So, my rat Ambrose (~11 months old, 435 grams) has always had respiratory issues (namely sneezing and runny eyes), but in the past few months has gotten a bit worse. His behavior is totally normal, but the sneezing has gotten excessive. He has two brothers, and neither have these issues. We've tried various medications-- doxycycline, neopolydex, and currently theophylline (we have about a week left), but I believe he needs Baytril in case it's mycoplasma-related. I ordered a bottle from a bird supply store which is 10%, and I've read that it needs to be diluted for safety. I'm currently planning on following this website, which would have me dilute 1 mL Baytril in 2 mL water and 2 mL flavoring (planning on using Ensure). I would also likely have to mix this with chocolate hummus when I give it to him, as it's the only thing that can coax him into taking medications, even ones that are flavored.
This seems easy enough, but different sites seem to promote different dosages within a pretty vast range. I'm not sure which to follow, so I wanted to ask here to see what would be an appropriate dosage for Ambrose. The previous website seems to imply that I should give him ~0.45 mL 2x daily, but I've also heard that this is a higher-end dosage and that other sources recommend smaller dosages. Baytril seems to have a pretty vast span of potential dosages, so I wanted to see what others are using and what has worked for them, since the last thing I want to do is hurt him by giving him too much, or use too little so that it has no effect. All previous oral medications have been for 0.5 mL 2x daily, so this amount seems typical, but I really want to play it safe.
On a similar note, should I refrain from giving him Baytril until he's finished with the theophylline? I've read that Baytril can cause an increase in theophylline, so I'd imagine there could be reactions between the two medications. I want to get him on the antibiotic ASAP, but I also don't want to risk hurting him. Given that his condition hasn't gotten worse (or better, unfortunately) for the past few months, I'd imagine we can wait another week, but I wanted to double-check. Thanks so much in advance!
This seems easy enough, but different sites seem to promote different dosages within a pretty vast range. I'm not sure which to follow, so I wanted to ask here to see what would be an appropriate dosage for Ambrose. The previous website seems to imply that I should give him ~0.45 mL 2x daily, but I've also heard that this is a higher-end dosage and that other sources recommend smaller dosages. Baytril seems to have a pretty vast span of potential dosages, so I wanted to see what others are using and what has worked for them, since the last thing I want to do is hurt him by giving him too much, or use too little so that it has no effect. All previous oral medications have been for 0.5 mL 2x daily, so this amount seems typical, but I really want to play it safe.
On a similar note, should I refrain from giving him Baytril until he's finished with the theophylline? I've read that Baytril can cause an increase in theophylline, so I'd imagine there could be reactions between the two medications. I want to get him on the antibiotic ASAP, but I also don't want to risk hurting him. Given that his condition hasn't gotten worse (or better, unfortunately) for the past few months, I'd imagine we can wait another week, but I wanted to double-check. Thanks so much in advance!