respiratory in dragon

Question
QUESTION: I have some dragons who have contracted aeromonas pseudomonas.  This was determined by a sample being sent out by vet.  I have been treating the dragons with baytril now for over 3 weeks.  I'm really seeing little change in condition.  Do you have any suggestions?
Thank you.

ANSWER: Hello Gloria,

What is the dosage that they were given?  What is the concentration of the Baytril?
Are they having problems breathing?  Do they have a respiratory infection from this?

We could try Tylan, which is an alternative & treats respiratory issues pretty successfully.  
Do they have any mucous or discharge coming the mouth or nose?

Or, another option is we could try nebulizer treatments.  How much Baytril do you have left?

Are they eating well right now?  Also, getting some bee pollen & some colloidal silver either one, or both, are very good for helping boost the immune system, safely.  

Let me know what you decide & I will direct you further.

tracie

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

QUESTION: The baytril is 2.27% solution.  I was to take their ML weight and dividide that by the solution concentrataion.  EX my 345 KG dragon is taking .08 dosage.  They do seem to be breathing alright.  I have two types of symptoms.  Some have the mucous coming from their mouths.  I have others who just seem to have a cough.
My vet had told me baytril was the only thing that should successfully treat them.  I've went through 2 bottles of the baytril and am currently working on a 3rd one.  
Most of them are eating - maybe not daily but not loosing any weight.  I'm feeding them mixed salads, pellets and every 3rd day supers.  They all seem to eat the supers.  
I'm also treating the ones that are have the mucous with baytril otic 30 ml every other day.
Each dragon is also getting 15 minute soak in warm water every day too.  
Also since is it cooler now my vet said to dose them every other day since their systems are slowing down now.
Thank you,
Gloria

ANSWER: Hello Gloria,

Right now, since they are having respiratory issues, I would not bathe them.  It could contribute to respiratory infection complications.  They need to stay as dry as possible as well as keeping the humidity levels down to under 30% as well.  
Honestly, since the oral medication method is not working well, I think you should try some nebulization treatments.  It will penetrate into the lungs much deeper into the tissue whereas oral treatments do not penetrate as efficiently to target more serious infections.  They seem to be persistent issues so other alternatives need to be done now.  
At least though, they are eating right now.  If they are having respiratory issues, I would not let them go into brumation until we have this all sorted out.  
Do you need some help finding a nebulizer?  
The dosage is correct.  He dosed them at 5mg/kg so that is a safe dosage.  He could have gone to 10mg/kg which is within the parameters of safety.
The Baytril otic, you are using directly on the tympanic membrane?  

Since hydration status is important with being on medication, you will need to give oral fluids because they should not have baths for awhile.


Tracie

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

QUESTION: I had wondered about the baths since it is cooler now.  I try to keep the water warm then wrap them in towels and dry them off before they go back into their cage.  But I know myself when stepping out of a shower when the outside temps are cooler.  This was to rehydrate them since I knew they need the extra fluids.
How will I know how much extra fluid to give them?  Also how should I adminster it?
I had wondered if there was a different approach.  They've been on the baytril for over 5 weeks now.  I can see SMALL improvements.  As for the baytril otic I'm putting it on the area that seems to have the mucous buildup.  I'm using a Q tip and rubbing it on the affected area.
Where would I find a nebulizer and how does that work?
Thank you.
Gloria

Answer
Hello Gloria,

Usually 3-4mls of oral fluid is sufficient to keep them hydrated.  I know you are trying to keep them hydrated but right now with them having so many respiratory issues I feel it is best not to bathe them right now.  Carefully give them drops of water by way of a plastic dropper or a syringe.  Hopefully they will just lick the fluid right off of the end of the dropper.
The baytril should have already cleared that up.  I don't like the fact that they have been on Baytril that long, it is extremely hard on their kidneys.  
The baytril otic is fine to use, & using a q-tip should work well.  
A nebulizer is basically like an inhaler only you put them in a tank/incubator type of enclosure for them to breathe the medication in the air.  The particles will penetrate the lungs much more efficiently than just oral medication.
Here is a site where you can get a high quality one, but it is a little expensive, but, not too bad:
http://www.petiatric.com/

I have not used them much, but, it is very basic & is safe.  It is a widely used treatment for respiratory infections of this magnitude.  I feel it would really really help them, almost immediately.  

The nebulizer usually is powered by a compressor & is sometimes sold separately from the compressor & tank.  The nebulizer is just the hose & mouthpiece area that hold the medication & allows air pressure, etc.  

You can also check on Ebay there are some there too, for a decent price as well.  Here is the site to one that I have, it is a very basic one & does not include a tank/incubator.  So, I had to make shift a tank to put the hose into which was sealed to where a dragon could get treatments.  

http://www.alltimemedical.com/product.html?product_id=1274

The site above is more expensive than on Ebay so shop around you can find them for various prices.  Just make sure that the nebulizer will deliver to 5microns or less in particle size for the best delivery into the lungs.  Most do, but just make sure before purchasing one.

If you need anything, let me know.  How are they all doing?

Tracie