Amakacin & pneumonia

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mishellyshel

mishellyshel

Chin Slave
Joined
Mar 16, 2009
Messages
4,633
Location
New Jersey
My chin had a URI a month or so ago, while at the vet he also did some minor tooth work. he really never recovered. may have been the way i administed the meds but i took him saturday to E-vet as i noticed he was gasping for air and he was diagnosed with pneumonia as well as he has sores in his mouth.
i had started him on baytril late friday night and dosed him again before vet on saturday so he has me continuing with the liquid baytril, but he also added injectible Amakacin. (plus metacam and i added cisapride) i have never heard of that nor have i ever given any of my chins anything injectible. the needles were prefilled and i am to give him that and baytril, twice a day for i think 14 days. he seems better already, at least not gasping. he is also being syringe fed and is actually taking way more than i thought he would. i mixed the formula myself, is about 60% crushed pellet and 40% lifeline with added probiotic capsules mixed in.
Anyone have any experience with Amakacin?? and any other suggestions for pneumonia. i asked about nebulizer but vet said not good idea to add more moisture in his lungs right now. just want him to pull thru this and be ok! Pray for my little Jack. he is one of my favorites. :(
 
I have never used it or even heard of using it. I did a quick search and it appears that it is a drug that is used to kill off drug resistant bacterial infections. Did the vet do a culture by any chance that lead him to believe that this would be the drug to use to kill of a certain bacterial strain? Apparently it can only be giving intravenously and can't be given orally at all. Why would he give both antibiotics at once?

You could use a humidifier if it is dry in your house and you want to ease breathing a bit. Sometimes that helps a little with a chin with a respiratory issue as the chin heals. The mucus in the nose can get a little thick and dry and there can be difficulty breathing.

I'm so glad that he's not gasping! That's a good thing for sure. :) I hope he's well on his way on the road to recovery.
 
he listened to his heart and lungs and determined that way. he did not do a culture. i also did some research and read that it is the only antibiotic used to treat MRSA in some rodents. He said he wanted to treat it aggressively since the baytril alone did not work last time. he has lost a significant amount of weight and while at the vet office layed on my chest for 3 hours. he always has been very calm and the sweetest chin i have.
my chins are located in my finished basement and it is not too dry down there but maybe i will try it for a few nights. he does not have any mucus in his nose. he has in the past been treated for eye issues which i am now suspecting are related to his teeth although the eye drops clear it up almost immediately. i am leaving work early today and will be giving him his meds and feeding him, i just hope he gets better. the gasping was scary......so much so that my husband who is not a huge fan of my chins (jack is his favorite tho!) actually called me crying that Jack was gasping and he thought he was going to die. i waited at the evet for 3 hours just to see his vet instead of going thru one of the emergency doctors. Dr Doolen only works friday thru monday and only sees "exotics". i met so many rabbit and bird people while i waited. while i was in the waiting room, no less than 4 people approached me asking me what i was holding! i guess chinchillas are not as popular as i thought!
 
The vet is using baytril and amikacin together because they work synergistically, kudos to your vet for using these drugs and not just using baytril like most vets do. Baytril on its own pretty much sucks now for URIs due to the resistance problem, it really needs to be used in conjunction with something else-I use it with flagyl for head infections as another example of it being used synergistically.
 
thanks! i am very fond of this vet and i am glad to know he is prescribing meds the way they should be. its just my first time hearing of it and using it. not as bad as i thought, jack doesnt even flinch when i put it in. watching him do the subq fluids was also a first. it was an educational experience for me. but one i would prefer not to have to witness again!
 
That makes sense that he would prescribe that. I'm glad that you have a talented and competent vet to go to...even if he has hours that may not be that great. Although, most chins choose weekends and holidays to get sick so maybe friday through monday is good. :)

Keep us posted on how he's doing. At my vet everyone always asks me what I have because the chins are so interesting looking to them. Chins are just irresistible like that.
 
mishellyshel said:
thanks! i am very fond of this vet and i am glad to know he is prescribing meds the way they should be. its just my first time hearing of it and using it. not as bad as i thought, jack doesnt even flinch when i put it in. watching him do the subq fluids was also a first. it was an educational experience for me. but one i would prefer not to have to witness again!
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Dr. Doolen really is the best! He cares so much about all the animals he sees. I choose to see him instead of through emergency as well. Luckily I haven't had an actual "emergency" that's need immediate care. I'm actually bringing in my male today for an appt. so he can have his abscess checked out and see if he can be off his meds.

Good luck with him healing!
 
