Baytril

[kellylynnmarie]

My chin-boy was on Baytril for a tooth infection. The vet said it was banana flavored and he LOVED it the first time around. It was like a treat. Now that I'm on the second round (a few weeks later since things don't seem to be clearing up and he's still "sick"), he is not as into it.

First - Are there side effects to Baytril? When I searched all I found is that loss of appetite occurrs because it tastes so bad.

Second - What's the best method to administer oral antibiotics if he won't willingly take them? It took two tries this morning and a play session in between for him to finish it.

Third - There isn't a solid confirmation that he still has an infection in his mouth/teeth. In that case, should he even be on this or any antibiotic?

 

[AZChins]

Baytril can affect the appetite and it can also cause digestive changes so chins may end up with diarrhea or very small droppings, etc. Loss of appetite isn't just because it tastes bad.

You can burrito him and force him to take his medication. Wrap him in a towel with just his head poking out.

The best thing to do is to give him probiotics to help replenish gut bacteria that the antibiotic will kill off. That will help with appetite and digestion. Sometimes antibiotics will make the chins go off their feed and they may need hand feed.

Tooth infections can be really tricky and it's always a good idea to treat it even if there's no indication that the infection is still present. Watch this very closely and if he starts drooling or losing weight or can't eat properly take him back to the vet. Sometimes jaw/tooth infections will require quite a bit of care, it's possible that the infected tooth may not go back to normal and you may need to have it pulled eventually. There are times where the infection just goes too deep and the antibiotics will help for a few months but ultimately surgery may be necessary.

 

[kellylynnmarie]

So the reason I'm doing the 2nd round of Baytril is because I was chatting with other chin-parents and they suggested to try another round of the Baytril (to see if that knocks out the infections, etc)... which means I didn't see or chat with the vet on this one.

That's why I'm torn on if he should be taking it or not. He has been hand-fed for about 6 weeks now (still is), but seems to be eating a little more... little by little... and I want to make sure this doesn't backfire and cause him to stop eating again... which is why I just want more opinions on whether I should be doing a second round or not?! I'm happy to stop if that's what's best...

 

[AZChins]

It's probably a good idea to do the second round of meds for him. It's a tricky infection to clear up.

 

[ticklechin]

Baytril alone is not effective on dental infections, you could use it forever and most likely it won't do squat, baytril used with flagyl is the best choice since together they fight anaerobic and aerobic bacteria which both are found in dental infections but that said, until the source of the infection is removed, the infection will never go away in most cases, it will only be supressed.

 

[sushi998]

Baytril is pretty heavy. I had to give it to one of my chinchillas a few months ago for a urinary tract infection.

There was no extra flavor to the one I had to give and my chinchilla really hated it. I tried to put it on a treat but she smelled it right away and run from it. So in the end I just had to force her swallowing it. The trick is to hold his jaws between your thumb and forefinger while pushing him against your chest with your forearm. Of course don't push too hard, you don't want to hurt him. With your free hand you can administer the baytril in his mouth. It will be a struggle at first because he will try to pull his head away. But you get better with it after a few days.

Got to warn you, they don't like it and will hate you for a while. I had a real good bond with my chinchilla but she didn't want to come to me anymore the time I had to give it to her. But after a week or 2 she started to trust me again, and now it's like nothing ever happened.

Also my chinchilla experienced some side effects. Baytril not only kills bad bacteria but also the good ones. This can cause diarrhea or, like in my case very small droppings. Both can be dangerous. I called my vet again after noticing the small droppings. It was because she was not eating enough (the food bowl stayed full) and I just had to wait for a month so her apatite would return the vet said. But I stimulated her to eat as much as I could. Handed her pellets, hay and water. Sometimes she took it and ate a bit. This comforted me because I knew she ate something. Also exercise is good when their droppings are too small. It's hard work to get them through it, but keep supervising him if this happens.
Hope your chinchilla will get well soon!

 

[kellylynnmarie]

Thanks for all the tips! Great info!

 

[Sue]

They have Benebac for mammals now and you can get that from the vet as well. We just went through an amputation of part of a foot and got her through it with Critical Care mixed with her pellets, Benebac, Baytril, and NeoCal for calcium. Oh, and Metacam for the inflammation. All went well and she's on her own pellets after 24 hours being off the Baytril. Our vet said that the Baytril throws them off their feed, so we fed three times a day the Critical Care & Pellet mush.

 

[ticklechin]

You can actually buy benebac at most pet stores, I prefer to use the probiotics humans get since benepac has dextrose (corn sugar) as a first ingrediant and has only 20 million bacteria-it may be ok for animals with only a stomach, but when the bacteria in a chin need to travel through the stomach to the cecum to do their job, you need it to be in the billions, more like 10 billion up.

 

[kellylynnmarie]

I do have BeneBac... what do you suggest for "human" probiotics???

 

[Chinmama]

You can go to a pharmacy, or a health food store, and find human probiotics. The kind I get are sugar free and come in a wafer that looks like a Tums tablet. I think you can also find them in a capsule that you can pull apart and sprinkle onto food or into mash or Critical Care mix. If you can't find them, ask for assistance.

 

[kellylynnmarie]

Great! I'll pick some up today! Thanks so much for your help!

 

[Cuddlebug]

Acidophilus is the most commonly recommended probiotic.

 

[Grey]

Hello,
Just waking up this thread again because I'm having to force-feed my boy with CC (he is on Baytril and Cisapride). I was thinking about getting probiotics — or would it be overkill on top of the Cisapride?

I'd like to go get some today, but I can't find anywhere how much to put in his food.

Someone please advise?

 

[Stackie]

Probiotics won't hurt anything, just be sure to give them several hours after the baytril as it can kill off the probiotics. Buy the capsule form and empty a capsule into his food. Try to buy the highest probiotic count you can find.

 

[ticklechin]

And before you give it taste the powder yourself, some taste nasty and can put the chin off food that tastes nasty.

 

[kellylynnmarie]

Mine were NOT into the powder and like Dawn said they wouldn't touch the food. I ended up finding the most success with Liquid Acidophillus and they LOVE it and willingly take the syringe.