Baytril resistance.

Edward Kim

Edward Kim

Established Member
Hi all,

So my one of my female Jacksons (meru) contracted an URI roughly around two weeks ago. I went to my local vet which prescribed a baytril regiment which I have been administering thus far with no indication of the infection subsiding. I'm assuming the infection is resistant to baytril. My question is (without seeming insensitive or cheap) are there antibiotics that i can suggest to my vet that kills a wide range of bacteria like baytril? I just cannot afford a culture sensitivity test right now and i only have 60 dollars for additional treatment.
 
I've never used it, but the antibiotic called Amikacin is used for bacterial infection.
Also, is it possible the amount being administered is in doses that are too small?

You're vet should be open to suggestions and anything that may help to his goal, which is quickly and safely making you rpet healthy. If they are not taking what you have to say into consideration, or not providing a reason for not telling you why something you suggest isn't going to work, then you may have to seek the advice of other Vets, be it in person, calling them, or simply emailing someone.
 
Without a culture and sensitivity test you won't know if the next antibiotic will work either.

I have lost several lizards to Amikacin and won't use it again.

What symptoms are making you think that your chameleon has a respiratory infection?
 
Thanks Will and Kinyonga. The infection has textbook URI symptoms from stringy mucus to crackly breathing. I'm not to sure what i can do that is why i'm reaching out to this forum but it seems like my option is limited to a CS test or a shotgun treatment of some antibiotic.
 
If you have a bacteria that is resistent to Baytril, you might really have some problems. The question is whether this is truly a URI at all or whether it maybe fungal related. (These issues will not respond regardless of the antibiotic choice.)

When you get into some of the other drugs like amikacin, they are especially hard on the kidneys if there is any sort of dehydration. (for a cham not eating and drinking correctly, this is most often the case.)

Maybe somthing like Trimethoprim Sulfa maybe better as a broad spectrum antibiotics.

Realistically, if one or two antibiotics are not getting you there, your going to be forced to do some diagnostics like a c/s.

Before you get really crazy though, I'd post your husbandry practices and cage stats, lighting, uvb, supplementation to see why it started having the problem in the first place.

Matthew

PS- Even vet have problems with their own husbandry. Manga is recovering from a slight modification I made on his cage that caused a abscess on both sides of his casque.
 
Baytril resistance.......

Please do post as much info on your caging, lighting and heating details as you can. You can make her feel a little more comfortable by clearing out some of the mucus in her mouth. You can take clean Q-tips and carefully swab the stuff out of her mouth and around the "gums" a couple of times a day. They can't cough and spit it out like we can. This will also keep the stuff from spreading around on the foliage as she drinks. Mucus tends to mix with the water on the foliage as they drink. The more you can eliminate whatever it is from contaminating the cage in general the better. You can also try to unplug her nostrils if they are plugged up. Just be careful not to push anything into the nostril. I use a small piece of paper towel and twist it into a tiny pointy end for this purpose. Also give her more of an opportunity to drink right now than you normally might. She needs extra hydration. Is she alone in her cage? It sounds like you have multiple females. They should be kept separate right now. Please keep us updated.....
 
Sorry folks I forgot to add information about husbandry. My Jacksons are kept individually in an all screen enclosure with the following dimensions 3l x 2w x 3h . The cage is furnished with a ficus and lighting is supplied naturally. Heat is provided by a 25 watt bulb with the hottest basking location measured at 90 F. Water is supplied by a dripper with three supplemental mistings a day. Drainage is a problem i'm addressing at the moment and excess water is toweled dried or collected in a dish located at the base of the cage. There are very large populations of houseflies in my location so they've been my primary feeders for the past two weeks. Flies are dusted with calcium only once a week for my adults. The female has never been bred and is still robust and feeding normally. I'm taking her in to another vet tomorrow. Thanks for all the great advice i'll be sure to relay the info to the vet.
 
Found an awesome vet yesterday. We sat down and discussed different approaches for treating my chameleon and decided to use ampicillin. So far it seems to be working and the crackly breathing has stopped completely. All seems good for right now thanks for all the help...
 
When our veiled cham was treated for a slight secondary infection, following his impaction, the vet had us give subcutaneous shots of Timentin. He recommended against Baytril because of recent problems with baytril-resistant infections in some of his patients. The cost was $18.74 for 10 days worth and $5.70 for the prefilled syringes (which were kept frozen until use). Our cham, Guido, received the shots like a champ. I was glad for my bifocals when the vet instructed me to "look for the bevel on the tip of the needle, face that towards the outside, and slide the tip of the needle between 2 of his scales". Right, all this while holding a squirmy cham in my left hand. But, we got the hang of it, Guido and I!
 
Last edited:
Dave,

The vets name is Dr. Sari Kanfer. She can be located at Dr. Domoter's Animal House in Monrovia, CA.
 
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