If round two of Baytril doesn’t bring about results, the causative organism is apparently not susceptible to this antibiotic. Either another class antibiotic needs to be started, or sensitivity testing needs to be initiated. Baytril, or enrofloxacin, is a fluoroquinolone antibiotic that is effective against many gram negative bacteria and it does also work against a few gram positive species as well. Just because Baytril is not effective in this case doesn’t mean that the causative organism is necessarily a gram positive. It work’s well against some RI’s, but some gram negative cases will not respond to it.

Tylan, or tylosin, is a macrolide antibiotic that is effective against only gram positive bacteria. It has been used successfully to treat chronic RI (respiratory infections) caused by Mycoplasma bacteria in reptiles. Tylosin will only work if the causative organism of the RI is Mycoplasma, otherwise it will usually be ineffective in resolving any other types of infections. It is cheap and safe and vets that deal with livestock will have it as it is mainly used for RI’s in cattle and hogs.

Another possibility is amikacin, as it is a great choice for stubborn RI’s caused by many gram negative bacteria and a few gram positives. It has about the widest spectrum of activity of all the aminoglycoside class antibiotics. As an aminoglycoside however, it is toxic and the dosage needs to be calculated exactly from the weight of the snake. It has been used very successfully for RI’s in snakes, and I have used it with good results in the past.

Another possibility would be Fortaz, or ceftazidime. It is a third generation cephalosporin antibiotic. It’s mainly effective against gram negative bacteria, and many of the more antibiotic resistant forms. It is relative safe and works well against many RI’s in reptiles, as most of these are caused by gram negative bacteria species. It appears to have a wider spectrum of bacteriocidal activity than Baytril.

Kelly

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