Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a zebra tailed lizard which has a respiratory infection, showing off-color, gaping, eyes closed, etc.

I was giving him Tetracycline once a day, as my vet gave me. But she's not a reptile vet. There was no improvement in his condition. I give him a slurry of canned cat food and a few drops of water via a syringe to keep him going.

What would the right antibiotic be and in what dose?

THANKS!

First, I'd find out which species of Callisaurus to determine what temperatures ranges it lives in (in the wild). I would then adjust it's cage accordingly & bump up the ambient temp. by 10-15 deg.F higher.

Also, Tetracycline is good for skin infections in humans. Never heard of it being given for respiratory infections in reptiles. Also, tetracycline would be a bad choice as it binds calcium & reacts with sunlight. Many vets generally give Enrofloxacin(Baytril)for most problems; however, your vet should do an oral swabbing & determine the infection agent.

Also, your slurry should be from insects, not catfood. Catfood is too high in fat & has animal products & other additives that would be very difficult for a zebra-tail to digest. Be very careful about the quantity of food (slurry) & water given at this time because it is very easy to "drown" a small lizard with too much.

If this vet is the only one in your area, maybe your vet can consult with a vet from: www.arav.org to help out.

Maybe Joeysgreen or Herps.net can add something to this that I may've over-looked.

Either way, goodluck.
Link

You are correct, tetracycline chelates, or binds with calcium and magnesium in the intestines and would not be a good choice. And, as you also stated, it will cause phototoxic dermatitis in some animals, causing burning of the skin on exposure to UV radiation. Tetracycline has been used to treat RI, but only when caused by bacteria of the genus Mycoplasma. It is a poor choice for RI caused by other species of bacteria. It also has other side effects and so would not be a good choice for a small lizard. Enrofloxacin orally would probably be alright, but do not use the injectable, as the chance of tissue damage would rule it out on a small reptile. Ciprofloxacin or a 3rd generation cephalosporin would probably be a good choice as well. See what a good reptile vet can recommend.

Kelly

Even non-reptile veterinarians have access to dosages for commonly used antibiotics.
While there are other "first choice" antibiotics, they are all best guesses and to find the best one you'll need to have a sample cultured.
See what your vet says, and perhaps ask for a referal to a more experienced veterinarian.

Ian

posts first and then realize that everything I've said was just redundant. Lizardman's response was more complete anyways

Ian