Chin sick AFTER vet put on probiotic and antibiotic

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MayDay404

New member
Joined
Apr 29, 2018
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2
Hey there. This is my first post. I have an 8mo old chin named Juniper (Juni) and she is usually a bundle of energy with a very healthy appetite. Recently an abcess formed on her chest, naturally she went to the vet to have it looked at. They said it needs to be removed surgically and so an appt was set for the surgery. They gave acidophilus probiotic and batril antibiotic to give to her by syringe for the few days prior to the surgery. Well, after administering those for just one day she stopped eating her hay and pellets, she is lethargic and not pooping. Afraid for her well being, she went back to the vet and they said she looked fine still. They sent home critical care and reglan to get her pooping again. Nothing seems to be perking her back up though.

I am so scared for the baby. I stoped the antibiotic after the first day. Just gave her the critical care with some acidophilus and Regan the next day. She was still not eating or pooping. So today I am only giving her critical care. She is currently out and running around with periods of her retreating and sleeping.

I’ve tried everything but she still really isn’t interested in eating. What can I do? I’m beside myself with the fact that she was behaving fine before the vet. Sure she has an abcess but when the treatment makes her more sick than the condition, is it worth it?
 
Abscess & Antibiotics

So sorry to hear about your chin’s ordeal! My Toby went thru something VERY similar to what you describe. One day I noticed he was over grooming his chest area then it seemed a hole opened up in his fur overnight. He had basically pulled out a huge patch of his fur within a few days. Our vet put him on meta cam for pain/discomfort and prescribed a topical cream. And then she fashioned an e-collar for him which he hated but it kept him from irrritating the affected area any further. It eventually went away after a few weeks. I wonder if it’s anything similar to what your chin has, sharing some photos for reference...

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I can’t remember what antibiotic was prescribed if any for that incident, but a recent experience with Baytril was problematic. He became really low energy and completely lost his appetite. I took him off after 4 days. It is known to cause harsh side effects, but unfortunately there are very few antibiotics safe for chins. One idea is to ask your vet about Metronodazole (Flagyl) instead.

Best of luck to you! Sorry I cannot offer more advice; I’m far from an expert but am just speaking from my own limited experience. Hopefully others on the forum will chime in.
 
P.S. the probiotics are a GOOD thing and are often given to chins undergoing an antibiotic treatment, to keep their delicate gut flora in balance. You’re supposed to give it to them a few hours either before or after the antibiotic dose. I can’t imagine they would have any negative effects on your chin.
 
Thank you for your reply. It does look to be a similar situation. After the serious reaction to Baytril the vet gave us Ditrim to put her on once she was eating and acting normal. She has not shown ANY of the signs of lethary or lack of appetite on the Ditrim. I continued giving her critical care as well bc she had lost a bit too much weight. Unfortunately her main abcess ruptured during the night so we had to postpone the procedure to get it removed. On a recheck the vet found another abcess on her lower body. :( We are hoping that continued use of the antibiotics will prevent any more from popping up after her procedures to clean and remove the abcess pockets.

She had the surgery this morning and everything went well according to the vet. I can’t wait to go pick up my brave little chin and brings her home!!!
 
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