Hey Ya'll
I was just informed by another experienced keeper that Baytril is rough on the chams kidneys. Does anyone know of one that i can request from the vet that is less toxic. Thanks again.
Baytril can be hard on the kidneys. However, if your cham does not have a history of renal issues and is well hydrated during the treatment, this is usually not an issue.
The body tends to excrete "drugs" primarily through the kidney's and/or the liver. (It does other ways to, but that is a conversation for later.) All drugs that are given will need to be cleared from the system by way of the liver or kidney. So for example, if an animal has a liver problem, you don't give them a drug that is primarily excreted by the liver.
The other issue is spectrum of the antibiotic. If you've got a bacteria that requires you to kill gram + aerobic, you don't give a drug that is gram - anaerobic.
The point is, there are safer drugs out there sometimes, but sometimes those drugs though safer, will be ineffective.
A lot of veterinary medicine (as is human medicine) is calculated risk. It is even more so in veterinary medicine, because we are usually shooting from the hip (owners cannot afford blood cultures, bloodwork before antibiotics are picked.)
Do I pick Baytril every time? No. But, I do use it quite a bit.
One of the reasons that vets like to use this fluorquinalone is that it is much easier to dose for small reptile and animals. When I say easier, I mean, safer to achieve a dose within the theraputic index. (Not too much to be toxic, but enough to be effective.) The other reason is that it is best with gram- bacteria, but gets a little bit of everything. (Good shotgun drug if you are not going to do diagnostics. Most reptiles have gram - infections.)
If your vet is familiar with reptiles, and has a good reason to use Baytril, I would use baytril.