is enrofloxacin really needed? dont want to mess up his gut!

[violentintrospection]

hello! my guinea pig (around 5yrs old, M) was diagnosed with gut stasis and overgrown molars. we’re from the Philippines

ill put it in bullets so its easier to read!

- had his his overgrown incisors + molars trimmed two days ago (under gas anesthesia)
- vet prescribed MELOXICAM and ENROFLOXACIN
- he has no signs of abscess or infection
- still not eating solid foods but loves oxbow critical care
- seems a lot more responsive and less in pain!
- poops are sometimes ok and looking healthy, but more often are clumpy, dry and discolored

my question is: is it required to give enrofloxacin if there’s no signs of infection AND his gut is still not stable? my vet says its fine and won’t cause dysbiosis, but according to my research enrofloxacin CAN induce it. i don’t want to put pressure in his sensitive gut if the medicine can cause more harm than good.

anyone have experience with this? for reference my piggie is on
- simethicone
- meloxicam
- benebac + digest plus probiotics
- syringe fed 15-20ml critical care every 3hrs

here are some pics of his poop. sometimes theyre okay-ish looking, sometimes theyre really not.


thank you so much!

 

[Lazw]

Hi,
Do you know why the vet has prescribed the antibiotic? I've had piggies be absolutely fine on baytril (enrofloxacin) but also had really bad reactions leading to diarrhoea and stomach issues longer term- there are other antibiotics they can prescribe which are generally less likely than baytril to cause stomach issues- cotrimoxazole for example, but this might not be suitable depending on the infection being treated if any. Hopefully someone knowledgeable will be along soon to help

 

[violentintrospection]

Hi,
Do you know why the vet has prescribed the antibiotic? I've had piggies be absolutely fine on baytril (enrofloxacin) but also had really bad reactions leading to diarrhoea and stomach issues longer term- there are other antibiotics they can prescribe which are generally less likely than baytril to cause stomach issues- cotrimoxazole for example, but this might not be suitable depending on the infection being treated if any. Hopefully someone knowledgeable will be along soon to help

He said that it’s to prevent infection after the molar trim. Yeah, that’s what I was worried about. If there’s no present infection, I don’t know why my piggie needs to take it if it’ll just upset his gut. When I asked him about that, he said that it won’t affect his gut and that I just need to give probiotics. I really don’t want to mess up his gut even more, so I haven’t been giving the antibiotic to him and he’s slowly starting to eat. He’s on meloxicam though.

Thank you for replying! Hoping others can also give me their insight soon!

 

[weepweeps]

I hope your piggy is soon feeling better.

All we can advise is to contact your vet again with your worries about the antibiotics. Maybe they saw something in the mouth that warrants them. I had a piggy who had his teeth trimmed once and the vet saw the start of an infection. Good luck.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I agree with weepweeps. A discussion with your vet is needed.
Entofloxacin can cause a reduction in appetite, so can any antibiotic, but it doesn’t always.

We actually don’t recommend the use of simethicone as it works by gathering gas into one big bubble, which is fine for human babies, but can actually make things more painful for a guinea pig as their gut is very different to a human one.

 

[violentintrospection]

I agree with weepweeps. A discussion with your vet is needed.
Entofloxacin can cause a reduction in appetite, so can any antibiotic, but it doesn’t always.

We actually don’t recommend the use of simethicone as it works by gathering gas into one big bubble, which is fine for human babies, but can actually make things more painful for a guinea pig as their gut is very different to a human one.

I hope your piggy is soon feeling better.

All we can advise is to contact your vet again with your worries about the antibiotics. Maybe they saw something in the mouth that warrants them. I had a piggy who had his teeth trimmed once and the vet saw the start of an infection. Good luck.

I see thank you! Had a discussion with him and he insisted that it won’t hurt my piggie’s gut, but I am still really skeptical about it. Might look into a second opinion.

What would you suggest besides simethicone? I asked my vet about gripe water and she said I should just stick with simethicone.

(For any confusion, I’m talking to two vets)

 

[violentintrospection]

Also would like to know if anyone also experienced using enrofloxacin as /prevention/ instead of /treatment/? I’m really confused as to why he would prescribe an antibiotic if there was no infection If I don’t give enrofloxacin, would the possibility for developing an infection increase?

 

[Piggies&buns]

If your piggy actually has gas and bloat, then a prescribed medication such as emeprid or cisapride would be needed. (They work on different areas of the gut)
Baby remedies such as gripe water is fine for mild cases but won’t help more severe cases.

It’s a fine line - antibiotic overuse, as we all know, has caused problems but It’s for your vet to make the call whether infection is likely and thus prevention by giving the antibiotics now vs trying to cure an infection if one starts.
None of us are medically qualified nor have hands on your pig to be able to tell you whether you should or should not give it - our advice always has to be to discuss with your vet.

Two of boys had a fight and injured each other. They were both given a short course of baytril (enrofloxacin) to prevent infection occurring in their wounds. They did not have infection present at the time I took them to the vet.
Neither of them had gut issues as a result of the antibiotics.