# Help! URI won't go away with antibiotics - ????



## Daisy's Grandma (Jun 25, 2013)

Hello, I just joined this forum hoping someone can help us with our poor little elderly Daisy, my daughter's sweetheart. She is 2+ years old and has had nasal congestion, runny eyes, and sneezing constantly for several months now. Her health otherwise has seemed good. We have been treating her with Doxy (5mg) and Baytril, separately and together, ongoingly, and she never improves. Now she's struggling a little to breathe with a very stuffy nose, but I don't hear any sounds from her lungs. I'm worried that the infection will go to her lungs if we don't get it treated. Any advice? Is there another antibiotic we should try? 
Thanks!
Daisy's Grandma


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## Mousey (Oct 23, 2012)

If she has been on Doxy/Baytril for a long period of time with no improvement, you most definitely need to be looking into other options. You could be looking at resistance to these specific antibiotics, severe chronic fibrosis of the lungs, or allergies. I would try Azithromycin, perhaps paired with Doxycycline - if anything for it's anti-inflammatory properties to help with her nasal congestion. You could also try nebulizing - have you thought of that? A nebulizer costs about $60 - and then you need sodium chloride and albuterol OR a combination of sodium chloride, aminophylline, and acetylcysteine, which the veterinarian can prescribe to you. That will _really_ help clear her up. I would also consider putting her on an anti-inflammatory - Metacam is a good one. Now Azithromycin is a much shorter course antibiotic, so if she doesn't show any improvement after the 5 day course, you need to be considering other options, at which point you might look into allergies, and try Benadryl.


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## chezzy85 (Jun 7, 2013)

My friend had similar problems and found treating for mites helped clear it up. ...could be worth a try if you haven't already?



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## zurfaces (Jan 16, 2013)

I feel like I say this a lot but have you considered allergies? I want to let people know because I've thought in the past that my girls have a respiratory infection but their lungs sounded clear. I started them on some home remedies and benadryl and literally the next day they were 50% better. Ever since then when I hear extra sneezies or congestion I give them benadryl and if they don't improve within the next couple of days it's antibiotic time. I've never gotten to the phase where they need antibiotics anyways. Every time it's been allergies. I don't know where you live but right now my nose is a mess because it is allergy season. 

I suggest continuing the antibiotics but try benadryl for a few days. I can give you dosage information if you tell me her weight. 

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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

A very important piece of information for us to have is exactly how long the antibiotic therapy lasted. One, two, three weeks? Three weeks is the minimum for a successful antibiotic treatment in this case. Any less and you will likely just be giving the bacteria resistance to the medications, which means it will become less and less effective.

Have you considered a more holistic approach?


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## Daisy's Grandma (Jun 25, 2013)

*Thanks and more questions*

Thanks for all the advice. Very helpful. We've done over 4 weeks of the antibiotics. There isn't anything obvious that would be causing an allergy (didn't change anything before symptoms started). cagedbirdsinging, we've only tried the antibiotics -- I'm interested in hearing what a more holistic approach would be. Could you explain? 

For benadryl, does someone know the proper dose? How soon would we expect to see an improvement on it?

Thanks.
Daisy's Grandma


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

Holistic health is a pretty general concept, but it works. Rats with respiratory infections need to be kept in rather pristine housing to avoid ammonia inhalation from urine and just odors in general.

Medicinally, though, there are many natural remedies that you can incorporate into holistic care.

Raw honey has antibiotic properties with both internal and topical uses.

For more stubborn infections, grapefruit seed extract and/or oil of oregano can be used. Both are powerful natural antibiotics.


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## Daisy's Grandma (Jun 25, 2013)

Could anyone tell me the dosage for a small female rat for Benadryl for nasal congestion from a possible allergy?


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## zurfaces (Jan 16, 2013)

It might be enviromental allergies from pollen and mold. That is what causes the sneezies and puffy eyes. 

If she weighs 300g id say .1ml of childrens benadryl every 12 hrs. You should notice an improvement in a couple days. If not we can adjust the dosage but I'd need her actual weight do you have a food scale?

http://www.benadryl.com/products/children-allergy/benadryl-allergy-liquid

Or equivalent you need the one that has diphenhydramine hcl as the only active ingredient. 

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## Daisy's Grandma (Jun 25, 2013)

*Dose in mg?*

Daisy weighs 10 oz. Could you give me the dose in mg?
Thanks,
Daisy's Grandma


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## zurfaces (Jan 16, 2013)

Well its a liquid not a solid. You can get a 1ml needless syringe from the pharmacist generally they will give it to you for free you might also have one left over from the anti biotics? I don't have a scale that will weigh that low. She will still need .1ml






you can see the .1ml line at the top. I have it set to .3ml I'm not at home so I don't have my syringes with me lol if you need me to I'll upload a picture for the dosage of .1ml
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## Daisy's Grandma (Jun 25, 2013)

Ok, I've been giving Daisy 1mg of Benadryl twice a day and I'm not seeing any improvement... The Rat Medication Guide has a wide range of dosages though, up to 5mg/lb, which would mean 3mg for Daisy. Does anyone have experience with this? Have you given higher doses such at 2 or 3 mg?
Thanks.


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

Have you considered the natural treatments that I mentioned?


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## aripatsim (Jul 26, 2012)

How exactly do you give them the grapefruit seed extract and oil of oregeno? I'm interested in this.


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

I add it to yummy foods like pureed sweet potato or their favorite flavor of baby food for the GSE. With oil of oregano, it is VERY strong and is compounded into a medicine ball with something strong like Nutella.

http://ratguide.com/meds/figures/compounding_medications_figure_1.php


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## Daisy's Grandma (Jun 25, 2013)

I haven't tried the natural remedies yet but now I'm ready to try them since the Benadryl didn't work. How much of these extracts should I give her?


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

With the GSE, a good amount to start with is one drop of GSE for every 9 drops of juice, babyfood, or whatever they'll take it in.

The oil of oregano is very strong and one drop inside of a rattie medicine ball each day will do just fine. Monitor the condition and increase as necessary.

Benadryl is not an antibiotic and will never cure URIs.


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## Daisy's Grandma (Jun 25, 2013)

Thanks. I understand what kind of medicine Benadryl is. I was trying it in case this is an allergy that that's why the antibiotics weren't working. Thanks for you help.
Daisy's Grandma


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## trematode (Sep 8, 2012)

One of my girls has chronic respirate issues. I just called up the vet for a bronchial dilator since baytril and doxy has only helped a little. If the breathing issues are caused by abscesses or scarring, only an x-ray will tell. Antibiotics can't penetrate abscesses well according to the vet I saw.


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