Any experience with Azithromycin or Zithromax in Chinchillas

[Godins Chinchillas]

Has anyone had any good/bad experience with oral Azithromycin? It's not a drug commonly used in chinchillas...but has been used previously. I personally have never used it until 2 weeks ago. I tried it on one of my males for a persistant eye issue-gave him 1 dose and I didn't like how he looked the next day so I discontinued it. For 2 weeks I have noticed him eating and drinking but cuddling with his girls more which is unusual for him....but like I said he was eating and drinking ok. Last week he past away and on necropsy we noticed he was in acute kidney and liver failure. I am waiting on necropsy results but wanted to know if anyone else has had problems with that drug.

 

[Stackie]

The vet I used to work for prescribed it for a chin whose URI wasn't responding to other antibiotics. It is quite a strong antibiotic and it shot the chin's appetite even worse than baytril so she discontinued it. However 1 dose doesn't seem enough to cause acute renal/liver failure unless it was a fairly large dose. What dose did you give? Was he on meds before the zithromax?

 

[Godins Chinchillas]

He was not on meds prior and nothing had changed as far as diet and environment. The only thing different was the azithromycin. I don't remember the mg/kgs given but it was a dose hubby pulled up in his veterinary formula specifically used for chins.

He was in excellent body condition with no wt loss and food in his entire GI system. His omentum (fat around intestinal tract) was bright yellow. His kidneys were "pitted" looking (they are supposed to be nice and smooth). Giving him 80 ml of subq fluids the night before his death yielded no urine in his cage and his bladder was empty on necropsy. We should be getting the pathology report back tomorrow. So whatever happened hit him hard.

 

[ticklechin]

I used it on Gino when he had aspiration of food into the lungs, the vet went for the big guns since aspiration could have had him dead within hours, killed his appetite worse than baytril.

 

[Godins Chinchillas]

yeah it's definately a drug I will never use again nor recommend...if that is indeed what killed him. He was only 2 yrs old. His loss has hit me hard this week.

 

[ticklechin]

I would not use it again, it was dicey then IMO but the vet felt he could very well die anyway, its related to erythromycin and that is on the do not use list since erythromycin can be fatal, so its one of those things to try-like steroids, if it that or death.