Goliath isn't doing good :(

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Little_Vixen

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2010
Messages
595
Location
Knoxville, TN
His fur is puffed out and his breathing is faster than normal and yesterday he was clicking.

I don't know what to do, bills and Alex's vet bills ate up all of my money until my credit card comes in the mail! I literally have $21 to my name until thursday which is payday, but I'm terrified that he may not last that long if I don't get him in for treatment! :(

We still have doxy and baytril left from when Alex was sick, Alex was 180grams when they had him on .25 baytril twice daily. Flux was 310 when he got weighed the same time and Goliath is probably around 450-500grams himself because he's bigger than Flux.

Should I try to give him some of the Baytril or Doxy to see if that can't help him? If so wouldn't it have to be dose of 4 times what Alex was given at 1 instead of .25?

What should I do? I'm freaking out and I don't know how to help him :(

Loki is bringing home some dark chocolate to give him if he'll take it to see if it helps at all.

I'm scared :(
 
Little_Vixen said:
His fur is puffed out and his breathing is faster than normal and yesterday he was clicking.

I don't know what to do, bills and Alex's vet bills ate up all of my money until my credit card comes in the mail! I literally have $21 to my name until thursday which is payday, but I'm terrified that he may not last that long if I don't get him in for treatment! :(

We still have doxy and baytril left from when Alex was sick, Alex was 180grams when they had him on .25 baytril twice daily. Flux was 310 when he got weighed the same time and Goliath is probably around 450-500grams himself because he's bigger than Flux.

Should I try to give him some of the Baytril or Doxy to see if that can't help him? If so wouldn't it have to be dose of 4 times what Alex was given at 1 instead of .25?

What should I do? I'm freaking out and I don't know how to help him :(

Loki is bringing home some dark chocolate to give him if he'll take it to see if it helps at all.

I'm scared :(
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Awww I am sorry :( Tell me what concentration the baytril and doxy are and I'll work out proper doses for Goliath.
 
Healing vibes to your Goliath.... hope he gets better. Its going to depend on the concentration of baytril and doxy. My biggest boy at almost 900 grams only gets .20 baytril and .04 doxy, but like I said it depends on YOUR concentration
 
Alright, typing out what's on the labels since I'm not sure how it all works.

Vibramycin (doxycycline monohydrate)
60ml when reconstituted
For oral suspension
25mg/5ml
Raspberry flavored

Baytril (11.4mg/ml) in Cherry Syrup
 
I gave him what LilSpaz said the dose should be for Goliath at his size for Baytril, but the Doxy said to discard after 2 weeks and it's been that so I only gave him the Baytril for now
 
Little_Vixen said:
I gave him what LilSpaz said the dose should be for Goliath at his size for Baytril, but the Doxy said to discard after 2 weeks and it's been that so I only gave him the Baytril for now
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That's good something is better than nothing. I don't know what your vet charges for the meds, but you can get them from walmart too if your vet will call in a prescription it might be cheaper. You can mix the doxy yourself that way you can mix it when you need it - ask them to split up the dose so you don't mix it all at once.
 
I didn't think of that, I don't think Banfield (through Petsmart) will do that, but it's worth a call. They are the vet that we used, but we're switching to a MUCH better vet that has the equipment to check for things that Banfield can't.

They gave me a full bottle of Doxy and I didn't even use half. 50 dollars later and I feel a little jipped, not gonna lie.

Goliath is still kicking, but I'm worried. He's clicking still, but I can't hear that odd squeaky sound when he breathes anymore. I am honestly worried that he might have pneumonia. And if he does... I have no idea what to do.

Someone on Goosemoose suggested asking if the vet can keep him there to take care of him until my credit card comes in to pay for it, but I have no idea what boarding prices would be and last I talked to them they are willing to do payment plans after the 155 emergency fee just to see him... so I'm not sure if that would work. I guess we will see?
 
