Colin’s abscesses Part 2. Is this drug safe for rabbits???

[colinbessiemummy]

Thanks again to everyone for your advice. The Hong Kong House Rabbit Society contacts have been super helpful.

Colin went to the vet on Saturday and had his teeth checked under anaesthetic. The vet said the problem isn’t with his teeth, it’s an infection in his nose. He said to go ahead with the antibiotic suggested by the UK vet – 5ml oral Baytril, twice daily, per kg of rabbit. Colin is a big boy of 3.52 kg so that obviously works out at 15ml twice daily.

I got a Chinese translation for Baytril (or Enrofloxacin) from Rosaline, one of the Hong Kong contacts. The vet said I could get this medicineat any large pharmacy – he didn’t have any at the clinic. The nearest thing I could find, after trying five pharmacies and phoning up a vet at the agricultural university, was a packet of 100mg Levofloxacin Hydrochloride tablets. I strongly suspect these are not suitable for rabbits at all. I would have to cut them very carefully and syringe feed them I guess.

Two vets here in China have given the go-ahead but I don’t know. Can anyone advise???

Colin is otherwise in fine form and the abscess doesn’t seem to be bothering him…

[Sarita]

Apparently this is not a drug that is used much at all in the US so I cannot help you with this. I would email Rosaline and ask her about this though because I bet she can tell you. I do know enroflaxin (baytril) is safe and widely used though.

[kralspace]

That’s what my vet gave me yesterday for Simba’s abscess, baytril, some probiocin to give my mouth and the entederm ointment to put on it.

[Sarita]

I think he can only find the Levroflaxin not the Enroflaxin (baytril) which is why I think he should contact Rosaline the HRS contact in Hong Kong to see what she says.

[KatnipCrzy]

I have done some checking in the textbooks I have here at home and also formularies and textbooks at work (vet clinic) and I can not find a reference for using this med in animals at all.  From what I have read on the internet- it is in the same “class” as Baytril/ enrofloxacin- but is a different drug- some of the warnings for humans are pretty scary and I have seen no reference to using in animals.

I guess the best thing would be to try to find out what they use in rabbits in that part of the world.  If rabbits are available for sale- there must be some antibiotic that can be used for them even if it has to be modified for use with a bunny- splitting pills, getting liquid medicine specially made by a pharmacist.

 

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Looks like it’s also sold as Quinolin which IS a rabbit safe medication-Katnip and Sarita, can you take a look at this link and tell me what you think? From my lookover of it-Id say its’ fine-I think it’s quinolin which in rabbit health in the 21st century is a rabbit safe med

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levofloxacin

[Sarita]

Not sure – I think that’s a class of drugs – I emailed another list that I am on with Kathy and other rescuers to see if they know – hopefully he has contacted Rosaline too in Hong Kong.

[peepi&warri]

It looks like there have been studies done where they use levofloxacin in rabbits for up to 28 days. They’re not testing it for safety in rabbits, so I don’t know the long term effects it could have. But if all the rabbits in these studies can make it 28 days, it can’t be extremely toxic.

http://jac.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/48/2/253

[Sarita]

I’m not sure if you’ve gotten some answers on the drug you posted but Kathy Smith also suggested ciproflaxin and marboflaxin which have also been used safely to treat rabbits – I have used ciproflaxin before on one of my rabbits. Those drugs are in the same class as the enroflaxin and levoflaxin. She says she’s not sure about the levoflaxin but has no reason to believe it is not okay but no personal experience with this drug.

[colinbessiemummy]

Thank you all so much for your research on Levofloxacin. I’ve been trying too, and come to much the same conclusions i.e. that it is the same class of drug, a fluoroquinolone; that it is not commonly used to treat animals; and that it doesn’t seem to be toxic when tested on rabbits. I was holding out because I thought I might be able to get hold of some Baytril but no such luck. Colin’s abscesses look to be getting sorer so I think I’m going to give this medication a go, crushing the tablets and syringe-feeding 15mg twice a day. Two vets here have given the go-ahead but like I say, neither of them is particularly rabbit-savvy.

It’s got to be better than nothing at this stage…

Thanks again

Ali

[Sarita]

Please keep us updated on Colin’s abscesses. It has to be frustrating not having access to medications that you need to treat him.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Thanks for the update! {{Colin}} Yes, please keep us updated!

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