Questions on Baytril (semi-urgent)

[13mur 6]

Hey everyone,

So the problem with my snake was that it had a Proteus bacteria infection, along with some salmonela. My vet gave me a teeny bit of batril (gosh she wants me to dose 10 times with this, she gave me like exact volume and didn't take into account dead space in syringe and stuff, what a cheapskate).

The dose was 2.27 mg/kg? Said 2.27 mg/ml orally, which is wierd.... I thought baytril was supposed to be dosed 5 mg/kg orally. And I give my snake 0.1 cc of the stuff DAYLY, for 10 days, which is also wierd (I always thought it was a 2 day thing).

Question is, should I feed during this 10 day period? She didn't say anything about feeding.

-13mur 6

[Susan]

Although I don't have my books handy (in my son's room, and he's asleep), I believe Baytril for snakes has a dosage range of 2mg/kg to 5mg/kg, so the dosage your vet said falls in that range. If your snake is fairly young and/or small, your vet chose to be on the safer side by using a smaller dosage. Plus, since Baytril injectable comes prepared at 22.7mg/ml for small animal approved usage (large animal Baytril is 100mg/ml), your vet was also making it easy on everyone by chosing that dosage. And most fluoroquinalones (not 100% sure on spelling)...i.e. that whole family of antibiotics, are most often given once daily for 7-10 days. Only 2 days would not cure the problem, and could make matters worse by potentially creating a resistant strain of bacteria to Baytril.

As for your question, I probably would not feed your snake during the time it is on the oral antibiotic. It is only for 10 days, and if your snake should regurgitate a meal, you would not only lose that days dose of antibiotic, but cause your snake undue stress. DO make sure it has plenty of water. You want to make sure that your snake remains hydrated since Baytril may cause kidney problems if your snake becomes dehydrated.

[13mur 6]

Oh, wow, thanks a ton. That clears up alot.

But would dosing 10 days in a row stress out my snake? I know she doesn't like it at all and fights real hard not to get the drug in her mouth (fights real hard to keep her mouth closed too).

-13mur 6

[Rachel]

I know this might sound wierd, but try giving the meds in a darkened room (obviously with enough light for you to see). I did this when I had to give my snakes meds for gastro. I put the lights off and put on their night lamp. It seemed to calm them down alot and made my job alot easier. That might just be my snakes though...anyone else tried/heard of this method? :confused:

[13mur 6]

Another question:

Baytril kills off all the normal gut flora too, so. How do I kick start her digestion once the treatment is over? I heard from someone that I could use a dab of acidophillus powder at the end of a pinkie, would that work?

-13mur 6

[Susan]

I've had no experience with acidophillus powder, but plenty of experience with BeneBac, although not with herps. Your local pet shop will probably have some. I think, but am not 100% sure, there is one made for herps. If not, the one for birds should be fine.