Treating Mycroplasma

[RichsBallPythons]

Some may not feel comfortable doing so but this is what my vet said to do as she gave me the information by email in this picture.

She said instead of me bringing my retired breeder who is now a pet in for shots, that i could mix his water daily with Tylan(Tylosin). Water mixing takes longer for it to clear up the infection but there's no injections and or soreness of the needle.

Figured id help out anyone who needs something on hand.


My male is 655 grams so i gave his 8oz water bottle 10mg of Tylan.

Reason im treating him is he sneezes alot but nothing to worry about really, but recently noticed his eyes had redness around them on the skin level. So i knew something was up.

Hope this helps some people out on their pet rats or breeders for that matter.

[RichsBallPythons]

also wanted to add. If treating breeders who will become feeders stop usage of Tylan 21 days before feeding them off.

[cobweb2000]

I've had better luck with an oral Baytril/doxy combo for myco flare ups, but hopefully the tylosin will work for your guy. I'm glad you said he is a retired breeder, even though I'm assuming you are breeding for feeders (since you posted this on the feeder forum), I still think we should make an effort to only breed myco resistant rats no matter what they are being bred for.

If the tylosin doesn't work, here are some other options (with the Tylosin included):

Tetracycline orally at 5 to 10 mg per pound three times daily for at least 14 days
Tylosin orally at 4.5 mg per pound twice daily or 66 mg per litre of water for 14 to 30 days
Gentamicin (best used in combination with Cefadroxil) at 1 to 2 mg per pound injected twice daily for 7 to 14 days
Amikacin at 5 mg per pound injected twice daily for 7 to 14 days
Chloramphenicol at 15 to 25 mg per pound injected twice daily for 7 to 14 days
Doxycycline orally at 2.5 mg per pound twice daily for 14 to 30 days
Enrofloxacin (Baytril) orally at 5 mg per pound twice daily for 14 to 30 days.

[RichsBallPythons]

Thanks for the info.my guy was bought not one I produced. all in all he's normal. plays with me on the bed. and sleeps. he even plays chase and then runs under shirt to hide lol.

I think the tylosin will work as he's not bad at all.

I may add some vanilla to the treated water to make it sweeter and encourage drinking.

[littleindiangirl]

Mycoplasma is not something that goes away with generic weak antibiotics, and really, mycoplasma will never go away. Mixing anti-biotics in his water is not a normal recommended treatment. One, it taste bitter as hell, likely leaving him avoiding drinking water, which can further weaken his immune system. But also, if he is sick from a myco flare up, your better off using a broad spectrum anti-biotic like Baytril, dosed twice a day for 10 days or until it clears. It's given with food orally with a needleless syringe.

Using a generic brand anti-biotic (or any antibiotic) for no good reason is going to just increase resistance of the bacteria strains, not saying your's sniffling isn't bad over there, (you did say he wasn't bad) but is often easy to reverse with good diet, clean dust free bedding, and a warm cage. Win win, we don't create resistant strains of bacteria, and it's cheaper!

Mycoplasma is a chronic condition that is in every single pet rat. The only rats without myco are lab rats in highly controlled environments.

Treating myco just to do it is a futile effort. When your rats do get sick, it is because of a weakened immune system, this in turn allows for a myco flare up, (puffy face, extra poryphrin secretion, coughing, sneezing, watery eyes,) that can develop into an advance respiratory infection. A secondary infection is also likely, and these in conjunction with the myco flare up will deal a heavy weight on your rat, and you can lose them.

Rats also have allergies. Changes in season or new homes can stir up sneezing and watery eyes. I've seen it!

Again, if these signs do appear, using a generic brand anti-biotic isn't the best course of action in my opinion. If mild, correct husbandry. If he starts to really show signs listed above, use a good broad spectrum anti-biotic that is dosed orally, and it will kill the infection quickly.

Just my .02 cents...

[SatanicIntention]

Do not use chloramphenical or amikacin in rats unless you want to kill their kidneys. Those drugs are not indicated for a myco induced respiratory infection.

Baytril or a Baytril/Doxycycline combo for the worse infections, work perfectly.

There's NO need to be giving antibiotics if all he's doing is having an allergic response to what is likely the bedding.

[RichsBallPythons]

ive been using equine fresh bedding which is pine pellets with pine shreddings.

i can try next cleaning just the pellets to see if sneezing goes away but the redness around his eyes will not. Which is why the vet said to go ahead and use Tylosin in the water and also use either vanilla or sugar to sweeten it up so he still drinks it.

And im using the liquid form of Tylosin not the powder. the dosage is like one drop from a eye dropper per 8oz of water.

[cobweb2000]

Do not use chloramphenical or amikacin
in rats unless you want to kill their kidneys. Those drugs are not indicated for a myco induced respiratory infection.

Regarding the use of chloramphenical and amikacin, I have found several sources stating they are indicated for a myco flareup and the safe to use for rats with normal kidney function provided you make sure the rat's fluid intake is adequate.

Except from my below links:

CHLORAMPHENICOL PALMITATE


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHLORAMPHENICOL SODIUM SUCCINATE 25 to 90mg/lb TID, PO

Must be obtained from compounding pharmacy

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15 to 25mg/lb BID, SQ or IM

.15cc to .25cc/lb for 7 to 14 days Bacteriostatic, broad-spectrum antibiotic that penetrates tissues other antibiotics cannot (e.g., central nervous system and eyes). Effective against mycoplasma. Should not be used in combination with Tylan, Erythromycin, or Zithromax. Use with caution. Oral form may be obtained from a compounding pharmacy. Mixed to order in any flavor you request. Expensive. Prescription needed.

AMIKACIN

BRAND: AMIGLYDE-V 5mg/lb BID or TID, SQ or IM

.10cc/lb for 7 to 14 days Bactericidal, broad-spectrum antibiotic. Good for respiratory infections. Can cause kidney damage, but it is not at all common, however, encourage the rat to drink plenty of liquids to be safe. Should be used for severe infections, or after other possible drugs have failed. Relatively expensive. Prescription needed.

http://ratguide.com/health/bacteria/...oplasmosis.php

http://www.rmca.org/Articles/myco.htm

http://www.rmca.org/Articles/dchart.htm

[SatanicIntention]

Neither the Amikacin nor the chlor work on the Myco organism. You need Enrofloxacin or any of the tetracycline class drugs.

Amikacin and chloramphenical JUST work on the secondary infection related to the myco. Baytril works on the mycoplasma organism itself and breaks it down, making it weaker. Giving Doxycycline concurrently helps any secondary infection.

I would nebulize Amikacin before ever injecting it. I also would NEVER give chloramphenicol to either my rats or my snakes. It's incredibly harmful, not to mention unnecessary. There are many other antibiotics that could be used safely. I doubt any feeder breeder's going to go to a compounding pharmacy and spend $50+ bucks on a tiny bottle of chloramphenicol for their rat.