Baytril question

[michelle86]

Hey everyone,

I joined to ask this question. The vet gave me baytril for my rabbit's snuffles. They gave it to me in the injection form, but said to give it by mouth. 1.2ml twice daily for 5 days. It has a very strong smell, like nail polish remover/alcohol.

It was the vet tech that came in and said, "this is the injection form, but you're going to give it by mouth." She gave me the syringe... which stupidly does not fit the bottle of medication, so I have to force it in just to draw some up.

I've given my rabbit this medication twice already, and I was just concerned that this injection form is not okay to give by mouth. I have been diluting it with applejuice... I still have to force my rabbit to take it because he won't go anywhere near that syringe because it tastes bad. Also with the apple juice there is some kind of interaction and when the two combine it becomes cloudy with white sediment. Another concern... but I have to dilute it with something to make it easier for my rabbit.

Has anyone given baytril before? Was it like mine? Clear liquid that smells strongly like nail polish remover and alcohol? And do you know if the injection form can be given by mouth?

I am just concerned because it was the vet tech that bottled the medication and was the one who gave me the instructions and not the veterinarian himself.

Michelle

 

[Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears]

When my little guy Fluffy was given Baytril for HT it was by mouth every 12hrs. I don't remeber if he liked it cause i sent to my parents place cuase i couldn't deal with it, But i think he didn't like it. I had to hold him in my knees and open the side of his mouth and stick it in a little bit at a time.
Ok i just read on a website that sometimes Baytril is injected but most cases it's given oral

 

[Flashy]

I have no idea if it differs from oral to injectable to be honest, however, having given Baytril too many times to count i can tell you my rabbits deteste it. It is made for dogs and I believe is flavoured to be appealing to dogs. I have a bun who had to have it and it made him spasm with disgust at it, all round the room, lol, so that part of not unusual, but hopefully someone more knowledgable can clarify if the injectable and oral are the same.

 

[michelle86]

Does anyone know if there are two separate forms of the medication? I'm getting the injection form to give by mouth... but is there a liquid form made to give by mouth? Or is it normal to give the injection form by mouth?

What I have to give to Ben just does not smell like something that is okay to give by mouth. So it makes me worried :?

 

[Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears]

I recomend u PM RANDY ra7751 and ask him. Or u hope a mod shows up and they can move it to the infirmary and u will get good help there.

 

[NorthernAutumn]

most bunny meds smell and tastes like hell.
No two ways about it.
I personally wouldn't feel comfortable diluting it with apple juice, due to unknown chemical interactions... however, someone else would be better suited to commenting on this part.
I give my guys craisins before and after to kill the taste...
Yes, it is gross for them .

Perhaps you cannot give injectible by mouth... hopefully someone will answer this one quickly...

 

[michelle86]

I diluted it with the apple juice after trying to find online what others have diluted it with. Others said they have used apple juice but didn't note the type of interaction I saw. Maybe it is with additives that are in the injectable form? I have no clue. It worries me though.

 

[michelle86]

Thank you very much. I PM'd him and also posted my question on the infirmary.

 

[Maureen Las]

You can give the injectable by mouth ; that is safe..

BUT

the vet is (excuse me) is an idiot for not sending you to a compounding pharmacy or trying in some way to flavor that drug. That drug is supposed to taste absolutely horrific....
I would call him back and ask if you could have it compounded at a pharmacy. The vet would call a pharmacy and they would mix the enrofloxicin with a very sweet syrup to mask the horror of the taste.
I have alsogiven that medication by Intramauscular injection
if they had the time to teach you it is not that diffiult

it also (acccording) to Randy works way better when injected and I can attest to that as I have given it orally and injected it.
I would pursue this one as I have never heard of a vet not having the sense to flavor baytril :grumpy:

 

[michelle86]

My vet is not open on the weekends. Do you know if apple juice is okay? Or if there is anything else that I could dilute it in?

 

[BlueMoon]

The injectible form of Baytril should be effective given orally, if you can get the rabbit to take it. It does normally have a terrible taste and smell. To my understanding, the oral (liquid suspension) form of baytril is made with the crushed tablet form (which tastes better). The liquid injectible, of course, is not designed to taste good, and it doesn't!

