Baytril, how much for how long?

Question
QUESTION: Hi,
 As i said about two weeks ago (i think) i would contact you again if my rats breathing gets worse or doesnt improve.

Well, it has not improved, and when she first wakes up its when its the worst. She sounds very congested in the nose (no purple stuff though) and i dare say she forcing her breathing a bit. But after 5 minutes of waking up and sniffing she seems to be back to normal (just i little whistle when she is sniffing).

So, i want to give her Baytril. She is not on Echinacia at this moment (roughly 4 days off right now). As i said my vet will not look at her, but will give me Baytril in tablet form.
 So could you tell me how much Baytril i should get (how many tablets), and could you give me instructions on how much i should give her and how often?

I trust you more than the vets here, and i fully understand that the medical advice you can give me is based on your experience.

Some info:
Sex: Female
Weight: almost a pound, a little under.
Age: Aprox 6 - 8 months
History: Pet store all her life, been pregnant, in small cedar bedded glass cage, has Mycoplasm (sp?). Shown signs of upper respitory infection [congestion] in the last 13 days.


If you can help me that would be great! I would hate to see Boo Boo go now, im sure she can live till next winter maybe further if she can pull through this.

Thank you for your time,

Kerry


ANSWER: Wait...is she on cedar in a glass tank now or was that before?
If so, this is part of her problem. Rats should never be kept on cedar or pine bedding, ever. The phenol oils are lethal and cause serious respiratory problems and the glass tank has no circulation at all, trapping urine odor that also aggravates the respiratory tract and all of this can contribute to mycoplasmosis and the trouble she is having now. Also, cedar and pine cause elevated liver enzymes that can cause liver dysfunction. If she is on these beddings whatever you do, do NOT blame yourself because pet stores push that garbage left and right and ignore the warnings that are just about everywhere, even the vets will agree on the dangers of it and the health hazards it poses on small animals.

Now if she is NOT on this bedding or in the glass tank, ignore my warnings I just misunderstood. I can also provide you with plenty of info on the dangers of pine and cedar or you can easily type in GOOGLE simply saying DANGERS OF CEDAR AND PINE BEDDING and tons of stuff will pop up.
Meantime, she would benefit from baytril as you previously asked for.
If she is on aspen or carefresh bedding and in cage and is on the meds, this should really clear her up good.

Here is what she will need:
See if the vet has injectable. SHe can take the injectable orally but you will need to mix it with something like melted ice cream or yogurt or jelly. She will need to take the baytril injectable twice daily for 30 full days:
THe baytril should be 2.27% injectable and given .20cc twice a day for 30 days
The best bet is to purchase the entire vial so there is enough for a month or even longer.
If she has various strengths, write them down and let me know. If she only has tabs, let me know the strengths and I will tell you how to do it. More than likely she has the 22.7 percent tab and you would use a quarter of that tab, depending on the strength.

Let me know asap and I will write back.

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

QUESTION: Hi,
 
 No i keep her in a bar cage, with NO pine or cedar bedding, i even made a hammock for her as a bed so she is not in an inclosed area where dust can build up. I said she was in a galss cage with cedar because i think that really impacted her health.

I spoke to the clinic and they would not give me injectables, and they didnt have tablets anymore. But they gave me another number to a vet that will look at her. So i'am booking an appointment with that vet tomorrow and i will ask for the Baytril in injectable.

I remember he treated my brothers rat, but in 5 days she had to be put down, either it was the wrong antibiotics or she was too far gone to be helped.

Answer
Ok good, I think I knew that she was in the tank before but had to ask. I get alot of people writing in and get so confused as to who said what and when, where and why! LOL I have to go back and find old stuff to refresh my memory unless I have contact via email and know their history better.

If the vet your going to take her to knows what they are doing you should not have to ask for injectable, they should know what to do hopefully.
Anyhow, if you want I can find a vet for you that is an exotic vet where there is no guessing if they know what they are doing etc... and the cost is no more than a regular vet to see them.
Either way, hopefully it works out for the best! I am pulling for you both!