Antibiotic type for rats

Question
Hello there, my female rat has had recurring respiratory problems for a couple months now, and my old vet (who I don't think knew anything about rats) prescribed a bottle of an antibiotic called "Cefadroxil" for her.  I have never heard of this drug being used for rats before, and cannot find any research on the subject.  Do you know anything about this drug, or if it's ok to give to my rat during flare ups?

Thank you so much for your time!

Answer
Cefa drops are a good drug for infections such as urinary tract infections, inner ear infections and to prevent infection in incisions after surgery and for other infections, but not the top choice for respiratory infections. Mycoplasmosis pulmonis is usually the culprit in most respiratory infections and this bacteria is an organism that lacks a cell wall.  This means in more simple terms that most antibiotics are made to destroy the cell wall and not the cell itself. If a drug like this is used on an organism that lacks a cell wall, nothing will happen and the rat remains ill. There are just a few drugs that are used on rats that destroy the cell wall and one of them is baytril.  I usually suggest using baytril first and something such as cefadroxil for a secondary infection so its ok to use them both.