Box Turtle Antibiotics, Baytril

[gabby.santana]

When I took oliver to the vet and we discovered he had a R.I. the doctor prescribed him with Baytril. She told me to inject him with this on his hind legs every day. One day left one day right. However, I have been reading that you are supposed to inject them in the front legs, in a muscle close to his shell because if injected in the hind legs it can cause kidney failure or the kidneys quickly excrete it. I need help in knowing what to do!!!! He has taken his medicine 4 times now, one by the vet and 3 by me.

 

[gabby.santana]

I just felt his front muscles and they are so tricky to find and oh my gosh does oliver move so much! I can't imagine a needle being that close to his face. How do you dilute the solution? I've just read that it is extremely painful for them. I wish the vet would have told me all this. He takes 0.08 ml each time I inject it in his leg.

 

[gabby.santana]

I have noticed he has slowed down in eating but from the moment we found Oliver, we noticed he didn't eat as much as usual box turtles are known to eat.

 

[gabby.santana]

Also how do I prevent Oliver from ever getting an Upper Respiratory injection again???

 

[Yvonne G]

Whew! questions!!!

Get some sterile saline solution. Draw up the dose of Baytril into the syringe then insert the needle into the saline and draw up some of that. But it's even better/easier to give it orally. Take the correct dose of Baytril into the syringe, then remove the needle and pry the turtle's mouth open and squirt it into his mouth. Or inject it into a strawberry or something you know he'll eat.

If you keep him in the correct environment, he shouldn't get sick again. The usual cause of R.I. is allowing the turtle to get too cold.

Box turtles are omnivores, but they really go for wiggly food. I cut up a small bit of fruit and veggies into tiny pieces and pile it up on the feeding station, then I put some live worms on top of the pile. The turtle gets a taste of the fruit/veggie mixture when he eats the worms, and eventually he'll eat it without worms on it. (***Yvonne wonders to herself at this moment, "I wonder if I would be able to inject a worm with Baytril?? Hm-mm-m-m...***)

 

[gabby.santana]

So it is ok if he ingests the antibiotic?

 

[Yvonne G]

Yes. It is made to be either injected or oral.

 

[Ferretinmyshoes]

To add to Yvonne's great comments, the back legs vs front legs is not well supported in literature and newer studies have shown that it is not actually a problem like once believed. The reason was for the renal portal system in which some reptiles and birds were thought to shunt the blood from the back half of the body through the kidneys before the rest of the blood stream and organs so the kidneys will filter out the medication before it went to the site of the problem thus rendering it ineffective. It is considered outdated information now but unfortunately there are a lot of internet sites with it still on it so it's going to take some time to disseminate the change in information well. In summary, you can give it in any of the 4 legs.

The reason for diluting with saline as Yvonne suggested is that baytril (enrofloxacin) can cause muscle damage when injected. The injectable form can be given orally to avoid this. And yes, you can inject worms with baytril.

 

[terryo]

I inject in the loose skin around the back legs. I've only had to do this a few times in the last 30 years, but I really hate it. Next time I'll try in the mouth...you learn something new every day. Never knew. Thanks Yvonne.

 

[gabby.santana]

Thank you members as always!!! I feel so much better now.