Baytril and Metacam

[dragsil]

I feel like I´m making a million new posts these days, so sorry! I used the search function but results seemed all over the place, so I would love it if somebody could help

Silver went back to the vet today due to the heat in his foot from his suspected bumblefoot case, the vet looked at the site of the bleeding that occured last Sunday and she notices a slight discolouration around the area so decided to put him on Metacam once a day and Baytril twice a day. I´ve never had to use antibiotics with a rodent before and I was wondering what the side effects may be? I´ve read that Baytril can cause them to lose their appetite, I dont know how to monitor that since he and Dragon live together and It´s hard to see who eats what. I´m buying a suitable scales today so I can at least weigh him daily throughout the treatment and try to be sure he stays around the same.

Also, is it ok to feed Lifeline whilst on Baytril? I dont know how it works with antibiotics vs probiotics and if one cancels out the other, the vet said it should be ok but I would like some other opinions on the subjects as well.

Poor chin babies were not happy about being dragged out of their sleeping time for the second time this week, Dragon got a weight check too but was such a major spazz that we couldnt get an accurate read. Silver is at 620g.

 

[tunes]

Baytril is easier on the digestive tract if given by injection. If you are comfortable with that, you could have your vet show you how. If not, then I would use a chaser. Give the Baytril, then follow it up with something tasty like a half a bite sized shredded wheat, a rosehip, etc. I generally follow it up with a bite of Essentials for Life, sold by Tanya. You might also ask your vet to call it into a pharmacy and have them compound it in banana or cherry flavor. You should also be giving a probiotic while using Baytril. Ask your vet about Bene-bac. Metacam is for pain and I've not had an issue with loss of appetite while using it.

Life line is fine to use while administering Baytril. I can't remember off the top of my head, but if there is probiotic in Lifeline, then you want to give it 2 hours out from the Baytril (the same for any probiotic). If you give it too close to the Baytril, it negates the effect of the probiotic.

 

[aznmexaggie]

The main issue with oral enrofloxacin (Baytril) is it can decrease appetite as Peggy mentioned. I prefer to use Trimethoprim-Sulfa (Bactrim) in treating minor infections or chloramphenicol in tough infections such as abscesses or infections that do not respond to the common antibiotics prescribed.

When giving oral Baytril, I follow it up a couple hours later with a probiotic such as acidophilus. I break open a capsule and sprinkle it on a moistened treat or add it to handfeeding formula if I am handfeeding (w/Critical Care or a CC/Lifeline mix). There is no harm in giving Lifeline directly after administering an antibiotic but you will not get the benefits of the probiotics in it when given so soon after... it will likely be killed off by the antibiotic.

 

[dragsil]

Thankyou both for your advice, I really value it.

Is there any difference between giving the probiotic before or after the Baytril? I would prefer to give it before if there is not much difference because it works out better for me. Tonight I gave Lifeline and then four hours later gave the Baytril, he hated it and started pulling faces but ate a rosehip afterwards and ran around for about twenty minutes with Dragon for his playtime and ate some hay and drank water when he went back in. I´ll keep a close eye on him and if I notice a drop in weight or change in behaviour I´ll talk to the vet about a possible change in antibiotics, she told me to call if we had any problems with appetite loss, but fingers crossed he doesnt react badly to it.

Managed to pick up a scale and weigh them both, Silver comes in at 615 on my scale and Dragon is 542 which I´m happy about since we were unable to get a proper readout on him at the vet today since he went psycho on the scales and tried to fly off the table.

 

[tunes]

So long as it's at least 2 hours on either side of the Baytril, it doesn't matter. Baytril is a "big gun" of antibiotic so to speak. TMS works great as a broad spectrum antibiotic, but it's usually for lesser infections. If the infection in the foot is severe, then Baytril may be what's necessary to treat it, although vets tend to jump to Baytril right away because it's what they are most familiar with.

 

[dragsil]

Brilliant, looks like I will be getting up at 4am for the probiotic and 6am for the baytril then before work. I had never even heard of TMS before but I´ll be sure to mention it if we do have to go back for another visit, I´ve heard of people treating hamsters with Baytril too so know it´s the one that is pretty common. My vet is good with chins but the best specialist in the region is two and a half hours away which is not ideal, but they are not very common pets here. When I go to university to study vet science in 2013 I am really considering moving into exotics when possible, it can be so hard to find someone who is good with animals other than dogs and cats.

 

[Shahna]

I think weighing your chin daily is a good idea. A great majority of the time chinchillas will go completely off feed when given oral Baytril.

As tunes mentioned injectible Baytril is a very good way to go if you can. It is a little more expensive, but when you consider hand feeding for 10-14 days, it's worth the extra expense. Giving a quick injection twice a day is also a lot easier than having to burrito the chin and force feed the meds down as well.

Good luck with your little guy.

 

[dragsil]

Thanks Shahna, I found I can trick him onto the scales by luring him with sticks, so thats pretty easy now!

I dont think injections are a possibility at this point, I´ve injected horses before but never a smaller animal and I dont think the first smaller animal I inject could be one I care about so much, I want to practice on another first, if that makes sense.

He is very well behaved and I dont need to burrito him, he squirms a little and pulls the most disgusted faces afterwards but takes it if my bf holds whilst I administer it. I gave him a small amound of his herbal mix afterwards, it smells pretty strong and he likes the taste so I hope it will get rid of the Baytril taste and also held up his water bottle for him to have a bit of a drink too. He sulks and rubs his face on the floor when I first give the antibiotics to him but I left him out for 20 mins afterwards today and by the end he was trying to hump his cuddle buddy and back to his cheeky self.

Good news though, I could be imagining it but the localised heat in the foot seems much cooler to touch today, it felt on fire right before I took him to the vet. Could it really be working that fast or is that just wishful thinking?

 

[dragsil]

Almost halfway through his antibiotics course and it seems to be doing well for him, his feet are much cooler (still dry, so lots of fleece and gel applications) and I´m OCD cleaning the cage and giving him his probiotics at 4am (hello, sleep deprivation!). His weight is stable so I am sure he is eating but I have been crushing up a few pellets mixed with water to hand feed him a few mils every day so i can be sure he is not just eating hay and avoiding pellets and to get him used to the idea that syringes are not always a bad thing (both of them run up to investigate as soon as I bring out the syringe with the food in it and Dragon tries to push Silver away to chew on it)

He hates the Baytril though but is taking it like a champ and forgives us after his playtime afterwards