Mycoplasmosis question

Question
QUESTION: My daughter has a gerbil, who was diagnosed with mycoplasa
bacteria back in October.  I know he is not a rat, but he is a rodent.  He was treated with doxy injections every 10 days and eventually became allergic to them, having a severe reaction.  We stopped the injections, but continued with the oral meds he was also receiving along with the injections: Metacam and Baytril.  He was taking the baytril
2X a day- 22.7mg- 4ml 2x/day.  The Metacam was only being given 1x a day at 2ml. Just prior to Christmas, we noticed
a decrease in his appetite, he was less active and also
scratched a lot.  I found info on the website that stated toxicity to baytril could manifest itself with lack of appetite and itching.  We stopped the oral meds about 2 weeks ago, and his appetite quickly returned, and he became more active.  Yesterday, 1/8, I noticed an increase
in porphorins from one of his eyes, and his nose.  He was having discharge from his nose on and off since discharging the doxy injections.  His appetite is fair, but he is drinking, and comes out every so often to play.
Would you advise putting him back on the baytril 1x/day at the same dose 22.7 mg- 4ml instead of 2x/day? Do you have any other suggestions? I know this is a chronic condition. Or, do you think putting him back on the baytril for 2 weeks, and off for 2 weeks could work? I would want him to
maintain a healthy appetite, of course, and am concerned about the lack of appetite he developed while on the baytril 2x/day before and trying to avoid it now. Your advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you! Laura
jklfd@comcast.net

ANSWER:
4 mls twice a day of baytril is ALOT for a small gerbil.  Also, mycoplasmosis in gerbils is very rare. In fact I have only seen in once in gerbils in years and years. How was it diagnosed? Were tests done?
What symptoms was he displaying?

I do not suggest injections either, in such small animals. They have very little body mass for injections as it is. Alot of it can end up subcutaneous and can cause localized lesions at the injection site, which can form terrible ulceration's that can bleed heavily and cause alot of pain.

Putting him on baytril for just 2 weeks if this is indeed mycoplasmosis is not long enough and if this is chronic with him, I would suggest once he is on an antibiotic that agrees with him, he should be on it for the duration of his life.   Again though, I am not convinced he has myco and wonder if this isnt a secondary infection.

Why is he on doxy injections anyhow? They make a tasty oral form for these little ones which would be alot better than injections.

You can try using the baytril twice a day  to get his illness under control again but I would decrease it down to 2mls twice a day. Once he is better after 10 days I would only give it to him once a day, daily, for the rest of his life.

What was the metacam for?  I know what it is used for but why did he need it?

My next question for you is about the vet: Is the vet a certified exotic vet or a general vet that sees exotics as a special interest on the side.  Do you know his credentials?

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

QUESTION: Sandra,
   Thanks for your quick reply.  Yes, the vet is a certified exotics vet, with specialty in treating small rodents.  The metacam was prescribed as an anti-inflammatory, I guess like a prednisone, which is prescribed for people with respiratory problems.  I think
he wanted to prevent any pneumonia like symptoms from settling in the lungs.  He was on the doxy injections along with the baytril to control the mycoplasma.  I agree,
the injections did cause abscesses on a number of occasions
and I felt like instead of helping him, it was really hurting him in the long run due to having to contend with
the pain and swelling of the injection.  They did clear up
eventually, thank God.  The diagnosis of mycoplasma was
given because back in September, I noticed the porphorins
coming out of his eye.  I took him to the vet, which happens to be an  hour away from me, and he was treated with the doxy injections and oral baytril treatments.  This
lasted approximately about a month, with subsequent visits
in between for the injections.  He was cleared after about
a month, and the vet felt that at that time he wouldn't need any further treatment.  I think he felt it was a staph
condition, as he had one earlier in the year when his brother passed away. He began bumping into the walls and rubbed all the fur off his nose.  He was treated medicinally in quite the same way, his fur grew back and he
was able to get a new cage mate (because he was only 10 months old, he accepted a 6 week old using the split cage
method, and they are best buds). Unfortuneately, come Sept.
like I said earlier, the porphorins started up again from his eyes and he was treated again for about a month, cleared, and about a week later, the porphorins began coming out of nose/eyes again.  I brought him back, and the vet then dianosed him with a chronic case of mycoplasma
bacteria and suggested treatments to continue.  He wasn't tested, because I had placed him back on baytril when I noticed the porphorins, and the vet felt that it would not
give us a true diagnosis due to being on meds.  That's the whole story.  He has not been on doxy injections since the middle of November.  He remained on the metacam and baytril up until a few days before Christmas, and then I
took him off everthing due to noticing a decline in his overall function and not eating.  Once he was off the meds,
he perked up, ate like a horse for about 2 weeks, and now
recently again, I  have noticed the return of the porphorins.  I am reaching out to you with this lengthy story as a kind of second opinion, because I don't know
what else to do.  The vet I had been seeing pretty much left us feeling like there is nothing else to do but to keep him on the oral medication.  I am no longer giving him
the metacam, because I researched a little, and found that
baytril is the best way of warding off myco in mice.  Thanks for your advice about the baytril and the dosing. I too felt it was a little too much.  If you have any other advice, it would most definitely be appreciated! Thanks!
Laura  

Answer

Aside from porphyrin discharge, what other symptoms does he have as far as illness goes?  Porphyrin is simply a secretion created by an excretory gland located behind the eyes, which is called the harderian gland.  Normally this gland is used to create porphyrin that is used as a lubricant for the rodents nictating membrane (third eyelid)
As with rats, when they are stressed, they produce excessive amounts of it that cake around the nose and eyes but sometimes it is normal for them to have some, esp if they sneeze. I have had alot of scared rat owners write and ask why their rat has a bloody nose and eyes and have to explain it all over again and again so I dedicated a page on my website about porphyrin.  Also, I have seen tons of it in a rat that had no other symptoms and nothing ever came of it, and I have had dying rats no produce a drop, so I dont always put much stock in it unless the rat has other signs of illness along with the secretions, such as lethargy, congestion, excessive sneezing (some sneezing is normal, we all sneeze)lack of appetite, walking in circles, head tilt, etc...

My next question to you is this: Is the gerbil in a tank or cage?  
They need low humidity which in turn can cause the nose rubbing and possible excessive porphyrin secretions as well.

Did he have signs of respiratory infection? Sneezing, wheezing, etc...?