Baytril/Zithromax dosage!

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S

sailor

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Hello everyone!
I've been using the doxy/baytril combo to treat my rat for URI and now she's approximately 2 years old and the combo has stopped working. I'm planning to move on to baytril/zithromax combo after consulting my vet. Can anyone answer me these 2 questions: 1. for baytril 0.5 % she'll need 0.66 mL twice a day, is that correct? 2. for zithromax 200mg/5ml the dosage is 0.17 ml twice a day? I want to make sure those are the correct dosages because in the past my vet has given my ratties too low dosages for a few days... Thank you everyone in advance!!
 
Welcome to the forum !!
(misread the baytril % so deleted info re 5% baytril)

Baytril 0.5% is 5 mg/ml right?
and she weighs 318 grams

There is a range of doses for baytril http://ratguide.com/meds/antimicrobial_agents/enrofloxacin_baytril.php


If the baytril is 5 mg/ml then
at 5 mg/Ib she would get 0.7 ml twice a day
at 20 mg/kg she would get 1.28 ml twice a day
So if the baytril is 5 mg/ml, then she needs to get at least 0.7 ml twice a day

and if it is not diluted and mixed with a sweetener, you will need to do that to the dose after you measure it out and before you give it to her

Azithromycin - my vet prescribes 10mg/Ib, twice a day so I would give 0.17 ml or 0.18 ml, twice a day

If that doesn't work you can also try baytril + azithromycin + doxy
since it is ongoing it is unlikely to be a secondary infection imo, but I am not a vet, just a pet owner
and if that doesn't work it may be a heart issue (which can be treated)

You might want to check out ratguide.com …. there are some links you might find helpful here https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/reference-thread-read-only.35894/


I hope this helps
 
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Right, SQ, I didn't notice! sailor, are you sure the baytril is 0.5% and not 5.0%? Check your label, or check with your vet if it came from your vet to verify the strength.
Then you can follow SQ's calculations for either 5% (50mg/ml) or 0.5% (5mg/ml) (which would be pre-mixed).. see why I don't trust myself to make calculations and instead check with SQ?
 
Hello! Yes, the label says 0.5 %, 1 mL of it contains 5 mg of Enrofloxacin! It's not mixed with any sweetener, you do that so that the rat takes the med easily?
Also, thank you guys for the quick and detailed responses! :D
 
If it is the injectable, to be given orally (causes health issues in rats if given by injection), then the dose must be diluted and sweetened after it is measured out. If you add anything to the bottle of baytril it will shorten the expiry date to only a few days

What I do is measure out the dose into a tiny dish, add a few drops of organic real maple syrup (I used to use strawberry quik), add a few drops of water, and thicken it with baby cereal. My rats usually think it is a treat and eat it
 
sailor, I don't think it's manufactured with that low a dosage. Is this from your vet? If so they may have pre-mixed it, so check for an expiry date. Yes, prescribed meds are sometimes mixed with sweetener to make it taste better (Baytril tastes awful apparently). Also, if anyone uses 10% Enrofloxacin (Baytril) it MUST be diluted before giving it as it can be caustic to tissue at that strength..
 
Happy New Year!
@SQ it's not injectable, it's given orally so I guess I don't need to dilute it! (although she hates the taste so I'll be adding a sweetener after measuring the dosage)
@Fidget Yes, it's from my vet and it's probably made like this in Europe? (I'm from Greece so the meds are going to be slightly different). It doesn't say anythign on them about any added sweetener so I'll add a safe one by myself!
Again thank you for your help! :)
 
UPDATE: My rattie's been breathing much better the last couple of days! Although I heard some wheezing from her today for like 5''. So, my follow up question is: for how long should she stay on this med combo? Because my vet told me just for 7 days and I'm quite skeptical, since every other source here states the meds should be given for 14 days +. Can anyone help me on that?
 
a very very minimum of 14 days, 3 weeks is preferable.

I'll explain why 7-10 days doesn't work for treating active infections. It often takes 4-5 days or more for the antibiotic to build up enough in the rat's system to show an improvement. The symptoms may disappear but the underlying infection is still there. If you stopped at 7 days the infection is being suppressed at this point but not cured and it will come roaring back to life like a campfire you think was put out. Often they come back even worse than before.
 
Thank you so much for your answer!
I unfortunately have another update: I heard her wheezing for a couple of minutes last night. She's been on this med combo for 8 days and it's just so weird that she started wheezing again when she had gotten better :/ Do the antibiotics need more time to be effective? Or has the combo stopped working?
 
She's doing very good! She's breathing normally, energetic and her weight is stable! She's still on the medication and I'll let you know how she is when we stop it
 
Good News !! :)

I have found that my rats need to be on meds for 6 weeks or they are not well and symptoms quickly return …. but the general rule is at least 4 weeks

Sometimes vets do not give enough meds because if the meds do not work, then they need to be changed
so you will need to request more med from your vet if you do not have enough
that should not require an exam
 
So you're giving them the combo meds for 6 weeks, w/out changing the dosage right? (I mean, baytril twice, zithro twice)
I can get zithro from the pharmacy but for baytril I do need a prescription (which I'm getting again soon).

Any vet I've asked here in Greece they only prescribe those meds for like 7 days!!And I've consulted 3 different exotics vets (one of them was even recommended to me from the local rat owners group).
Good thing I did my own research and I kept sharing those infos with my current vet. Even though he still doesn't believe giving combo meds are good... :/
 
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