Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections. When needed for treatment of an infection in a rabbit, these drugs should be prescribed only by a veterinarian well-versed in rabbit medicine. Infections caused by bacteria can occur anywhere in the body. The best way to determine which type of antibiotic will be most effective against a particular infection is to take a sample of infected tissue (for example, a small section of the wall of an abscess, or a surface swab of the affected area), and send it to a laboratory for culture and sensitivity testing. It is advisable to have both an aerobic and an anaerobic bacterial tests performed to best determine what medications will be most effective.
In some cases, the infection may occur in an difficult-to-access place, such as inside the respiratory tract, urinary tract, inside of the eye, intestinal tract or bone. In this case, the veterinarian may need to make a “best guess” about which antibiotic is best to treat the problem.
Description
Tetracycline hydrochloride was administered to domestic rabbits using a single bolus by the intravenous and oral routes. Pharmacokinetic parameters were determined for intravenous (10 mg/kg) and oral (150 mg/kg) administration. The effect of fasting for 12 h on the drug elimination kinetics after oral administration was evaluated. Tetracycline was added to the drinking water at 800 mg/L or 1600 mg/L. Drug and water intake and serum levels were monitored
Features of Tetracycline For Rabbits
It has been established that rabbits possess an increased sensitivity to antibiotics of the tetracycline group. On administering chlortetracycline, tetracycline, or oxytetracycline to rabbits per os in doses of from 5 to 50 mg/kg per day the majority of the animals died within 2 weeks after initiation of the treatment, with phenomena of increasing apathy, anorexia, weight reduction and profuse diarrhea.
Large numbers ofB. proteus appeared in the intestinal contents of rabbits which received tetracyclines. Leukocytosis was noted in the blood due to the increase in the number of polymorphonuclear segmented neutrophils and relative lymphocytopenia was also present. The most pronounced pathological-anatomical changes resulting from tetracycline administration to rabbits were observed in the gastrointestinal tract.
Uses/benefits of Tetracycline For Rabbits
It has been observed that those antibiotics which penetrate into the spinal fluid through the so-called blood-brain barrier also penetrate into the eye through the blood-aqueous barrier. Recent reports in the literature have indicated that tetracycline penetrates into the spinal fluid in animals and in humans. As no other report concerning the intraocular penetration of tetracycline has been published up to this time, we considered it of value to determine the degree of penetration of this antibiotic into the aqueous humor of rabbits and human beings. It was considered of importance to use human as well as rabbit eyes, for there have been very few reports on the intraocular penetration of antibiotics into human eyes, the supposition having been that rabbit eyes were very similar to human eyes in this respect.
Precaution
Skin irritation or formation of sterile abscesses after subcutaneous injection of antibiotics like penicillin or enrofloxacin (Baytril) is possible. When the antibiotic is dissolved in a water-based solution, e.g., enrofloxacin, the formation of sterile abscesses can be avoided by diluting the amount to be given by the same amount of a sterile saline solution. Beside sterile abscesses, the use of Baytril over longer periods of time may lead to muscle necrosis. Fluoroquinilone antibiotics can moreover lead to cartilage damage of the cartilage and damage of joints (arthropathy) when used over a longer period in young rabbits.
Prices of Tetracycline For Rabbits
$35.00 – $78.95