of something that will hide the taste.


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## alyssa060911 (Jul 10, 2012)

Nancy said:


> Metronidazole is HORRID HORRID tasting and if you didn't mix it with something the taste was making her bring it back up. I've had that happen with numerous and most of the time they've started to foam like crazy. It's kind of like us when we get something so horrible in our mouths that our salivary glands go into overtime. Next time, mix it with a small amount of something that will hide the taste.


The assistant said it was chicken flavored, and never mentioned the bad taste. She loves chicken so I figured there would be no problems. But thank you for pointing that out , I will try mixing it into a small amount of food. The vet said just make sure she eats the entire food it is mixed with. He also said not to add any new foods right now, and to minimize mealworms and crickets for now. She refuses all other treats, veggies, and fruits so it looks like I have to mix it with her normal wet food.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I have heard of those that seem to be okay with the taste and even like it, but none of my gang ever have. :roll: You don't really need very much to disguise the taste. Since you are using canned food already, make certain there are no lumps and suck a small amount up in the syringe with the meds. Also give a mouthful or two afterward and she should be fine.


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## FamilyOfExotics (May 19, 2012)

I'm not sure if this relates.. But when my ferret got sick a while back, the vet prescribed metronidazol as well. Every time I gave it to her she foamed at the mouth a little, totally freaked me out at first! :shock: I used to slather it with her thick supplement, and she never failed to eat it willingly :roll: But she did foam at the mouth every single time! The vets I spoke to said that it was normal, and that it means she got the medicine at least!


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