Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok im having a hard time getting info for my snake..i was told fortaz is best for RI but were do i get it my local vets dont have it only baytril and they say one shot is enough not several over a one month period any help with this???

Although Baytril (enrofloxacin) has been used successfully, there are several other antibiotics available that have proven superior to Baytril for treating RI in boids. All of these antibiotics, and Fortaz (ceftazidime) is one of them, were originally developed for human use and therefore many vets are not familiar with them. If your vet does not have direct access to Fortaz, or any other human antibiotic, he can write a prescription for it that can be filled at a commercial or hospital pharmacy. There are a very few antibiotics that can be effective with one or two doses, but none used for reptiles that I know of fall into this group. All the antibiotics currently used for reptile RI treatment require multiple doses at two or three day intervals over at least a two or three week period. Fortaz is a third generation cephalosporin and is one of the best for RI in boids due to its very broad spectrum of activity. It should be dosed at 20 milligrams per kilogram body weight once every 3 days. It is typically given for 6 to 8 doses and should be used under vet supervision. Good luck.

Kelly

In addition to Kelly's post, I'd just say that any vet that only has Baytril on hand for reptiles, isn't one I'd feel comfortable with my herps. Perhaps ask for a referal or look for one yourself.

Ian

I had a Ball with a R.I. and Baytril wasn't working even though the culture was sensitive to Baytril, I was referred to another vet. and started using "Piperacillin" injections every 24hrs. and things cleared up within 7 days but maintained the injections for 14. She is doing very good now and is feeding like a champ.
Hope your boa gets better, Mike Derks

it is not a commonly used antibiotic with reptiles. It is one of the few penicillin class antibiotics that works well on some gram negative bacteria which are the main group responsible for RI in boids. Two main reasons it has had limited use in reptiles are the fact that many bacteria are able to develop resistance to it very rapidly and also, many bacteria show sensitivity to piperacillin on the culture plate but not when used in the animal itself. However, it did work in your case and that's what really counts. Thanks for sharing that information.

Kelly