What you saw when you mixed the baytril with apple juice sounds like an actual reaction between the meds and juice. Apple juice is acidic and Baytril is very basic, so the combination will cause a salt to precipitate out. I can't be sure whether this would have an effect on the drug action, but my guess is that it would. Mixing the meds with something like corn syrup (which is less acidic) would be a tasty way to give the meds that would be "safe" for the drug.

I think it would be a good idea to call your vet and ask about getting a liquid suspension of Baytril instead. Even mixed in corn syrup, the injecible form still isn't going to taste great. Whether giving you the injecible form was intended or an oversight, if the bunny won't take the meds, they won't work.

 

[MyRabbits]

The few times I have had to give my rabbits baytril, they loved it. The vet gave it to me in an oral suspension that was banana-flavored. I hope you are able to find something like that.

 

[Little Bay Poo]

We were administering Baytril orally for a few weeks, but ours was compounded (not sure what flavor but it was bright red in color). Even compounded, I think it still had a bad taste. Our bunny would go around chewing anything and everything to get the taste out of his mouth and went crazy for a salt lick. He is not a chewer so this was odd behavior for him. When he went off the Baytril he went back to normal.

 

[ra7751]

Hi All,

I usually post this type of info in the infirmary..but to make sure it's seen, I will post here. Some comments on Baytril.

>Baytril has lost it's punch due to the over use (the old let's give them something just in case) treatment. The bacteria that was once sensitive to Baytril are becoming resistant and the drug doesn't work. I haven't used it in years and most exotic focus vets are steering away from it.

>Injectable can be used orally. It is very bitter tasting. If you have to use it orally, you can cut the edge off the taste by flavoring the drug with a sugar free flavoring. Do not use sugary products like corn syrup, Karo Syrup or sugar water. You are going to stress the beneficialbacteria in the gut enough by putting an antibiotic in there and sugar only stresses the beneficialbacteria more. And I have concerns about the acidity in the gut. In an adult rabbit, the pH is very acidic. That might inhibit the drug somewhat. But if you change the pH to a more alkaline position, it will have a negative effect on the beneficial bacteria in the gut. The pH in the gut need to remain in it's normal pH range to support the growth of beneficial bacteria. There are numerous other drugs that are effective and safe against a wide range of pathogens without risking the gut.

>As far as I know, in the US anyway, there is no Baytril suspension available. Any suspended Baytril has been compounded by your vet. If they use FlavorX, it can be flavored to taste. The tablets, called taste tabs, are made exclusively for dogs and are liver flavored. There is nothing to make this taste any different. You can tell taste tabs were used if the suspension is brown.

>If Baytril must be used, it is more effective (relatively speaking) when it is injected.

>There is no such thing as snuffles. It is a generic term from the dark ages. The most common pathogen found in rabbit infections is Pasteurella Multocida. The drug of choice in fighting Pasteruella is Zithromax. Other drugs I have used are Penicillin, Chloramphenicol and most recently, Convenia. There is always the possibility of other pathogens so it is critical to perform cultures to determine the exact pathogen and exactly what the bacteria is sensitive to.

Randy

 

[Leaf]

I've merged these two threads together - they were identical.

 

[Maureen Las]

I was trying to do it for the first time and couldn't figure out what happened
been sitting here scratching my head for the past 10 min.

Thanks Leaf

 

[Maureen Las]

Well we still don't know what she can flavor it with ??
How about fresh pineapple juice
yes ..it is sugary but we give it other times...
I'm going to post this on etherbun

 

[Maureen Las]

I posted this on etherbun ..I'll let everyone know when I get some responses.

 

[Maureen Las]

Well someone on etherbun uses the syrup that is used to flavor coffee
I just thought that certain brands of those flavored syrups have sugar-free kinds.

?? :?

 

[undergunfire]

I crush and grind one Baytril tablet for my rats, then mix it with part water and part Strawberry syrup (like the kind you can make strawberry milk with). I am not sure if you can use this with rabbits, though, as I know rabbits don't have the same stomach system as ratties.