Baytril dosage too high?

My almost 3 year old boy, Bandit, has been on baytril for a couple weeks now for a URI the vet says is chronic (his brother had the same thing and was later put on two meds). His vet put his dose at 0.15ml every 6-8 hours. I didn't question it until I was bored today and re-reading the baytril dosage page.

10% Baytril
455g

The amount seems to be right (although I read 10mg/lb was standard) but I read it should be every 12 hours. I don't want to overdose the poor fellow. Does it seem right to you?

So did they give you the injectable form and instruct you to give it orally? Confirm for me that it is indeed 100mg/mL?

Sheldon said:

So did they give you the injectable form and instruct you to give it orally? Confirm for me that it is indeed 100mg/mL?

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I'm honestly not sure, I may have to call the vet about that. The bottle just says enrofloxyn 10% and that there is 25cc in the bottle. I was instructed to mix the solution with a certain amount of water and something sweet to mask it as he will be on it permanently so its easier than going every other week to get more from the vet. Off the top of my head its 1ml baytril, 0.7ml sweet and 0.3ml water.

I would call the vet to make sure of how many mg/mL. I don't think anyone on here is going to be familiar with percentages since it can have a lot to do with manufacturer and original purpose of the drug. Sorry

If it's a 10% solution, that means it's 100mg/ml. Does sound like a high dose. Usually the 2.5% solution would work out at about the amounts you've mentioned. Not too sure about the every 6-8 hours either but probably best to check with your vet

Baytril is normally dosed at 10 mg/kg twice a day.

At his weight (455 g) and the concentration (100 mg/ml) his dose would be .05 cc twice a day.

It was a huge overdose. Especially with a chronic rat, you want to get the dose as low as possible but still effective at managing the symptoms as best as you can.

lilspaz68 said:

Baytril is normally dosed at 10 mg/kg twice a day.

At his weight (455 g) and the concentration (100 mg/ml) his dose would be .05 cc twice a day.

It was a huge overdose. Especially with a chronic rat, you want to get the dose as low as possible but still effective at managing the symptoms as best as you can.

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Really good to know. I'm going to call the vet to make sure, but it sounds like he's getting way too much. His vet isn't in until Monday in the meantime should I cut the dose back to 0.05cc every 12 hours? Is there anything I should watch for since he's been having too much?

If it is chronic, what meds have you tried?
Baytril + azithromycin (10 mg/Ib) or Baytril + azithromycin (10 mg/Ib) + doxy ?
Some rats need the 3 antibiotic combo to get over infections

In my experience, rats with chronic respir problems or those who do not completely recover when the various combos of antibiotics are used, often have a heart issue.
Has he been test dosed with enalapril to see if there may be a heart problem?

All he's been on so far is bayril.

One of his brothers passed away for an unknown reason. A month later his other brother (mentioned below) passed away.

His brother was on baytril and doxy for 3 months before he passed away. It didn't get better but didn't get worse either. It kept him able to breath, didn't struggle to breath, eating, active, etc.

1-2 weeks after his brother passed this guy started the same symptoms. We went to the vet and the vet said he seems the same as his brother and put him on baytril. We have a check up in 2 weeks. He's been on the baytril on 2 weeks, but hasn't had every dose. No matter how well I hide it, sometimes he just won't take it.

He hasn't been on enalapril but I'm going to ask the vet about that. I've had a feeling that the 3 of them had/have heart disease.

His vet is okay. He has some knowledge of small animals (it's an exotic clinic). But he isn't as good as the other vet I use for bigger issues in Kitchener which is farther away from me.

Please tell us his symptoms, and post a picture or video.

I would suggest that you try baytril + azithromycin (10 mg/Ib) twice a day for 6 weeks. in case it is just a respir issue. Azithromycin is purchased from the drug store with a prescription from your vet. It lasts 10 days. If it doesn't start to help after several days then a different med would be tried.
Sounds like your vet does not know much about treating rats. Is your vet willing to learn?

If there is fluid in your rats lungs then your vet should add lasix at least short term.

There is a dosage range for baytril and 10 mg/Ib is the top end of that range. As Lilspaz68 said, baytril is given orally twice a day.

I believe that I am using the same type of baytril you are using. It tastes horrible.
I put the baytril dose in a small dish, add a couple of drops of strawberry quik, a couple of drops of water, and a tiny bit of baby cereal (kind that says add milk) to thicken it, and mix it up ... sometimes I add a couple of drops of olive oil.
If I have a rat that will not eat it out of the dish, sometimes they will lick it off of my finger.
If that does not work, I feed it to them using a syringe (no needle), taking care to put the meds into the side of the mouth as if it goes straight down it could go into the lungs.
My rat will eat it up like it is a treat.

What I've been doing with his baytril with strawberry milk syrup and water. Then I add baby food to it. I'd say he takes it 70% of the time. Usually I use a spoon but sometimes my finger. I'll try the cereal though maybe he will like that better. I have to do it when he hasn't had any other treats for a while. When I try and just squirt the syringe in (carefully) he either panics and tries to get away, bites or sits their and squeals. He's never been good about taking a syringe.

