Baytril dose

[Cassandra]

Hey everyone
I need some help with dosing Baytril.
It is for a 6 week old ratty. I don't have a kitchen scale to weigh her on, so i don't know her weight.
She's growing normally and isn't underweight or overweight.

I have baytril 50mg tablets.
So what i need to know is how much of the tablet i'm supposed to break off and crush for her?
Appreciate any advice.
Thanks guys.

[I've added in a couple of photos incase you need to judge her size]
The rat she is pictured with is around 3 and a half months old.

 

[lilspaz68]

Is she sick??

 

[Cassandra]

She's been a little wheezy/sneezy since i got her.
She's been on doxy , echinasea and vitamin c .
a couple of days ago she was really wheezy and gagging.
I kept up her doxy etc and began steaming her near the shower.
And the gagging went away , as well as the loudish wheezing.
She's eating fine, drinking and playing.
Not hunched.
And there is no fluid from her nose.
I really want to get her healthy.

I have only had rats a few months and had one go down hill really fast
and pass away all in a couple of hours late one night.
I really don't want Frankie to go the same.

I have just bought a ferret kingdom this week. So i can't afford the vets for a week or so.
I had to be a bum and get the baytril tablets from a fellow ratty owner.

The baytril might not be necessary right now.
But would just like to know the dosing info for if she gets real sicker.

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

It would be a good idea to get her weight because that will make for a more exact dosing and be much safer for her.

 

[Cassandra]

i could possibly buy a kitchen weigher thing tomorrow.

So there's no way to dose her safely without knowing her weight?

Darn.

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

IMO no and I would also suggest seeing a vet, especially if you arent sure something is wrong with her. You dont want to be giving antibiotics unless they are needed or they might not work when your rat really does need them.

 

[Cassandra]

IMO no and I would also suggest seeing a vet, especially if you arent sure something is wrong with her. You dont want to be giving antibiotics unless they are needed or they might not work when your rat really does need them.

Sorry not sure what IMO means.

Yes she will be seeing a vet.
But i can't afford it right now. she'll be seeing one in the next week or so.
I've spoken to other people about her health.
I just needed the dosage info for her for incase she got worse.
Stupid of me. i knew i would have needed her weight.
Yeah i know i shouldn't medicate her unless it's really needed. i won't give her something if she doesnt need it.
I know i sound like a stupid newbie.
oh well.

 

[Maple]

Don't quote me on this one, but I believe my vet waited far longer than 6 weeks before she would give my ratties Baytril. For some reason 3 months sticks in my head.

 

[Cassandra]

Oh really.
that is interesting.

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

Don't quote me on this one, but I believe my vet waited far longer than 6 weeks before she would give my ratties Baytril. For some reason 3 months sticks in my head.

I have heard that too but I know some vets feel the benefits of the baytril outweigh the risks but you could always try getting azythromyacin, thats what I was given when my younger boy got sick.

 

[Moon]

You absolutely need a weight to get the proper dosage. A kitchen scale shouldn't set you back too much and should be owned by every rat owner.

IMO = In My Opinion

 

[Cassandra]

ohhh haha it's 'in my opinion'.
SORRY! I don't know all the abbreviations lol.

But yes shall go out shopping tomorrow for a kitchen scale.
does it matter if it is digital or normal?
i've been meaning to buy one for weeks. i just forget everytime im at the shops :doh:

 

[jorats]

My exotic vet dispenses Baytril for any age in rats. There is no documented/tested risks in rats.
Your little girl does sound very sick with the gasping and wheezing. But again without a weight...

 

[lilspaz68]

I give baytril to young'un's all the time. I prefer to knock out any issues fast.

The whole "do not give to rats under 3 months" is because it affects puppies growth, but has never been proven to do anything to rats. People just didn't want to take the chance assuming it would do the same thing to rats, then this supposition became "FACT" after enough people spread it around. :cheeky:

I agree it sounds like she does need the baytril but 6 weekers can have such a wide weight range it could be dangerous and we don't want to underdose!

Let us know her weight when you get a scale. Its better to get a digital one.

 

[Cassandra]

okay i got a scale.
couldn't afford the digital one though today. they were all upwards of $30. i went to 3 massive shopping centres and searched and searched and searched.
had to get a normal one.
but yeah the problem with that is its not as accurate.
it says she's 0.2 kgs.

