# Vet won't give me a good size bottle of Baytril?



## kindhearted (Aug 4, 2011)

Okay so I recently just got a new rat from Petco, that has been sneezing and now my 2 other rats are sneezing. And one of them just recovered from a serious URI. She was on Baytril for 2 weeks. Originally he gave me just 2 syringes of it. While he gave me a 2 OZ bottle of Furosemide for possible CHF to combine it with the Baytril. Anyway...I wanted to get a nice 2 OZ bottle of Baytril so that I can treat all of my rats, rather than treating just one with 2 syringes, while my other rats still have an URI. It would of ALSO came in handy for one of my bunnies who also has a mild URI. I asked if he could make up my own bottle (I have an empty 2 OZ that could of came in handy) he said that he is already making 2 syringes and considered that to be my own dose. I didn't even tell him that my other rats have an URI, I only told him one of them re-caught an URI again. I thought if I told him they all have it, he would of told me well bring them all in and he'll charge me more money for just a one week dose. 

I don't know why he couldn't of gave a 2 OZ. It would of lasted MUCH longer and I would of been able to treat ALL of my rats. I spent $200 on just one rat last month. He even charged me a $40 visit just to check her lungs. I had to ASK him to check her lungs and it only took a minute he couldn't even hear her heart because she had so many fluids built up. Yet STILL charged me for a visit. I didn't say anything about it, I let that one slide because I had extra money on hand. 

Has anyone else gotten the same answer from their vet before? My original vet is relocating and no one knows where...no one knows the timing either so I had no choice but to pick another local exotic vet. He gave me a lot of refills in the past. I'm just a little upset I couldn't get a big bottle to treat all of my rats rather than bringing all 3 AND being charged $40 PER rat. And being charged PER syringe for EACH rat.

Is there any website out there where I can buy a big bottle somehow?


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## kindhearted (Aug 4, 2011)

I'm looking for something like this but much less pricey if anyone has good websites out there.

http://www.petdrugs.com/dogs/product/Baytril+Oral+Solution/624/


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## BigBen (Nov 22, 2011)

My vet only saw one rat, but was willing to prescribe for all four. Perhaps you could call the office and say that your others are now showing the same symptoms, and ask for more Baytril?


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## 1a1a (May 6, 2011)

Definitely no harm in asking for more meds. My vet will see multiple rats in a single consult but he tends not to let me run off with meds without having a listen first, perhaps some kind of duty of care to not go handing out antibiotics willy nilly to rats who don't need them (I am still at a loss as to how they determine when it Is time for ABs, my rats wheeze and rattle regularly but only sometimes does the vet deem them in need of medication). I do understand that antibiotics are a double edged sword, over use and you run the risk of rendering them useless in a crisis.

So, in the mean time, can you do some other things to help your rats fight the infection? Vitamin drops? Echinacea? Actually, I haven't tried either of these things but I'm ready to. There are probably other things we can give them to boost the immune system and make sure they can stay warm if it's cold.


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## riotfox (Apr 16, 2010)

keep in mind though, this is their livelihood. vets dont get paid as much as most people think. they have a lot of expensive overheads to cover. im sure there are also rules they have to follow about giving out prescription drugs. they cant just give you all these meds because you claim that you think you need them for all these animals they havent seen. tbh $40 doesnt sound like an outrageous price for a checkup at all!ive been lucky enough to only need to start doxycycline during a time when little miss was getting free post surgery checkups anyways, so i didnt have to pay for an extra visit. she also let me add baytril on top of it with only a phone conversation. that being said, she knows me and all my rats well, especially little miss fast, and trusts me a lot, given that ive spent over $1600 on medical expenses for just little miss fast. not sure about anywhere else you could get baytril .


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## kindhearted (Aug 4, 2011)

This guy owns his own place, he is the only Vet there (with staff and assistants of course). I just thought that it was a little weird because he gave me the 2 OZ of Furosemide which cannot be OVER used in rats. It causes liver damage and such.


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## AlexP (Oct 26, 2011)

Baytril is by prescription only; you can not get it without one. There are some websites that sell it without one, typically out of Australia I think (and possibly other countries but I could be wrong); however, I've heard warnings about those sites. You don't know that what you get is actually Baytril, you don't know if it's expired, you don't know if it's been kept in the proper conditions, etc. I would most definitely *not* order from one of those sites. I'm not surprised that your vet won't give you Baytril for all the rats without seeing them. As for the charging an exam fee for each rat, all the vets around here do that, though I know other members have said their vet will only charge one fee if they bring in two or something similar. I think that just depends on the vet. I'm also not entirely clean on what you're getting at with the vet charging you a $40 exam fee to listen to her lungs. If she wasn't already there for a checkup-basically, if that's why you took her in-then I understand that because he was doing an exam. Sometimes the exams don't take very long yet you feel as though you just spent a lot of money lol. 

This being said, I understand your frustrations. I'm a college student and it can be extremely frustrating to have to pay these charges. The ratties are definitely worth it though; good thing they're so cute! Lol.


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## RatMama13 (Aug 20, 2011)

I know in our state(and most) the law says there must be an active patient-client-vet relationship in order to prescribe meds. So some will not prescribe anything without seein the animal first. This is a protection for them and their staff.


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## giggles_mcbug (Sep 10, 2011)

One of my girls just died at an emergency vet. At the time I only had the sick one with me, but that vet gave me doxy for my three even though she'd never seen me before, or them. 

I'd call and ask for more meds.


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## BigBen (Nov 22, 2011)

My rats all have a respiratory infection, and at first the vet only prescribed enough Baytril for five days, but he just renewed the prescription over the phone. I doubt very much that he would have been willing to prescribe without seeing at least one of them, _especially _since I just got the ratties and have never used that vet before.


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