Honey's Medical topic - dosing for Enrofloxacin question.

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poho1100

Post   » Tue Sep 21, 2021 1:56 am


I'm not understanding the dose calculators. When I went by the one where you choose the antibiotic and enter the weight (1.1 kg) it gave me an average dose of 6.875 and said it was based on a mean dose of 6.25mg/kg (this seems right). On the other calculator when I enter a dose of .6875, 1.1 kg for weight, and 20mg/ml it gives me a dose of 12.50 mg/kg when the highest recommended dose is 10mg/kg. Which do I go by?

The previous dosage the vet prescribed .5 ml after she had surgery to remove a stone at the end of July (7/20). Now she has an upper respiratory infection going on and I'm having a very hard time trying to find a vet that has openings. Even the emergency vet I called said they weren't accepting new patients. I decided to start her on the antibiotic at .5 ml (she was breathing so loud I could hear her wheezing across the room). I've had guinea pigs with upper respiratory infections before and her symptoms are the same. It's been 5 days and she's better, she's eating by herself, but her breathing still sounds faintly wet when I'm holding her and one of her eyes and her nose is still gooey. I was able to get an appointment, but it's 2 days away and I'm wondering if she needs a higher dose. She's 6 1/2 years old and has some trouble with her back legs, so she doesn't get around real well (I give her .15 of Metacam a day,). She has been getting Neomycin, Polymyxin and Dexamethasone drops in her left eye once a day for years, but it's her right eye that's discharging so now I'm doing drops in both eyes.

Any advice would be appreciated.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Sep 21, 2021 8:05 am


I will turn this into Honey's medical topic. Keep all your questions about her here.

It sounds like you are selecting two different concentrations of enrofloxacin.

What is the concentration in mg/ml written on the medication container?

poho1100

Post   » Tue Sep 21, 2021 2:23 pm


The calculator where you select the antibiotic by name does not have a space to enter the concentration so I don't know what is used. For the other calculator, I entered 20 mg/ml (which is listed on the bottle). After your question, I'm guessing using the calculator where you enter the concentration is more accurate? Do I divide that dosage in half because it's q12h?

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Sep 21, 2021 5:04 pm


I am so sorry your guinea pig is ill.

When I first replied, I did not review the two pages.

The first calculator gives the dose in mg, not cc.

The second calculator gives you the option of calculating the dose in cc if you know the concentration of the drug in the suspension (mg/ml). So the two calculators have different functions. I like the second one best.

So with the first calculator, if your guinea pig is 1.1kg and you use an average dosage of 6.25mg/kg, you would give 6.875mg This is the amount of the drug in mg that would be in the suspension (the dose in cc is not calculated).

You wrote, "On the other calculator when I enter a dose of .6875, 1.1 kg for weight, and 20mg/ml it gives me a dose of 12.50 mg/kg when the highest recommended dose is 10mg/kg. Which do I go by?" If you want to use 0.625 mg/ml, you enter that number, not the number that has already been adjusted for weight from the other page.

The second calculator allows you to determine how much you should give or are giving by providing the info required.

Remember there is a range that is given for enrofloxacin. Some vets will give more, some less.

If the concentration is 20mg/ml and you are giving 0.5cc (1ml=1cc), then you are giving 10mg for a 1.1kilo guinea pig which falls within the 2.5-10.0 mg/kg mentioned in the guide (some vets may even give a larger amount). Using the second calculator and "How much am I giving", you find the dosage is 9.09mg/kg.

The dose is what you have in your syringe in cc.
The dosage is in mg/kg.

So you would worry about changing the amount if your guinea pig stopped eating while using the enrofloxacin. Meanwhile, weigh once or twice a day and hand feed if needed.

I hope this explanation is helpful.

poho1100

Post   » Wed Sep 22, 2021 2:47 pm


Thank you, I understand now. I was definitely confused between dose (in cc), and dosage (mg/ml).

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Sep 22, 2021 11:27 pm


You are not the only person who has difficulty with that! I kind of have to relearn when I explain it.

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