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So while Jack is not gasping for air, I still feel like his breathing is labored. He is pooping ok prob cause he is being handfed. But he just does not look good. Not having any experience with pneumonia I really don't know what to expect. How many days after being on all these antibiotics should he improve if he is going to? He started Saturday night.
And as his bad luck would have it on Monday night after feeding him he jumped out of my arm and landed in my dogs water bowl. I honestly thought I lost him. Me and my son both cried. I dried him off and held him for an hour and kept him wrapped in some fleece.
I don't know if there is anything else I can do for him. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know. I am about 4.5 weeks away from having my baby and all I can think about is Jack and my other pets. If I go thru this whole round of treatment & he isn't better, is the only option euthanasia or is there another option? Thanks. Please pray for him......he really could use the chinny world pulling for him.
 
It can take a LONG time to recover-20+ days is not uncommon. He is not getting worse, that is good, as you know URIs can be fatal, they usually are swift, every day he is still hanging in there is good news. If the first round of antibiotics-usually its 14 days, does not make head way ask for another 14 days. 7 days no chin ever recovers that fast, its at least 14days in my experience.
 
thank you. i feel a little better. i am being extremely diligent in administering his meds and handfeeding him. which takes a while because i can only give him a little at a time or he chokes on it. :( i have also covered a couple sides of his cage to make sure there are no drafts. my chins are in my finished basement so it is very cool down there.
i hope i get to see my sweet bright eyed chinny again. these sad sick eyes are killing me! thanks again for a little positive feedback. ill hang on to it for now.
 
i only have 3 days left on the amakacin and about another week on the liquid baytril. i really dont feel he is doing so well. he is not gasping for breath but his breathing is still labored and he had a bout on saturday night that caused him to gasp a few times. i suspect while he was out (was getting ready to feed/medicate him) that one of the kids scared him and he had to run in the playarea causing him to be out of breath??
i just dont know what to do. if anyone has any experience with pneumonia i would greatly appreciate it. i just dont know if i am fighting a losing battle here or if there is a chance he can recover. he is pooping and peeing ok, probably cuase of handfeed but is not eating anything at all in terms of pellets or hay or treats. he did come up to the front of the cage last night when i was offering everyone else treats and wanted something but i dont knwo what to give him. he is not gaining any weight (not losing either). his eyes look sick. yet he is not hiding down low in his cage he is on higher shelves. in my personal opinion it appears he has the will to live but needs me to help him get better and i just dont know how to do that. i will be calling the vet this week if i do not see an improvement by friday. im so sad. i havent lost a chin yet and i am having such a hard time dealing with this. guess its the pregnancy hormones! any help or advice would be most appreciated!
 
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If you wish to continue treatment and medicating, you may ask the veterinarian about a culture and sensitivity test. They would have to take a sample from his respiratory tract (probably a nasal swab if they can get it), and send it off to the lab for the test. This will show what the bacteria is susceptible to and give an insight as to what antibiotics will work. However, I'm surprised that it wouldn't be responding to the amikacin as that is usually what is used against resistant infections. Still, it may be worth a shot. The poor guy has been on antibiotics for so long though that I'm afraid it may be very hard on him to stay on them much longer.

Another thing I would think about is if maybe he has some damage to his lungs from the infection. This is a fairly new thing I have heard of, but severe infections can cause lasting damage in the lungs that just never seems to heal. X-rays could look at his heart and lungs to see if there is any heart disease involvement and see what shape his lungs are in at this point. When Bear had pneumonia, he had an enlarged heart and fluid around his lungs, which the vet gave him a diagnosis of possible heart disease. It seems to go hand in hand with pneumonia for some reason, from what I have researched.

Have you tried nebulizing him? That may help him breath easier as well.
 
The vet prescribed a second round Amikacin but due to his weight loss, I'm not able to get it into him properly & without hurting him. I have restarted the baytril & metacam but He is still not better & is not gaining any weight with the hand feeding. I have made one of the most difficult decisions I have had to make with regard to my chins....I am taking him to be put down. I have cried so many tears over this. I am 8.5 months pregnant and it's asking a toll on me. :(

I have owned chins for over 7 years and this is the first one I will lose. I am heartbroken. Jack is one of my favorites and has touched my heart in so many ways. So hard to say goodbye but to watch him suffer is harder. Keep us in your thoughts.
 
:( I'm sure it was a very difficult decision to come to, but you know him best so take comfort in knowing that you are making the right decision for him.
 
Hugs and prayers of support to you and your family. You have made one of the hardest but at the same time the most loving decision for your baby. Now that he has been healed,you can begin healing your heart too!
 
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