Thoughts/experiences with Baytril for bacterial enteritis?

[ChinChild]

Hey all, I apologize for the long post but I'm a bit nervous after our recent vet visit today & hoping to gain a little insight from you! We moved from Louisville to Tallahassee 3 weeks ago, and both of our boys handled it exceptionally well; no behavioral problems, watched their diet/poos carefully for the first 2 weeks with no issues, no visible stress.

The last few days, Gizmo's soft poos started. His diet & water intake have been normal, no languid behavior. He only gets treats (rose hips) once in a blue moon, I took away his pellets for a bit & offered plenty of hay, and I even gave him a probiotic cookie just to rule out a dietary cause - no change. The only change diet-wise has been that we switched the boys over to Brita filtered water since we've been down here.

Upon closer inspection of the poos, it had a slightly shiny appearance and a bit of an odor, so I whisked both of them off to the nearest exotic vet in the area. She seemed quite knowledgeable, and despite the boys protesting she gave them the full exam with a clean bill of health except for Gizmo's poo. She ran the sample to the back for a while, and said the results showed no indication of parasites, but that she noticed a higher quantity of 'rod shaped' bacteria than is normal. She said she didn't think it was anything to worry about, but then filled a prescription for Gizmo - a 7 day course of Baytril (0.3ml, 2x a day) "just in case it's the beginning of something worse". On the label, it stated that it was for 'bacterial enteritis', which I'm assuming is what she was referring to when mentioning the bit about rod bacteria.

Now, I've never had any experience with antibiotics for the boys & I generally trust vets, but I always read up on anything before I give it to my chins. From what I've read, Baytril sounds like a pretty heavy antibiotic, and there seems to be some pretty mixed feelings on it. Granted, I'm not a vet and likely have no room to doubt, but I was just curious what your experiences/opinions might be with Baytril or bacterial enteritis. Tomorrow Gizmo starts his regiment (she didn't dose him at the office), so I just wanted to get some extra input before I start him on it. It's likely that I'm just being overly cautious, but it never hurts to double check, right? These little buggers mean the world to me. Thanks in advance!

 

[Stackie]

I would be leery starting off with baytril as the baytril can affect the good bacteria in the gut as well as the bad. All antibiotics do this, but baytril is just stronger and can kill off more bacteria. It can also cause lack of appetite or anorexia which can lead to bigger problems. If it were me I would probably want to try TMS (sulfa) first, just because it is easier on them and they don't tend to go off their feed on sulfa. I would call the vet and voice your concerns and see what she has to say.

 

[ticklechin]

Baytril for a gut issue IMO and my expereince is a recipe for disaster, I agree with Stacie, I would try a sulfa based antibiotic first.

 

[Godofgods]

im assuming this is a sulfa antibiotic. It seems to go by several different names. I know it as Bactrim. The label of my last prescription of it reads 'Sulfatrim Pediatric Suspension (Common Brands: Septra)'

I only mention it because my chin just got done taking his a few days ago. He was on something different and HATED it. He would run and hid away, bark, spray, shake, and then stopped eating. So i told them to get me a prescription of Bactrim (which he had had before)

This video shows the result :dance3:

figured id mention it as a possibility if you find it suitable to your needs