Batril & Metacam

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eycamry

eycamry

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 3, 2009
Messages
196
Location
Irvine, CA
I had posted a few days ago that my chin received Batril and Metacam for sores in her mouth last Wednesday. I ran out of Metacam today even though it was meant for 10 days. Do I need to ask for more? Batril was precribed for a 30-day treatment, but I really don't want to give her anymore as she is not eating or drinking. Is one week on Batril enough to fight off any infections? The vet checked on her sores yesterday, and said that they are healing quite well. So, my question is... how long do I need her Metacam and Batril?

Thanks.
 
If the vet wanted a 30 day treatment, I would stick with that. A mouth infection can be very tricky and stubborn, so I think it may be a good idea. Is there anyway she can give you shot of Baytril instead of oral? That would help a lot, and she would hopefully start eating again. I think she needs the Metacam for a few more days too....tell the doc it ran out, they should just be able to call in more at the pharmacy. Good luck, poor girl- she could just not be eating because of the mouth sores as well. Did the vet give any possible causes for the sores?
 
I would ask for more metacam.. if she isn't eating then being in pain won't help that.

Also, if you can ask for injectable baytril, I would do so. That could be why she isn't eating along with the mouth sores. Sorry if I missed this, but are you giving critical care?
 
I would keep her on the Baytril. I did hand feeding for 2 weeks because of Baytril so I know your pain. That said, as much as it would have been easier on me to stop early, it meant I was risking Button's health. After awhile it will get easier with the hand feeding. You kind of get into a groove. If you have any questions or anything, feel free to PM me. I can tell you what things worked for me and what didn't.

Now that he's been off for just over a week he's eating great on his own again and is not showing any signs of the infection coming back. Also, I would ask the vet for some more metacam. I have never had a vet give me issues when asking for more pain medication, especially when he didn't give you enough (are you giving your chin the amount the vet said?) in the first place.
 
The vet said that eventhough she gave me 30days of Baytril and 10 days of Metacam, she did not anticipate that Polly, my chin, would need them for that long. She said that as soon as Polly started to eat on her own, she can go off the medication. BUT as long as she is on Baytril, she will not eat on her own. :hair:

Does the injectable baytril need to be injected twice a day? I am not so sure if I can do that.

Polly is getting used to being fed. She actually likes the taste of CC. I am mixing acidophillus into the CC. I think she likes it even better. Hand feeding her is not a problem anymore. It is how to catch her.;)
 
I would keep her on the Baytril for at least 10 days to 2 weeks just to make sure all the infection is gone.
 
Metacam is also an anti-inflammatory, not just a pain reliever so that will help with any swelling or irriation she may have. The mouth is a difficult place to try to heal a wound. Even with the loss of appetite, you should always use the Baytril for the full length of time the vet suggest.
 
I agree with Andrea, use the baytril for the full month, I really think it is necessary, I just read on here actually about a horrible mouth infection they just could not stop, they eventually had to put the chin down. I would hate for something like that to happen!
 
I think a full month is overkill. It doesn't sound like she actually has an infection, just sounds like the vet is trying to prevent it. Ask the vet why she said a month. It sounds like the vet is ok with her stopping early. I would do two weeks of Baytril (from the time you started).

You have to treat the whole animal, not just the mouth sores. If the Baytril is causing other problems, you don't want to continue with it any longer than you need to. Also, at this point I would not switch to injectible. The injectible helps with the not eating, but can cause problems at the site of injection. There are ways to prevent this, but since she's already on oral and is doing ok with hand feeding, I'd keep it up for another week.
 
A month is a long time to give Baytril. Treatment is usually 10-14 days. I am guessing the vet suggested a month because it is a mouth ulcer and that is a difficult thing to heal since there is constant moisure and irritation from any food particles (even cc).

IF she has completly healed, which is not the impression I get, then yes I would think that continuing with Baytril would be unnecessary. Stopping meds too soon if she has not healed will only result in you having to start from square one all over again.
 
