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too much meds?

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scruffysmama

Hi- A few days ago Scruffy was not eating, going to the bathroom, and his eyes were rather sunken in. His breathing was a bit crackly, but that stopped. I took him to the vet and the vet put him on a regimen of antibiotics. Today was the first day I was to administer them. The first vile of 2 ml of antibiotic I put in his mouth went well, but I soon thereafter realized there could have been air rather than meds in the vile because I checked it after and the liquid was too far down for the needle to have picked it up. So I administered it again with success. In the case that there was antibiotic in the first vile and I have given him a total of 4 ml of antibiotic instead of the recommended 2 ml, could that hurt him?
 
NEEDLE when SYRINGEFEEDING? good god! :o

never ever have a needle in when you try to give piggies medication or food through a syringe in their mouth! think how you could hurt Scruffy with that!

as for the amount - I wouldnt give more antibiotics than what the vet prescribes in general, but if youre not sure that the first amount went in properly, I dont think it will hurt that you gave some more as a one off. The thing is that antibiotics upset the gut flora, so you should give Scruffy some probiotics aswell (Bird Bene Bac is what I would recommend, but most vets will give you bio lapis in a sachet to mix with his drinking water, or fibreplex to syringe in.) Give the probiotic at least two hours later than the antibiotics.
 
The 'needle' thing may not be as bad as it sounds. Some meds come in tiny glass ampoules and you have to attach a needle to the syringe in order to draw the liquid up. You then discard the needle before giving the drug to the patient.

It can be quite difficult to see clear liquid in a syringe but if you choose a place with good light, it should be possible. If you tap the syringe, you should also be able to see if there are any air bubbles trapped in the liquid.

If you are concerned about possible over-dosing, I would ask the vet who prescribed it.
 
Can I just ask what antibiotic you are giving and what strength it is? 2ml is a large volume of drug to give a guinea pig, are you sure you aren't meant to be giving 0.2ml?
Do check the bottle, if it is Baytril 2.5% you are using, you are giving way too much.

Obviously if it is another drug and it is what your vet has told you to use fine :)

Just thought I'd better mention this!

Barbara
 
While hopefully it isn't the case here and not suggesting it is....

I have known vets to get the drug dosage wrong with guineas and once a vet nurse did actually tell me to give 2ml of Baytril daily, and gave me 14mls of it for a weeks course! Thankfully I spotted the mistake! But if it had been an inexperienced owner...

I also know of a vet, not one we use, I hasten to add, who killed a guinea pig by administering Penicillin >:(
So it does always pay to ask vets what they are giving and why, if in doubt always query or ask for a second opinion.
This concern shouldn't happen with an experienced guinea vet of course but there Will be times for most if not all of us when we may have to see a locum. So it makes sense to keep on our toes :)
 
Oh dear! I gave my dog too much antibiotic the other day. She seemed fine but take her to the vet
 
I didn't feed him with the needle! That would be terribly difficult. I got the liquid antibiotic out with the needle and then took the needle tip off to insert the meds into his mouth. It's a different type of needle/syringe. I have been hand-feeding him the Critical Care and watching him closely. He is not worse, but he's not better either. He is not eating his regular food and is drinking very little.
 
Also, it is Baytril, and it is 0.2 ml. I never have been very good with units of measurement! I guess being worried and writing make one unclear and/or inaccurate! Thanks!
 
That's a relief - no-one was having a go, just making sure :)

Seems things are going well, well done! :)
 
scruffysmama said:
Also, it is Baytril, and it is 0.2 ml. I never have been very good with units of measurement! I guess being worried and writing make one unclear and/or inaccurate! Thanks!
Click to expand...

That's good to hear :)
Hope your little one is soon feeling better.

Barbara
 
Thanks for all your kind words and thoughts. He is better, and his eyes are not as sunken in as before. However, he is still not eating on his own like normal and he isn't going to the bathroom at a normal rate. I will continue with the meds and Critical Care and hope for the best. Thank you again!
 
I do hope he is soon feeling better and he is certainly loved and getting lots of attention. I know when my little boy was poorly the rodentologist advised me to give a little extra antibiotic instead of the vets prescribed dose. I'm sure he will be fine if it was only a one off. I'm sure it's safer to stick to the dose prescribed by the vet though just to be on the safe side. I really hope he improves soon. We are all thinking of you and sending our support.
 
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