The vet said there was no fluid in the lungs. I presume that's something any vet should be able to tell. He is willing to learn. He really didn't know anything about rats a year ago when I started using him for my quick vet. I brought information with me to appointments about medications and he looked stuff up as well (mind you in old books). He has been very accommodating. I think he just doesn't realize that every species is different.

I have no problem taking him to the better vet in Kitchener, especially if it will help him feel better. It's further away but that's fine. It's just convenient to take him to the vet closer for smaller things (basic URI, mites, teeth clipping, etc.). He's my baby (and deserves it) I want him to have good care.

He doesn't have many symptoms. He is out with me almost 24/7 so I quickly notice things.
-Sneezing sometimes. It's not constant and I don't hear it often. He doesn't making clicking noises usually (even when being telephoned). On occasion I've heard them but it's not common.
-He breathes harder, as in his sides sink in further. The video should show it.
-I've noticed a nose drip on occasion (appears to only be from the left side) and he wipes his nose frequently.
-He may be slightly puffy. He's always had long scraggly fur so it's hard to tell.

He doesn't appear to be lethargic, he's eating well and not losing weight and he gets around well for an old boy. He still popcorns around from time to time.

Here are some videos of him: Note* He's always done the weird thing with his tongue.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5Cj-UzGVrg&feature=youtu.be[/ame]

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0tgBvhZG7Y&feature=youtu.be[/ame]

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3JNCnk6GVI&feature=youtu.be[/ame]

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z5sBgsbN-w&feature=youtu.be[/ame]

The tongue thing is what I call lip or gum smacking, and its his way of bruxxing (and is guaranteed to always make me melt when I see it!)

He's sneezing a lot, has congestion, his feet look pale to me (?), he's getting that nipped in waist look I hate to see too. Is his chest any harder than it used to be?

I would get him to Dr. G in Kitchener and ask for baytril and doxy or baytril and zithromax (the latter is my preference). It looks like your boys just have weaker immune systems than most...poor loves.

You will need to syringe those meds into him to make sure he gets them all.

Terrible quick video I made to show how I do it. I DO NOT normally laugh like Elmer Fudd

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-_bFMkutKk[/ame]

Thanks! I'll get him an appointment. I got his morning dose down pretty easy by holding him against my chest. Of course he had a scrambled egg and blueberry offering after.

I don't know much about them. All I know is they came from a breeder in Hamilton and he's about 3 now. Him and his brothers have had more problems than all my others combined. They are extremely affectionate little men but definitely not healthy.

His chest isn't any harder that I can tell. I'm not sure about his feet. I think he's always had lighter feet. Here is a picture of him from earlier in the year.

Wow 3???? ?

Sheldon said:

Wow 3???? ?

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He is supposed to be celebrating his 3rd birthday in October! I've been thinking about doing it earlier to make sure he gets a celebration (okay, mostly for me) because it's a huge deal.

I think he's doing great for his age. He can't climb cage bars, jump from low shelves anymore, or climb ladders spaced wider than a CN ramp. But he still gets around, popcorns from time to time and has just started eating with one paw some of the time.

Please try baytril + azithromycin (10 mg/Ib) twice a day for 6 weeks. Azithromycin is purchased from the drug store with a prescription from your vet. It lasts 10 days. If it doesn't start to help after several days then a different med would be tried.

If it does not completely clear up the problem, then I would suggest test dosing for a heart issue. I can provide more info on how to do this.

simonsmom said:

I don't know much about them. All I know is they came from a breeder in Hamilton and he's about 3 now. Him and his brothers have had more problems than all my others combined. They are extremely affectionate little men but definitely not healthy.

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Your little men came from Atlantis Rattery then, which shows she's not breeding for health. Did you get them directly from the breeder or from someone else? If you got them from her, that means she's not asking for updated info on her rats, if you got them from someone else that means she isn't taking back rats she adopted out but letting them go into the rescue river...which a good breeder should never do.

He's got a vet appointment next week so he'll get the meds he needs. Does Dr. Gerald typically give the right doses? I've never had a problem with him before (to my knowledge) but just want to be sure we will get the right doses since it's a bit far away.

They came from someone in Burlington who bought them from a Hamilton breeder. I've had a feeling it was Atlantis, because she is the mass breeder down there and doesn't seem to be good. All the information the previous owner gave me was that they were from a Hamilton breeder that they didn't remember the name of but they are "popular", their birth month and year and that they were litter mates. They were re-homed because their owner abandoned them with a friend. I will say that personality wise they are the best rats I've ever owned. Extremely affectionate, cuddly, never bite or grab, love attention. The boy this thread is about sleeps on my neck/shoulder or chest every night and does his lip smacking all night. The only time the boys are in their actual cage is when I'm gone. Otherwise they hang with me on the couch and coffee table that is set up with all their things or in bed. But I have no clue whether that is genetics or how they were raised.