# Enrofloxacin



## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

I took Kiwi to the vet today because I was worried about his health he was leaning forward on his perch a lot and having some slight tail bobbing. So the vet checked him over and prescribed him Enrofloxacin. She said that he had a good amount of circle bacteria in the mouth swab. The instructions are to give him 0.1 milliliters by mouth every 24 hours for 10 days. He was 76.7 grams at the vets, he's a little guy already but lost a little weight over the course of the week. When I saw it start dropping I let him have a good amount of millet in his cage to get him to eat. 

The vet was very nice and answered all my questions. But she said that she didn't think he would need any probiotics when I asked? Would that be right for a short course like that or should I try and get some? And what probiotics would be the best for him to have? 

Also is there a good way to get him to try and eat some of the Enrofloxacin? I tried using some on millet, his food, directly in his mouth; he will just shake his head and I don't think he's getting much of it in there.

I have to go to work soon so I'll reply when I get back!


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

Aww, I hope Kiwi has a swift recovery. It's never pleasant when our loved birdies are sick.

You might have to restrain him in a towel to give him the medicine if nothing else works.


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## Nokota (Jan 27, 2013)

Your Avian vet likely knows far better than we forum people do.

Just follow the instructions.

I am sure if the antibiotics give her a problem, the doc can check her again and decide then.

I know when your little one is suffering you want to do absolutely everything that you possibly can, but sometimes less is more and it is harder not to help.

Hold on and be patient with the treatment. I am sure she will be fine.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

Nokota said:


> Your Avian vet likely knows far better than we forum people do.
> 
> Just follow the instructions.
> 
> ...


I'm sorry but I have to disagree with this. Probiotics are a good idea and will do absolutely no harm to your bird. I don't know why vets don't seem to think birds need them, but it's a commonly-missed thing that I think is really beneficial in most cases. 

Kiwi, if you're in the US, you might look into ordering probiotics from My Safe Birdstore. They carry several bird-specific brands that I like and are an awesome site overall! If you don't want to order online, Benebac is also a pretty good brand that can be found at most large chain pet stores. Just be sure you get the one for birds, since the dog/cat one may have ingredients in it that wouldn't be good for birds.

You need to give the antibiotic directly by mouth since it's very important for him to get the full dose. This is a good video on how to give oral medication: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EBUWWqqEyE&feature=related The part you want starts around 1:45.


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Thank you all very much for your replies!

I will try and get him a probiotic soon. I will also try and give him it by mouth as he only licked up a little bit before. Unfortunately my dad left the millet soaked with the medication in his food bowl while I was at work from 4 until midnight!!  Even though I told him it would spoil and not to have near his food bowl. They said he ate around it, but would it have had any negative effects on him being out that long? He seems to have gotten a little worse with his tail bobbing and his wings are hitching every so often with his breathing. No open mouthed breathing so far. He's clacking his beak and ruffling his feathers and resting on one foot (sometimes). He's not puffed up and no wet sneezes this time.

It's really horrible timing for him to get sick since I'm headed on vacation Monday until Friday. We've planned this vacation from months with my aunt and since she's out here now there is no way that my mother is going to let me back out of this. I'm worried because my dad and brother will be taking care of Kiwi and they really don't have the patience needed I think. And even if I tell them the signs of him getting worse to warrant a vet visit, they really wont know. I will try and watch that video and if I can't get the meds into Kiwi and my dad can't then would a bird boarding facility be able to administer the medication with the instructions while I'm on vacation? I really don't want my family to kill my baby bird.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

It's really not that hard to administer medication, but you do have to be able to restrain the bird. Could the vet board him? That's probably the best option if he's this sick. Actually, if he's bad enough that he's tail bobbing and you're noticing his symptoms worsening, I'm wondering if he needs to go to the vet to stay in an oxygen tank for a while. Respiratory infections can get very serious very quickly. I don't think the medication being left out would hurt him, but he really can't afford to be missing any doses at this point. Enrofloxacin is the generic name for Baytril, by the way.


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

The tail bob is not as bad as the ones you see on videos, but it is a noticeable bob. It's not quite there yet, but it's not great either. The wings are rising with his breathing. He's asleep on one foot now with his head either behind or to the side of his wing. If it looks worse in the morning he will go back to the vet. I think it was the stress of the vet visit today that got him. 

I can try to restrain him. I will let him stay with the vet if I don't believe my family is able to take care of him properly while I'm on vacation.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

You can do it with the restraint. I promise. You just have to stay calm and control his head. It feels a little weird to be handling them so firmly when it's not what we're used to, but it's actually much less stressful for them than if you give them room to struggle with you. It's much more a psychological thing than anything that's actually physically difficult, so take a moment to do some deep breathing before you try.


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Thank you so much I definitely will! You're right, most of the time I will let him go for a bit because he struggles so hard to get out. It is more stressful to be caught again for 40 minutes than to finish something that could be done in 5 with restraint. I will try that tomorrow! 

Kiwi woke up as I walked into the room so I placed him on a towel covered rice heating pad near my face.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

It takes practice and it's never pleasant to do, but it's a very good skill to have as a bird owner. I'm sending him some good thoughts!


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Thank you, I will! It is a very important skill! 
And thank you very much for the good thoughts!!


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Just an update on Kiwi: he's doing great now that we got the medication in his system. It just seems that once the medication starts to where off late at night is when he gets a little shaky. But once we administer the antibiotic again in the morning it stops immediately. My mother used to give her bird vitamin drops and showed both me and my father how to give the medication to Kiwi. My father will be taking care of Kiwi while I am gone and giving him is medication. I just finished up a checklist for him.


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## sunnysmom (Sep 23, 2011)

I'm glad Kiwi is doing better.


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

I'm giving enrofloxacin (Baytril) to my budgies now, and it's definitely not fun! They are smaller and not as strong as tiels, so I can just hold them with one hand and administer the meds with the other, but I know that tiels struggle WAY harder. So you may need someone to help you. Just wrap Kiwi firmly in a towel, make him bite the syringe and quickly squeeze the dose into his mouth. Nobody will like it, but it has to be done. I bought probiotics too, and I have started giving them on millet. I spritz the millet spray with water so that the powdered probiotics will stick when sprinkled on.

EDIT: Just read your update. Glad you figured out how to give the meds and that they are helping!


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Kiwi Update!!: I'm back from my vacation now and Kiwi has completely recovered from the respiratory infection!! No more tail bobbing or wet sneezes! Thank you guys so much for your help and support! 
We gave him the antibiotics for two more days than the label said because he still had a little bit of a tail bob on the day he was supposed to be done. The vet said to keep giving him the meds until the tail bob was gone, I went an extra day to be sure. Also because he wouldn't take the dose on millet for day 1. :lol:

He now has some Benebac he's getting for probiotics and today his weight is back up to normal!! I also ordered him some herb salad, harrison's high potency fine pellets, and Dr. Harvey's Cockatiel Food. Still waiting on the last three until Tuesday though. I'm just so glad he's fine now. He really scared us right before the vacation too. But he was in good hands with my family.


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