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Baytril Question

G

Gem

Wise Old Thumper
I have a bun on Baytril to clear up a minor infection, the vet told me to give him 0.4 in 100mls of water daily but he wouldn't drink it, so I called the vets back and asked if I could give it undiluted, they said yes, but it makes him sneeze and cough when I give it to him.

Is it alright to give it to him undiluted?

Gem x
 
I always thought it was best to give Batril straight into the mouth? My vet has never said anything about giving it in water. What is he on Baytril for?

It's fairly easy to give it to them in their mouth, u may need somebody to hold as they can be quite wriggly! Other thing to do is if he has a favourite veggies put it in that or I sometimes soak a tiny bit of bread with it. Anything to make giving medication easier and to ensure they get it all :)

Nicola
 
I didn't think any vet worth his salt would still be telling bunny owners to give baytril in water.

I never have. It's always been squirted down their throats.
But have never had one sneezing over it. :?
 
I've been told about putting it in water before. It always seems a very unaccurate way to dose them.

You need to be careful when giving it to squirt it in the side of the mouth not point it directly down their throat otherwise they could breath at the wrong moment and inhale it and that will make them splutter.

Tam
 
He must think I'm trying to kill him then :lol:

He splutters a lot :oops:

I do it while he's upside down on my lap.

He has a minor chest infection, which doesn't seem to be getting any better so I'm going to take him back fairly soon.

He rattles when he breathes, its gets worse after he's been running around, no discharge from his nose or anything and the vet said his chest is not congested, any ideas on what it could be?
 
Hi Gem

I have always given it undiluted too by mouth thats the only way i knew to be sure they had it. It helps to wrap them in a towel, i take it that they gave you a syringe?????
Sarah
 
They generally do fine on Baytril. My vets also give Probiotics with it as it can upset their tums. I would try sitting him upright and squirting into side of mouth as may be that he is having trouble swallowing when he is upside down!

My bun had a snuffly throat a month or so ago, no chest congestion and no runny nose. She was on Baytril for a week and Bisolvon powder for a week and cleared up fine. I also found that Olbas Oil worked a treat for the congestion, along with the Bisolvon. I think some bunnies just suffer with this!

Nicola
 
I've just found something out which is a bit worrying:

Don't forget that baytril HAS to be diluted with water or juice. So if you are giving 1ml of baytril give bun 1ml of water straight after wards to dilute.

Baytril can cause ulceration of the gut so has to be diluted.

Cross posted from another forum,

Anyone know anything about this?
 
Can't say I've ever heard of that! I presume that vets have to dilute it down before they give it to you if any dilution is necessary. What the vets give you should be what you give to your bun, unless otherwise instructed.

I sometimes wash it down with a bit of water or Ribena but that is only to make sure it alll goes down and only with awkward bunnies!! Nothing to do with diluting it!

Where did you get that info from? Do your vets deal with a lot of rabbits?

Nicola
 
I'm at the vets tomorrow (for mass vaccination) so will check on that.
But thought that it was as it came out of the bottle when my vets gave it to me and have never been told to dilute it with water or anything else.
 
Kim had baytril a few times and I always gave it straight from the pack as that was what the vet told me to do.

I am just wondering if the baytril you get now is pre-prepared.

I used to give it to kim via syringe straight into her mouth - she hated it and got wise to me and woukd run off whenever I approached her with a syringe.

lol Pam
 
The oral baytril the vet gives you in the bottle is already diluted ready :)

Tam
 
That's what I thought Tamsin as it isn't in a proper pharmaceutical company labelled bottle but just a brown glass one with the vets label on it so I assumed they decanted and diluted as necessary. My vets are rabbit and exotic specialists and I have never had to give it with water.

Caz
 
Aye, the vet prepares it round the back. That's why it takes a few minutes before he comes back with it, and always in a bottle with bunny's name on it and the dosage. However, if you've been given Baytril to dilute in water, then I would think you'd need to check that it was at a suitable concentration before giving it neat instead. As you've already phoned your vet and they said it was fine, I don't see any problem with syringing the medicine.

I think your bunny is probably coughing because he's upside down. I know I'm not too good at drinking if I'm the wrong way up. Feed a few pellets or a little piece of fruit after you've given the medicine and it'll be a much less traumatic experience and your bunny won't end up so resistant to being picked up at medicine time.
 
Hi Gem

As others have already said, the Baytril you get from the vet has already been diluted - either 5% or 2.5% concentration. It does taste horrible by mouth though, so I am not surprised he tries to splutter it out!!

It is odd that he has no chest congestion, but is rattly.....how long is the course of baytril? I had a bunny who rattled and had a little congestion on one side, and we used a different, injectible antibiotic, for a few weeks, and it cleared up completely and never returned.

I tend to agree with Tracy - no vet these days should suggest putting Baytril in the drinking water.

All the best for your little one

Anna :D
 
I thought it came in cherry flavour! But to be honst I haven't tried it myself.

I get Brendan to hold Zeus (it takes two of us :roll: ) and then I put the syringe behind his front teeth and give him a ml at a time, allowing him to get up and swallow/lick it off before restraining him and giving him the next bit! He usually gets a piece of his favourite dried bread after to cheer him up. He doesn't cough or splutter just attempts to let it trickle out. Try holding your bunny the right way up but lifting and restraining the two front paws, with your arm crooked around the bunny (like a big hug around their bum but holding their front paws), I find this prevents Athena from bracing herself and moving away from the syringe.

Caz
 
I don't use syringes at all, I drip it onto their SS pellets and they just eat as normal. Absolutely no stress at all! This wouldn't work with a pair or group of rabbits though, unless you separated at feeding time.
 
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