Have you used this med??

[Crazy1]

Two torts diagnosed with pneumonia (RI) and placed on Cefazolin (Ancef) which I have to inject once a day for two weeks. Has anyone else used this type of medication on their torts.
Is there any adverse reactions I should keep an eye out for???

 

[Josh]

i've never used it before. is it expensive medication?
which vet did you see? what city was he in?

 

[Crazy1]

I used a vet in Upland. The cost was about $60.66 for the two week supply for both of them meds only. This med is set up by weight so Echos cost a little more than Ajax. I did look it up on the net and it is an antibiotic used for penicillin resistant bacterial infections such as pneumonia in people.
She (don't remember her name) is out of a Banfield office at 1935 North Campus Ave. Upland, CA
I plan to ask some of the members of my Tort group on the 7th of Dec. who they take theirs too and if any has used this med.
She said that she would see the three DT I have at $44.95 for the first and $9.95 for the second and $9.95 for the third. And that she could show me how to mix the meds and give it to me that way and it would be cheeper. But she would only do this for the larger torts and only because I have so many and they are Fosters.
I used to take them to DR. Christensen in Fontana but he has now moved to Mira Loma and his costs were higher.

Do you have a Tort vet you use local?

 

[Josh]

i haven't had to use one yet. i looked up christiansen as well. he's only a little bit pricier than what you mentioned...maybe $5
i've been curious how they administer RI drugs and what they cost...

 

[egyptiandan]

As far as I can tell no one has used it on reptiles. I can't find anything in Mader's book or McArthur's book. I personally wouldn't use it. How did they come up with a dose? Did they do any testing to find what the bacteria is? This drug seems to be good against gram positive bacteria and most RI's are gram negative bacteria.
I have never had a problem getting rid of a RI with Baytril and warm temperatures. I would go back and ask for Baytril, as it's already been tested and used on reptiles with great success.

Danny

 

[baybay]

I just got my tortoise back from the vet today for a RI and they used baytril which worked pretty good.

 

[Crazy1]

Ok I just got off the phone with the vet
She said she gave them Cefazolin as it is less painful and doesn’t cause necrosis as does the Baytril
However it is not working as they seem as congested (wheezy) as before so she is switching them to Baytril (her suggestion).
She also wants me to up their vitamin C with nasturtiums and a little bell pepper or strawberry or spinich for this week to give them a boost. And that I should see results in about a week
So I pick up the Batril today.
Hopefully that will do the trick.

 

[egyptiandan]

Not sure about the vitamin C, but it can't hurt. They don't have a cold like people get, which is a virus. They have a bacterial infection. As long as you keep them 86F 24/7 while you give the Baytril shots they will do just fine.
What dosage did they give you for the Baytril?

Danny

 

[Crazy1]

I know I thought it was a little strange about the Vit C but what the heck figured it wouldn't hurt them. I have their temp set at 86 now.
They are giving Ajax (Wt-1 lb) 0.2 ml every 24 hours and Echo (Wt-2 lb) 0.4 ml every 24 hours intermuscularly. She stated I should stick to the hind limbs and not give in the fore limbs. Stated I should see some results in about 4 to 5 days if none by 7 days I am to call her.

 

[Crazy1]

I have taken Ajax and Echo to a specialist This new vet did a culture and we found they had three different pathogens of moderate growth.
1) Chryseobacterium Spp.
2) Coagulase Negative Staph
3) Enterococcus Species

The good news is that the Baytril ( which they were given two weeks ago) will treat all three pathogens. So its on with the shots for now.
However they have changed them to once every 48 hours insead of once every 24 hours. Ajax’s appetite has picked up and he is more active but still has a bit of a runny nose and Echo is showing no signs of RI anymore but will still be treated for one.

Thank to everyone