Mouse eye infection, other antibiotics

Question
QUESTION: I read your post about using tetracycline to treat a eye infection I went to my local Tractor Supply store and got this stuff
called: Duramycin-10 TETRACYCLINE HYDROCHLORIDE SOLUBLE POWDER.
Each pound contains 25 g of tetracycline hydrochloride activity. This packet contains 10 g of tetracycline hydrochloride activity.
And it says "For use in drinking water for swine, Calves and poultry.

Based on this information how much should I give my mouse and is this the right thing her eye is really bad. I alread tried the 1-4 of a teaspoon in here drinking water and when I mix it up into a paste it gets hard and staying at the botom.

Here is a link to the product I recently purchased: http://calfology.com/shop/duramycin-10

ANSWER: Dear Trevor,

I cannot help you here. I am only an expert in behavior, although I answer basic medical questions with the caveat that the vet is a better answer. I have absolutely no idea how much of that to use, or even if it is the right formula. I would not try it.

Can you get to a fish supply store and get the fish tetracycline? If you can't get to a vet- which is highly recommended in a case like this- then that is your best bet.

I hope you can find the right stuff. Either that or find a PIGEON supply store that sells amoxicillin liquid, and if possible also enrofloxacin or doxyxycline. Then write me back and I will help you with that.

I truly hope you can work something out for your little mouse.

Squeaks,

Natasha



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Okay thanks for the help I found some Doxycycline which was from the vet and either my vet prescribed my cat or dog with it (can't remember)it is 100mg and it is in little tablets. That is really all I have there is no store around my area that sells this stuff I must go to a vet to get the other thing antibiotics you mentioned witch I really cant afford at the moment. Do you know if I can give tetracycline to her in a injection? They are selling tetracycline in injection form at tractor supply.

PS. I have some other antibiotics in the medicine cabinet that were from infections in the past for our family but they were prescribed for humans is there any other antibiotics I can use?

Answer
Dear Trevor,

Sorry this took so long, I was researching and trying to convert rat dosages to mouse dosages!

I really can't help you with, nor recommend, any of the medications you list. Mice need such teeny tiny doses, and it would be just about impossible to figure out how much to use. However...

**

I do have information about using an oxytracycline eye powder for cattle. This is what someone's vet had him do in South Africa, where nothing else was available! But it worked. This mouse owner simply dabbed the powder around the mouse's eye for several days. He said the eye seemed to get worse at first but after three days it was as good as new.

**

What I would do myself is to get an antibiotic formulated for pigeons. Pigeon supply stores carry doxycycline, amoxicillin, and Baytril (enrofloxacin), which are the main three medications used for mice and rats, in useful doses. The best medication for an eye infection is very likely amoxicillin (remember a vet knows better than me; I am telling you what I would do). This is good, because amoxicillin is the only cheap one of the three.  If you don't see it online, call and ask. They often have products which they do not advertise.

Here is a list of some places to get the three mouse meds, a quote from the ratfanclub website:

Jedds Pigeon Supplies 800-659-5928  (amoxi and doxy capsules, and 10% liquid enrofloxacin can be ordered by phone, ask for Greg)
Doctors Foster & Smith, 800-826-7206 (100 amoxicillin capsules for fish.)
Global Pigeon Supplies, 800-562-2295, www.globalpigeon.com (10% liquid enrofloxacin, doxy)
Siegel Pigeons, 800-437-4436, www.siegelpigeons.com
Jeffers, 800-JEFFERS, www.jefferspet.com (doxy)
Omaha Vaccine Company, 800-367-4444 (amoxi)
Cal Vet Supply, www.CalVet Supply.com (amoxi, doxy)

The only way to find amoxicillin without a vet prescription is for birds, so don't try it anywhere else because you will find yourself being asked for a prescription.

If you find it in liquid form, just give him a drop twice a day for at least 14 days, even if he is well, unless it has no effect after five days. But you will probably find it in capsule form. It will likely be a 250mg capsule. You are going to need a 10 ml syringe (no needle) and a 1 ml or smaller syringe (you may find the tiny .5 or .3 syringes).

Mix the contents of one capsule with 7.5 ml of something like soy yogurt, which mice generally like. If he won't eat that, try butter! The dose for a mouse is around .04 ml. Let's say you got a 1 ml syringe. .04 is 4 little marks up the syringe, not even halfway up to the first .1 line. Very, very little. If that is really hard to do, mix twice as much yogurt in and give him .08 ml (almost .1 ml). Et cetera. Again, at least two weeks unless there is no improvement within 5 days.

**
Whichever method you try, I certainly hope it works. There is no reason to think my method would be better than the ox eye powder, which may be easier for you to get and easier to use.

I hope you can do this as quickly as possible for the poor little mouse!

squeaks,

Natasha