Baytril help!!!!

[maeve100]

Hi there,

My vet gave me a perscription for Baytril for my guinea pig girl who has a slight URI. He said to mix it with water and put it in her bottel, which I did. The only problem is that the bottel is consistently dripping! The bottel is new, even so I trip another one but it just keeps dripping. I am worried all her meds will drip out and she won't get any!

What can I do? Could I dilute the meds alot and fill the whole bottel with water and then 1 cc of baytril? The bottels need to be completly full to create a vaccum to prevent dripping. I just don't know what to do! Help! :-(

Liz

 

[LuvMyPiggers]

Try maybe a water bowl? But supervise her when drinking.

 

[amfeider]

Get a mouse bottle.

 

[Ly&Pigs]

He said to mix it with water and put it in her bottel, which I did.

I have never heard of a vet doing this. It is usually given by syringe.

Find out what dose she is supposed to receive and syringe it to her however often she is supposed to have it.

 

[Slap Maxwell]

NEVER put medication in the water, ever. You need to find a more cavy savy vet. Baytril should be given orally.

 

[maeve100]

I called the vet about feeding it to her through a feeding syringe and he said that it wasn't recomended for Guinea Pigs. I want a second vets opinion though. Why do you never put meds in their water?

 

[LuvMyPiggers]

Because it dellutes quickly just like vitamin c drops. They won't get the right amount.

 

[maeve100]

But if I syringe feed it to her then it should be ok?

 

[Slap Maxwell]

It will taste funny and they won't drink it- so they won't get better.

Find another vet, this one is obvisily clueless.

 

[rabbitsncavyluv]

Putting ABs in water is an ineffective way to give meds.

You can't possibly control dosage by mixing it in water and waiting for the pig to drink. Your vet should know that improper administration of antibiotics is a dandy way to create immunity to the drug. It also weakens the AB if diluted, and if there are other pigs in the cage, they may be getting it too.

Do a search at www.guinealynx.info forums for more info.

You need to offer her it directly. I give ABs by syringe directly.

 

[maeve100]

Hi there, I got a small bottel end effectivly stoped the dripping. Its a small amount to drink, so I doubt the water will be in the bottel for more then a day. Both pigs drink water from the bottel freely, and have had a decent amount of water/meds already. . If the water isn't gone in 24 hours I will syringe the rest to them. .

I am having trouble locating another vet that would be more knowledgeable - Does anyone have a recomendation for the LA area? (just north of Orange County.) Or know of a link with some exotic vets?

Liz

 

[rabbitsncavyluv]

Go to Dr Ridgeway at Long Beach Animal Hospital.

His info is under vets at www.cavyhaven.org When making an appointment, ask for him by name or they will stick you with whoever.

Which vet are you using so I know to stay away from them?

 

[maeve100]

I am using (broken link removed) simply because he is close by and open during hours I am off from work. It would be next to impossible to go to an appointment from 9-8 any weekday. So this is why I go here.

 

[rabbitsncavyluv]

I understand, but guinea pigs can go downhill fast. It is important to go to a cavy savy vet, not just any dog/ cat vet. To me, it's also a waste of money, and can be dangerous, to go to a non exotics vet who doesn't know what they are doing.

 

[twofinepigs]

Actually, I have never heard of a vet advising critical meds be put in the water for any animal. Maybe they do it for captive animals like cougars in temporary captivity if they can't be approached, but otherwise? It's nuts. What if the animal is too ill to feel like drinking? And yeah, what about the other animals with access to the same water supply? I know a cavy-savvy vet is important, but that advice sounds weird for ANY vet and ANY domestic animal.

 

[Wheekwheek]

The doctor might of put the meds in the pig's water because he is using Baytril not Bactrim and would rather have the dose given throughout the day slowly. I'm just guessing here.. Baytril is much stronger and more dangerous than Bactrim especially for their liver and muscles but it has a better chance to work on really tough cases of URI. Bactrim is good for younger piggies and is much easier on the stomach flora but has a chance to fail. <Information I got from my Cavy Savy vet when she had her Uri>. Course he could just be a twit... I would call and ask why the water bottle. If he can't give you a decent answer then get to another vet asap.

Wheekwheek

 

[rabbitsncavyluv]

I hope you're submitting your vet bills to Petco.

 

[maeve100]

I talked with the vet for a while, he made it clear that Baytril can be dangerous if given by syringe in this case. Io is not terribly ill, by the fact that she is very active, eats a large quantity of food, and drinks plenty of liquids. The vet listened to her breathing and said it was normal. The only reason he gave me Baytril is because I mentioned that once or twice there and been some dried stuff stuck to her nose. So in this case, she isn't critical. She can get around and drink the meds easily on her own. They are almost all drank (drunk?) by this morning anyways.

And about submitting the vet bills to Petco, they said that since I took her to my own vet that they can no longer gaurentee her. Ha! Its not like an electronics I took apart or something and can no longer return! lol. Anyways, I just found that funny. .

So thats the reason for the diluted Baytril . And jsut for clarification he isn't just a dog/cat vet. He deals a decent amount in exotics as well. The two times I was there there were birds and turtles there as well. Going to any vet is better than no vet. I just moved to the area so I don't know anyone who can take them to a normal vet for me. Both my husband and I work full-time week-day jobs so it makes it very difficult (especially with LA traffic!)

Sorry, I just felt the need to defend myself as a good guinea mommy .

 

[CavyKind]

Actually, I have never heard of a vet advising critical meds be put in the water for any animal. Maybe they do it for captive animals like cougars in temporary captivity if they can't be approached, but otherwise? It's nuts. What if the animal is too ill to feel like drinking? And yeah, what about the other animals with access to the same water supply? I know a cavy-savvy vet is important, but that advice sounds weird for ANY vet and ANY domestic animal.

We have always given Baytril orally, without problem. I agree with what has been said, it is pointess putting medication in a guinea pigs water bottle.
That said I did once come accross a vet that had instructed an owner to do so. It was actually a guinea pig that I had adopted out, his new owner was updating me that their guinea was poorly.

I rang the surgery, spoke to the vet and queried the instructions, they were quite stroppy but eventually "agreed" that it was also okay to give orally. It goes without saying that I recommended the owner changed vets!

Even if a guinea is drinking normally (and many poorly ones do not) it is impossible to guarantee an accurate drug dosage when meds are given by a drinking bottle.

 

[rabbitsncavyluv]

Then the vet should have prescribed Baytril or another AB if he was worried about Baytril. Or a probiotic.

Talk to the manager or write to Corporate. They'll make up any excuse to avoid responsibility. Someone bought a pregnant sow from Petco and dumped the sow and her babies at the pound when the store refused responsibility even though Corporate said they'd take them back. They're a business first and foremost. They don't care about the animals they sell. It's merchandise to them.