Pet Forum / Mammals / Rats / September 2003

It sounds like his infection is in the upper respiratory system. He is full
mucus in his nasal passages. How long has he been on Baytril?
I will definitely let you know about Frisson... his infection is upper
respiratory as well.

Kate <ollieogg@hotmail.com> blurted:

Incidentally, Baytril is the most overprescribed antibiotic in the
veterinary field.

Do you remember how a few years ago it was discovered that Penicillin had
ceased being effective against a number of strains of illness that it used
to treat in humans? This is a direct result of a type of evolution -
specifically from improper use. By that I mean people who do not finish
their entire cycle of antibiotics when ill, leaving a few pills in the
bottle. Thereby the strain they were treating continues to live (though they
may show no symptoms of the illness) and goes on to be resistant to the
medication that was used against it but not long enough to kill it off.

Well, the same thing has happened with Baytril - many people have some on
hand and have used it to treat symptoms in their animals without a
prescription, then stopped using it before its cycle was complete, thereby
creating baytril-resistant bugs.

I no longer will use Baytril on my reptiles because of this - I've had some
particularly bad reactions and ongoing illnesses even after daily injections
for weeks at a time (especially challenging on big snakes!).

Humans do the same thing all day every day with antibacterial products -
namely the active ingredient Triclosan. Take a look in your bathroom - do
you have triclosan in products on your sink or under your sink? If so - do
you follow the instructions and scrub for 60 seconds or longer (including
your hands)? If not - you're contributing to "superbugs" which are resistant
to a number of cleaners and eventually kill off the weaker members of our
community - those immunocompromised (which include children born with
allergies, the elderly, and of course ill people).

Just something to think about. Boycott Baytril!

fr0glet