 

[Fidget]

Yeah, I understand. I've had times I just simply didn't have the $85 + meds to go to the vet and was desperate to treat them at home with help online. I hoped I had the right things at home..
Here's the net info for baytril http://ratguide.com/meds/antimicrobial_ ... aytril.php , I hope someone will help you to finetune it for one so young. Scary place to be, I made sure to build up a vet fund for times like this now, but the kid shouldn't suffer cause I didn't.

You do need to get a vet fund put aside cause antibiotics aren't always the answer and believe me - they're not all interchangeable for any problem, my Fidget on Baytril/Doxy still had face swelling and eye bulging, needed Chlorpalm to fix her up. And heart trouble can masquerade as respiratory trouble.
I just hope your kid is ok. So young...

 

[Cassandra]

Yeah, I understand. I've had times I just simply didn't have the $85 + meds to go to the vet and was desperate to treat them at home with help online. I hoped I had the right things at home..
Here's the net info for baytril http://ratguide.com/meds/antimicrobial_ ... aytril.php , I hope someone will help you to finetune it for one so young. Scary place to be, I made sure to build up a vet fund for times like this now, but the kid shouldn't suffer cause I didn't.

You do need to get a vet fund put aside cause antibiotics aren't always the answer and believe me - they're not all interchangeable for any problem, my Fidget on Baytril/Doxy still had face swelling and eye bulging, needed Chlorpalm to fix her up. And heart trouble can masquerade as respiratory trouble.
I just hope your kid is ok. So young...

Thank you for the link
Yeh it's just been a little bit hard with money for me lately. I did start a vet fund. But had to dip into it for different things for the rats when money was tight.
But now i've gotten paying for the ferret kingdom out of the way, i will start to have better cash flow for the ratties.

 

[Fidget]

So understood.
I hope Frankie is ok. You really don't expect trouble to hit that young and then you're caught unprepared and it's a really desperate feeling and you need to do the best you can for the moment without a vet.

People here who are familiar with you and believe you do everything you can for your kids will jump to help you in any situation. Unfortunately if they don't know you they might assume you want to cut corners and in a caring desire to not contribute to bad care they might offer no help. And the kid pays.
I do understand the logic, I expect that if people don't respond to a post where a kid needs help because they feel it should be at the vets then they suffer their own agonies over teaching the human rather than helping the kid if the kid dies.
My first day on a rat site I was hoping for free advice cause I coudn't affort a vet. All the regulars got advice and I got ignored. Hard to understand, better my kid gets some knowledgeable advice than none if I can't go to the vet.
Then I learned people don't want to give advice to a newbie cause they might take it as a replacement for the vet. And nobody wants to deprive or hurt the kid.
It's a tough call. Sites are made of individuals who respond or don't based on their own live & their own sizing-up of the situation acording to its sound to them.

Nobody here doesn't care about your kid. They might lay awake all night worrying about the kid rather than post a response. I understand. But I'm concerned about Frankie like everyone else is.

_________________
My girls Fidget, January, Smitten & Sequoia. My boy Touille *swoon*.
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One of every 2 kids that goes into a shelter is euthanized because nobody comes to take them HOME. Think of that before you buy from someone who is breeding more.

 

[Cassandra]

Oh.
no worries.
Thanks for taking the time to explain it to me.
It is hard to get known on a forum , especially one thats from another country, i can't meet anyone. So i kinda feel stupid getting in on everyones threads, so i stay out of most topics.
And i haven't posted much at all. I should start to.
I understand how i must look. But i'm really not trying to be a bad pet owner.
I'm not complete knewbie to everything.
I was a mouse and guinea pig owner for many years.
I do provide my rats with the best care. I make sure i do everything right for them.
BUT i have had some money problems the last month.
I do know of a good small animal vet that some people on an australian forum use. She is excellent.
I will get an appointment with her when i have the money.
It's really really horrible i don't have the money right now for the vet. But i am doing what i can.
And if because i'm new and seem like a tool i should be taught a lesson. Then so be it.

 

[Fidget]

You sound like a good person in a bad situation.
I'm sure your worries for your kid are bigger than they are for what anyone thinks of you.
I think you're wonderful, and if you have the time or the inclination you could post more and in the more social spaces. But you don't have to.
Lets just hope that between your present abilities and hopefully the helpful knowledge of people here Frankie will be A-Ok!
That's what is important here, right?