Could you ask the vet to switch you to another antibiotic? My chin Poppy once had baytril too, and it did cause her to stop eating, but as soon as the vet switched her to Trisul (Bactrim, pink stuff) her appetite came back.

But I would never stop a course of antibiotics without first consulting the vet again.
 
The vet called last night to check up on Polly and said that it was ok to go off metacam. As for Baytril, I will keep her on it till next Wednesday (two full weeks since the time she started). She is doing better, still not eating much, but definitely eating. Water intake is still very minimal. I am hand-feeding her CC, but less because I don't want her to get full on CC alone. I am keeping track of her weight and the amount of pee & poo, and will keep giving her acidophillus daily.

Thanks everyone. You guys are great! :thumbsup:
 
My vet usually suggests at least 10 days on any antibiotics. But I would call your vet and ask.... because antibiotics can cause some tummy upset which could be why she isnt eating.
 
Is she still in pain?

I stopped giving Polly Baytril on Sunday (she's been on it for 10 days). Her reaction toward food & water worried and still worries me. I saw her TRYING to eat some hay, but did not seem to be able to break it apart. I gave her an apple twig last night (just because she showed some interest while the other girls were munching on the twigs), she took one bite and threw it away. I looked at the twig, and saw no teeth marks on it. Could it be that she still can not bite down because of pain? Should I put her back on metacam? She was on it for a whole week.

I am only giving her ~8CC of critical care once a day. Her weight has been stable so far. I don't think she is drinking water. What should I do? Observe her for a few more days or let the dr. check on her again? I really don't want to take her back to the hospital because it is too traumatic for her. But then hubby and I are going on vacation for 4 days at the end of this month. I really need her to start eating on her own by then because I don't trust our friends hand-feeding her. What should I do?
 
If she is not drinking on her own at all, give her some Pedialyte with a syringe (a very little at a time). Fluids are very important when a chin is ill and for their intestinal tract. Try giving her some alfalfa hay leaves. They are softer and sweeter and a chin that is sick will often eat them when they won't eat timothy. It will get her started eating again. See if you mix some cc and place it in a small bowl and leave it in her cage, if she will eat it on her own. If she does then she is getting her appetite back, but may still be having trouble eating pellets.
 
I did give her some alfalfa hay. Actually I put alfalfa, orchard and timothy hay in her cage. She did attempt to eat the orchard hay on her own, but did not seem to be able to break the stems. I hand-fed her some alfalfa, she did eat a little bit, but she would not eat on her own if I just left everything in the cage.

Where can I get pedialyte? Is it available in supermarkets? My vet told me to give her some baby food. Is that a good idea? Is that better than CC?

Thanks!
 
Pedialyte can be found in the babies food/diaper area of Walmart or any grocery store. You can buy it unflavored. I had a chin that was sick and wouldn't eat. I mixed the CC with pedilyte and added a bit of organic apple baby food ( the puree or stage 1 ). I did receive some grieve about using the apple baby food along with it. However my chin was in quite a desperate situation and would not eat nor drink anything.
She was quite happy to eat the mix and after three days I saw her eating food again. I'm not sure how long a mouth sore will heal or feel comfortable. Have you tried to offer her this "mush" and see if she will eat out of a little bowl? Just a thought. FYI.......its always great to have an unflavored bottle around. For critters and yourself.
 
Just got back from the grocery store with some organic apple sause baby food and organic sweet potato baby food (recommended by my vet), as well as some apple flavored pedialyte (I hope it is ok). I will first try to mix the baby food with some crushed pellets to see if she would eat it, if not, I will mix it with CC. I'll give her some pedialyte later this evening. Can I give her too much pedialyte? Is 3CC OK?

Thank you!
 
Give her as much Pedialyte as she wants right now. Dehydration is something that can make a chin very lethargic and can lead to other very serious problems. I would use the sweet potato baby food first to stimulate her appetite. I always worry about bloat with giving apple sauce so I don't use it. Chins love winter squash baby food too. You can also mix some in with the cc to give it a little more flavor and nutrients for her.

Some chins take longer to get back on their feet than others do after being on meds.
 
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