Baytril and increased fecal output

I'm continuing to boggle a curiosity with Mimzy.
When he has oral baytril, instead of his tummy getting upset and needing probiotics, his fecal output is increased in size and quality. I can't understand it. He's been off the baytril now for a few days and his poos have shrunk to the size of pips and smaller and the amount has decreased. He is eating and eliminating, it just isn't to the amount or quality that I would like to see in him.
Obviously he can't take baytril the rest of his life, I am just wondering what about it could be contributing to a happier gut? Is there a prokinetic effect that I don't know about?

He's got an appointment to see his vet on Saturday at 2 PM, but the road is so terrible my OH is not letting me drive it myself, plus he says if Mimzy has to go in HE will take him and I must stay at home. (This is all part of the usual problem with our winters up here, but since his friends' fatal accident he doesn't want us in the same car. As if we haven't traveled together in winter before with no problems. :roll: ) This is not acceptable to me, but what else can I do? Mimzy really needs to be seen to evaluate his foot lesions and now with the smaller poos I just want to be sure she gets a listen to his gut. She only works the one weekend this month, so if we miss this visit we're up a creek.

This is all making me very stressed and angry. It wasn't my idea to live 30 miles outside of town 20 years ago...why do my animals have to pay the price? Grrrr.

All right...mini-rant over...if anyone has any ideas on the baytril/gut thing, I would be very grateful!
Many thankies in advance!

I have not encountered any issues with decreased fecal output after stopping Baytril. Could it be a coincidence or has it happened before ? It may help to give him a probiotic now. I dont think you can obtain anything like Fibreplex over there can you ??

I hope that his check up at the Vets will go well. It must add to your stress having such awful weather to contend with on any journey you have to make.

Cant offer any advice. Just want to send a virtual ((((hug))))

Fee x

I had to call in to the vet today and tell them we'd need to move the appointment out a few weeks. My vet will be in during this weekend in case there's an emergency, but my OH is adamant that we are not to be on the road together and I need to be there when Mimzy sees her. I have to pray the road will be drivable by Dec 8.
He is doing okay. I really need to have him shaved again, his fur has grown back and clumped so badly it is hindering his movements. He hates being groomed, I can hear his heart pounding away every time I try to brush him out. Just removing stuck cecals and other random dirt is terrifying to him. My poor boy, he used to love being handled, of all my bunnies, he was the easiest to sit with. Of course, he would nip you if you dared stop fussing him, but now I'm lucky if he'll hold still for an ear rub.
We're at least going to see about medication for his tummy...not sure if the vet will want to continue his baytril or do something else, but I don't want to have to rush him in for ileus treatment with how slick the roads are.
I can understand my OH's trepidation, but this is very frustrating to me for Mimzy's sake. If for no other reason than I find closer vet care for my animals, I will be glad to be rid of this place.

I just got some beautiful third cut timothy hay in this week, last of the season. The only bun who seem thrilled with it is Fiver. :?

Thank you for the virtual hugs, Fee, it really does help.

Yes, Jane, Mimzy has always shown better gut function while on baytril. I can't explain it, unless it irritates his gut somehow that it gets him to produce, but the poos are rounder, fuller and more the size they should be while he's taking the meds. He definitely seems to feel better during extended rounds of the drug.
It's funny, it's like I how I was while on adriamycin during chemotherapy. I have had allergies to so many foods that I'm hardly able to eat anything, while this medication was in my system I had no trouble at all with my digestion. As long as I wasn't asleep or nauseated (which I wasn't much at all of the latter, surprisingly) I could eat anything I wanted! (I've begun to suspect I have celiac disease over the last few years.)

I'm upping his veggies in case it's a fluid thing, but after the first few days he was on the baytril and had been drinking water so well, this eventually fell off and now he's hardly drinking any again. I don't want to have to go back to sub q's if we can help it, if he doesn't like grooming he won't brook any needle nonsense.
I hope he's not taking in too much fur, I can barely keep up with his constant moulting. As the temps in the house rise to keep the cold out he is probably getting overheated, but he thumps and tears his flooring if he gets the least bit cold. Contrary thing! He was sure angry when the power cut the other week and the floor got to about 60 F, and there was nothing I could do to warm him!

Hi Mimzmum. Sorry to intrude in the discussion. I had a thought when reading your post and wanted to share in case it might be helpful to you.

Reading about your observations of how your bun has reacted favorably to his antibiotic, and your own positive reaction to your medication, made me wonder if they could both be related to a stomach bacteria. I've suffered from stomach problems for a while and wondered too at one point if I might have celiac disease. It seems like I react to so many foods and everything seems to upset my stomach. Anyways, a few months ago I gave in and went to my doctor and discovered I had H. pylori, which seemed to be the cause of my stomach problems. I did get antibiotics for it and was starting to notice quite an improvement, but the problems have come back so I don't think I was on the antibiotics long enough. Sorry for all the detail, but with that medication helping you, and with it being an antibiotic?(though I really don't know much about the med), I was thinking that if H. pylori was affecting you, that might be an explanation for how well you did when taking the med. I don't know if this is even a possibility, but thought I should comment in case it was.

I don't know if something similar is possible with rabbits, but it may be worth investigating.

Thanks JBun, don't feel you're intruding, I appreciate all replies!
I have been tested over the years for H Pylori but it has never shown up. I am not certain if bunnies get it, I think their stomachs work too fast for much of anything to develop there, unless they are in ileus in which case they breed some nasty bacteria.

Poor Mimz...I had to give him a bum bath tonight before bed and his poor wee front toes! They are all red as if he were walking on wire, which he is not, he's on nice, comfy towels! I'll be phoning the vet in the morning and seeing about getting him a new round of abx...I really think he's going to have to stay on them long term. His poos are even more pitiful tonight.

His wee smells a bit metallic to me...or just plain odd, I don't know which. And it's all thick again. He did have carrot tops today, but he has an ongoing problem with mucky urine now, usually an almost ochre color, and while he's on baytril he doesn't have this problem.

Got quite a bit more fur off him tonight as well, so at least he won't be swallowing that. :?

Just sending safe and keep warm wishes to you all as it must be a nightmare having to contend with such bad weather and of course a bunny who is not quite 100%. Come on Mimzy get better soon. xxxxx