Dozer Question about Meds

[Godmother]

Sweet Dozer, he may well find that it's just too much work to breathe and eat at the same time.

Also, some rats have their appetites affected by antibiotics, especially ones like clavamox. Would he eat a bit of yogurt off your finger halfway between medication times?

LOTS of kisses and scritches to him. :heart:

 

[SQ]

The zithro + baytril combo can be quite effective.

 

[lilratsy43]

I am in the same place as you with my Teddy. Although Teddy is 21 months old, I suddenly noticed a weight decrease and laboured breathing but no noise. I have been trying to get into the vet for weeks (my vet has been out of town A LOT lately). I did make him an appt at the other place I go to, but then they told me it was with Dr. Jordan, so I just cancelled and decided to wait. (She is a very young vet and when I brought my Rhys to her, she asked if he was supposed to be bald...so yea I don't have much faith in her anymore)

I am going to try to get him in next week, and then I will be on the same boat as you. Baytril, Lasix all the fun stuff. I am probably going to have to do a test dose with Suri as well.

 

[Dahlas]

I am going to call today and try and get some Zithro.....but I do have some good news. Last night I put in a bowl of oxbow covered with ensure and water. Dozer came running and sat and lapped up the ensure. Then he ate a bit of bread with some ensure on it.
I had such a good sleep knowing he had a full tummy.
I hate it when he won't it.... I like to go to bed knowing everyone has a full tummy.

:roll: My little fat girl Hazel must make me deliriously happy.....cause she always makes sure her tummy is full.

 

[lilspaz68]

I'm sorry about your boy. It's so hard to see them like this. :hugs:

I do have to put in my two cents about using Steroids with a heart issue though. Not a good combo at all. Steroids can really speed up the heart and also raise their blood pressure (I know from personal human experience too). This of course can be really hard on a rattie that is already compromised, and can also weaken their immune system for fighting off infection. Although is humans, steroids can boost your appetite and cause weight gain (again, I have experience with that too :cry3: ), I've only seen the opposite in rats. I don't know why and my vet was baffled too...but every rat I've ever had on steroids, lost weight and wouldn't eat as much.

Our Stella has had heart issues since she was 4 months old. At 26 months now, she's nearing the end, but not without one heck of a long fight. She's been on Baytril, lasix, enalapril and nebulizer treatments almost her entire life. She did well up until the last month. She's now dropping weight fast, and we can't get her to eat much of anything, that's not just soft and mushy (A/D, babyfood, babyrice cereal and Ensure make a nice soupy mix that Stella loves) and takes little effort to eat.

We feared that Stella was going to leave us last week, and thought we ran out of options. But my vet suggested we try Zithromax. We had not used it at all in my 9 years with rats (no one ever got to that point)...but we tried it on Stella. I'm not saying it's helped her rally and she's doing cartwheels....but I can say I don't think she's going to leave us this week. :*) She has started to eat a little more, and isn't as "noisey" as she's been. I think the Zithro is helping though.

The Zithro is a hail mary pass for us...and I hope it keeps Stella feeling ok for a while longer.

Sorry for my own story, but hoping it might offer some helpful info.

Add the baytril with the zithro and you have discovered a great combo of drugs that often kick some serious ***. I find Zithro on its own doesn't do nearly enough

 

[Dahlas]

Just called the vet.......I am going to get some Zithro......
My new vet is soon going to get tired of hearing.....my rat shacK friends said.....

 

[Moon]

Rat guide says it is "More effective with acute outbreaks in younger rats."

Just food for thought... and it's worth a try all the same!

 

[Dahlas]

:happydance: Tonight when I got home Dozer was waiting at the cage door......he was so eager to see me. Gobbled down his meds......and hung out on my shoulder while I got his supper ready......He drank ensure, ate some yogurt and a big portion of scrambled egg.....
He seems to be doing so much better.....he is on his heart meds and Amoxil twice a day.....I changed from Baytril to Amoxil a few days ago......Maybe that made a difference???? I also increased his heart meds a little bit....

I am sooooooo happy

 

[blytherue]

yay! :joy:
(and now i know ratties can eat scrambie eggs with me!)

 

[Godmother]

:joy: Go, Dozer, go! It is so wonderful to see him tuck into that corn with such gusto. That is the real Dozer :heart:

 

[mamarat]

:joy: What a sweetie. :heart:

 

[lilspaz68]

Welcome back little man! You worried your momma and us a lot with your not-eating...so now you have to get nice and fat for us. :heart: :heart:

 

[Debbie]

Oh what wonderful news! Go Dozer!

 

[Dahlas]

Okay i have the Zithro......can I use that with the Amoxil? Or should I go back to the baytrl? Or should I wait and see if I even need to change things?

 

[Joanne]

You would do well to ask a pharmacist about drug interactions. I believe Zithromycin is a macrolide. I think that that type of drug does NOT do well with penicillins (Amoxil). If the current regime is working, why are you fixing it? Why not hang on to the Zithro for another time?

 

[Dahlas]

Just trying to find the right mix that will get him back on track. He ate last night...but not good today and his breathing is still a bit labored.
He is certainly doing better but is still not great.......I would like to see him eating better and put some weight on.

 

[SQ]

Is he on atenolol?
Does he have an enlarged heart?

 

[Joanne]

Do you have a drug store open in your area? You could just phone the pharmacist and ask them. (I'd look it up, but my drug book is at work...)
You don't want to give him a drug combination that is LESS effective than what you're using now. You may need to take him off both drugs in order to use the Zithromycin.
And, as SQ mentioned, he may have a heart problem, not a respiratory problem per se. (Sequela of CHF(Congestive Heart Failure) is fluid buildup in the lungs.)

 

[Dahlas]

He is on Enalapril. We are thinking it is heart problems. He will not hold still for an x-ray and the vet doesn't want to put him under to do one......since there was an improvement on the enalapril the vet assumed it was his heart......

I decided to try Zithro because it was suggested on here as something that had worked for others.......
My vet and I talked about a Zithro/Baytril combo....but I was just wondering if anyone knew if I could use Amoxl instead of the Baytrl........

Maybe I will just try the baytril and Zithro and see how that goes.....if not I will look into atenolol

 

[Joanne]

This is the only thing I could find on a drug interaction for penicillin and azithromycin:
http://www.drugs.com/drug-interactions/ ... 815-0.html

From what I've read on the net, it seems that Penicillin and Azithromycin target a lot of the same bacteria. They talk about prescribing Azithromycin for people who are allergic to Penicillin.