Reptile & Amphibian Forums

From what I understand Flagyl comes in a pill form and the proper dosage is 50mg per kilo. So do I need a digital scale capable of weighing in the mg range? If so where can I get one? Is it them mixed with water and administered with a ball tip syringe down the throat?

I will be getting Klingenberg's book soon but till then any help would be appreciated.

I searched the forums but came up with the same lame info every time.

What lame info are you referring to? There is only one answer to your question. If you know the strength of the tablets, and the weight of your animal, you should be able to easily figure out the dosage. If a tablet is 100mg of Metronidazole and your snake weighs 2.2 lbs (1 Kilo), then you would need 1/2 of a tablet per dose for a dosage of 50 mg/kg. Yes, you can crush the tablets, mix them with water and administer PO.

You didn't mention why you need to treat with Metronidazole...do you know what you are trying to treat for? Metronidazole can be a dangerous drug if improperly used or dosed.
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We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Flagyl (aka metronidazol) comes in a variety of dosage concentrations but if you order it from the health care section of www.beanfarm.com then it will be 250mg/kg of body weight. The scales can be purchased fairly cheeply from office depot. A postage scale will do nicely. Using the medication obtained from the beanfarm, mix one capsule with 5ml (5cc) of deionized water. If it does not desolve readily you may try dissolving it in a nonpolar solution such as 5ml (5cc) of vegetable oil (not to me administered in large amounts)! The medication needs to be fully disolved. This will yeild an oral suspension of 50mg per every 1.0ml (1.0cc) of liquid extracted. At a dosage of 50mg/1kg of body weight, an animal weighing 1kg (or 1,000g) should receive a 1ml (1cc) dosage of the suspension orally. Supposing the animal weighs 0.5kg (500g), then give have the dosage meaning 0.5ml (0.5cc) of the oral suspension.

As you can see this is very complicated and risky! Reptiles do not process medication/toxins efficianlt. I have given you this information as general knowlege not intended for use! I do not reccomend doing this yourself! Especially if you lack the experience! It is very easy to overdose your pet and I highly reccomend that you see a veterinarian and that you not attempt this yourself!

>>Flagyl (aka metronidazol) comes in a variety of dosage concentrations but if you order it from the health care section of www.beanfarm.com then it will be 250mg/kg of body weight. The scales can be purchased fairly cheeply from office depot. A postage scale will do nicely. Using the medication obtained from the beanfarm, mix one capsule with 5ml (5cc) of deionized water. If it does not desolve readily you may try dissolving it in a nonpolar solution such as 5ml (5cc) of vegetable oil (not to me administered in large amounts)! The medication needs to be fully disolved. This will yeild an oral suspension of 50mg per every 1.0ml (1.0cc) of liquid extracted. At a dosage of 50mg/1kg of body weight, an animal weighing 1kg (or 1,000g) should receive a 1ml (1cc) dosage of the suspension orally. Supposing the animal weighs 0.5kg (500g), then give have the dosage meaning 0.5ml (0.5cc) of the oral suspension.
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>>As you can see this is very complicated and risky! Reptiles do not process medication/toxins efficianlt. I have given you this information as general knowlege not intended for use! I do not reccomend doing this yourself! Especially if you lack the experience! It is very easy to overdose your pet and I highly reccomend that you see a veterinarian and that you not attempt this yourself!

Quote:Flagyl (aka metronidazol) comes in a variety of dosage concentrations but if you order it from the health care section of www.beanfarm.com then it will be 250mg/kg of body weight.

I think you meant to write "250mg per capsule", not 250 mg/kg body weight. 250 mg/kg is enough to kill many snakes.

Quote: If it does not desolve readily you may try dissolving it in a nonpolar solution such as 5ml (5cc) of vegetable oil (not to me administered in large amounts)!

Do you have reference to the absorption rates for Metronidazole in reptiles when administered as a suspension in vegetable oil? This may work well in mammals, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it for snakes. Snakes do not digest vegetable matter or oils very well. If the oil passes through the digestive tract undigested, then most of the medicine will be excreted with the oil. Not to mention the fact that Metronidazole is a prodrug that is activated by water. If the particles are coated in oil, it will not dissolve in the water and any that remains in the digestive tract will not activate and will be ineffective.

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We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Do you feel the oral administration of metro tablets in a food item to be contraindicated on the grounds of activation or absorption? On a few occasions in the past, I have seen the use of whole or partial flagyl tablets inserted into food items used with apparent success. I was wondering what your thoughts were on it's effectiveness using this mode of administration. Thanks,

Kelly

>>Do you feel the oral administration of metro tablets in a food item to be contraindicated on the grounds of activation or absorption? On a few occasions in the past, I have seen the use of whole or partial flagyl tablets inserted into food items used with apparent success. I was wondering what your thoughts were on it's effectiveness using this mode of administration. Thanks,
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>>Kelly

Actually, my preferred method for administering Metro is with a stomach tube and syringe. It gets the medicine directly where it needs to go.

Although it's not always a viable alternative, from the literature I've seen placing metro in a food item should be a workabloe solution. If the snake is not feeding or is regurgitating, then it's probably not the best choice. I believe that absorption rate is going to be somewhat lower.
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We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. Ralph Waldo Emerson

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It may be different in the states but isn't metronidazole a prescription? If so how can the bean farm sell it to anyone? If not then it should be, it would eliminate threads like this one.

Don't be cheap and go the the vet. If your there often enough you'll get the drug (and the instructions) for your own as needed usage. That is of course assuming your not an idiot and destroy any confidence the vet may have in you.