Walmart is about $25 for the doxy, but they need a day sometimes to get it. They carry a full line of pet medication, but I see what you mean about Bansfield. Just tell them you cannot afford their prices and write a prescription for you and you will get if filled cheaper. Some people probably use 1800petmeds - or whatever that number is.. Cannot hurt to ask if your saving money.
 
Very true! I will ask them about that, I am pretty sure if I go in and tell them I need more meds that the vet I last dealt with will give me a prescription without much fighting or grumpiness.

Though it does feels like everything is conspiring against me. The baytril bottle has disappeared. We've checked the kitchen, the bedroom, around the dresser that Goliath is on, under the couches and under the entertainment center-y thing that Flux is on. It is nowhere to be found o_O On a better note, he did take the chocolate Loki gave him earlier and ate a little peanut butter and seemed to have a bit more energy than he did yesterday.
 
The doxy from walmart is going to be mostly wasted as well. I always end up throwing away half of mine because it's only good for 2 weeks or so. It might be better to ask them not to add the water and just take the powder home so you can save half of it.
 
BlueSkyy said:
The doxy from walmart is going to be mostly wasted as well. I always end up throwing away half of mine because it's only good for 2 weeks or so. It might be better to ask them not to add the water and just take the powder home so you can save half of it.
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They have let us take it home without mixing it and we have mixed it ourselves.
 
Breakthrough!

1. I found the baytril! Someone had apparently sat on the couch after I went to give Goliath his meds and it fell under the arm between the cushions. So I ended up thinking I had put it away because I was so worried about Goliath.
2. He didn't LIKE taking the meds, but he did take most of it without too much issue.
3. He's much more active, he took his dark chocolate eagerly and ate half a carrot after his meds AND USED HIS WATER BOTTLE!
- I haven't seen him use his water bottle since he got sick so this makes me ridiculously happy!
 
Okay, so he hates his meds and does whatever he can to try to get out of my grip so that he DOESN'T take meds.

But!

He doesn't sound sniffly really at all, he's eating and drinking and is back to his old energy. He's got lots of dandruff though o_O
 
Little_Vixen said:
Okay, so he hates his meds and does whatever he can to try to get out of my grip so that he DOESN'T take meds.

But!

He doesn't sound sniffly really at all, he's eating and drinking and is back to his old energy. He's got lots of dandruff though o_O
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Are you sure its dandruff and not lice? Make sure they aren't moving. He needs to be on meds for 6-8 weeks or the infection will start up again. Do you syringe the meds into his mouth? You can try mixing with a small amount of peanut butter and then rolling it in crushing gerber puffs so it looks like a treat. That might work for awhile until he wises up to the trick. If they baytril isn't flavored its quite bitter and nasty tasting so you can put some honey in it too or strawberry nesquik I've heard works. Glad to hear he's improving.
 
He took it well when I gave it to him earlier without issue. I think he is realizing that it's helping and that Mommy isn't trying to torture him. Yes, I syringe into his mouth and it is cherry flavored Baytril. Though that is a really good idea, he has a lot of med to take at .44 syringe so I'm not sure how much of that he'd eat because he eats a little peanut butter and then is on his way to more interesting things. Good ideas though :) He seems to be back up to full energy today ^_^

And yes, it appears to be dandruff, looking close at it as best as I could, it did not look like mites or lice. Of course with my eyes half the time bloodshot from itchiness, I could easily be wrong there.
 
He had a not-as-good day yesterday, was puffy and being a little cranky, but still had pretty much his good energy levels still. Hope he's feeling better by the time I get off work today
 
So the lucky little Goliath is now getting his meds mixed in peanut butter which means he is now taking it without any problems whatsoever thank goodness. Though I need to get more Baytril in the day or three because we will be running out.

Of course Goliath doesn't care right now, he's just roaming the bed happy he got his peanut butter. Which will hopefully get his weight up a bit.
 

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