Zithromax or Baytril Doxycycline?

[RatsForever]

I had to bring my sweet boy Byron, who is almost 2 years old, to the vet today because he sounded very congested and lost interest in food which is VERY unusual for him! My vet made a few calls to some more experienced vets and it was suggested she try Baytril and Zithromax (azithromycin) instead of Baytril and Doxycycline (this combo has been used on my other rats with great success); the vets she spoke with had faster results with the the Baytril/Zithromax combo. Nevertheless, we decided on the Baytril/Doxy combo because of past experience BUT my vet said if Byron was still not interested in food within 24 hours we would try Zithromax.

So, after all that rambling, what do you more experienced rat people suggest?

 

[jorats]

My vet doesn't bother with doxy at all. We do Baytril and if it's worse, we do the Baytril/Zithro combo which works great for our guys.

 

[Vanessa]

It is always touch and go with my boys and the Zithromax. I stick to the Baytril/Doxy which tends to work better.

 

[Lise]

I stick with baytril & doxycycline... my vet refers to that as our "cocktail" and I have had great results with it time and unfortunate time again.

 

[user 78]

I've had nothing but success with Baytril/Zithro. It started to clear up serious resp issues in a matter of days, after they had already been on Baytril/Doxy. I'll always use it as the real heavy hitter for bad resp. problems.

I still use Baytril/Doxy, but I use it for mild URI's.

As for his not eating, you can try tempting him with just about anything he'll eat. Rats drop weight amazingly fast when sick, which causes them to lsoe their reserves for fighting off their illness. Boost/Ensure, baby foods or cereals, or anything really yummy that he won't refuse. I also give meds with a bit of Nutrical [or Nutristat] which all my animals love.

 

[mamarat]

I had a girl with pneumonia and the vet had her on oxygen. I brought her home on baytril and zithro. It took a month but Cookie is now 29 months old.

 

[lilspaz68]

I start with baytril, or even baytril/doxy...when that doesn't work I go to baytril/zithro and have very high success rates with it.

 

[SQ]

Baytril and zithro seems to work well.
David (Byron's son) is presently on it.

 

[mamarat2]

I haven't had to use zithro yet, but it is on the list for when the resp infections stop responding to baytril/doxy.

 

[RatsForever]

Thank you all for responding...I feel better trying Zithro if the baytril/doxy doesn't work. As suggested, I bought some Ensure and baby cereal and Byron did gobble that up this morning.

Linda

 

[user 78]

I'm glad he's eating! Also, make sure he's drinking okay, too. You can do a pinch test, where you pull the skin between their shoulders up a bit and give it a little twist. If it snaps right back into place, he's well hydrated. If it takes a while or 'tents' at all, you may want to give him some rehydrating solution. I use a recipe of 10 oz warm water, 1 tsp sugar, 1/3 tsp salt. You can just put whatever you don't use immediately in the fridge.

 

[Godmother]

My girls have had success with Baytril/Doxy and with Baytril/Zithro. A few of them are on Baytril/Doxy now, but I notice that Tia still hiccups sometimes. I may have to get her switched to Zithro.

Scritches and kisses to Byron from Corrie and the girls! :love7: