Albon Questions

[dirgedoll]

I started a thread in another section, but thought it would fit here better.

My female flyer has developed some respiratory symptoms. I took her to the vet, he prescribed Albon in a low dose.

I want to be sure that this is safe for flyers, and the repercussions wouldn't be too severe for her to take it.

I don;t want her to get any worse, and I want to do the right thing.

I have spent a lot in the last few hours trying to find a site that would give me some insight, but have come up empty handed.

I wouldn't want to give her something that would damage her liver, or do any thing that would make her worse.

The vet did say if she developed diarrhea to stop the medication immediately.

I want to do the right thing, in a timely manner so she doesn't get any sicker.

Thank you for your time.
Jupiter

[IrishHarps]

Hi Jupiter!

I don't know about that particular AB, or giving it to flyers, but in general...

-Very low doses are a good thing - it only takes a little bit for a flyer to have an effect. They are very tiny. So, good thinking on your vet's part there.

-In general when dosing humans, I don't think that ABs affect the liver much. It is more of a gastrointestinal thing.

-The reason he/she is telling you to watch out for diarrhea is that an AB can mercilessly kill off all the bacteria in the gut, good and bad, which is like throwing out the proverbial baby with the bathwater. The gut needs 'good' bacteria in order to survive. A good idea is to feed her as much yogurt as possible while she is on the meds, as this will help to replace the good bacteria. Diarrhea is the symptom that will basically tell you if the AB has gone too far with killing of bacteria in the system.


I am not a doctor or vet, but I am a person who is susceptible to infections, and also allergic to a lot of ABs, so I have had a great deal of experience with them, and this is just speaking from my experience.

[dirgedoll]

Thank you so much for your input. I feel a little more at ease.
I just got her some yogurt at the store so yay!

[CritterMom]

One of the "problems" with Albon is that it is kind of an old drug, and more people are seeing resistance issues with it. If you don't see marked improvement in a couple days, call your vet and get hin to prescribe something else like Baytril.

If your little one doesn't like yogurt - some do and some don't - all of the chain pet stores sell Benebac or other brands of probiotics for small animals - look in the pocket pet section. I prefer the powder - it has no flavor so you can hide it in anything.

Don't give the probiotics at the same time as the meds. If you are giving the meds morning and night, give the probiotics mid-day.

[dirgedoll]

Thanks I will definitely keep an eye on her.

[Anne]

I prefer SMZ-TMP to Albon. Pleasant tasting and a bit easier on the GI tract. Both are sulfa drugs. Make sure your flyer gets a lot of water and a keep an eye out for any tummy upset.

[dirgedoll]

Thanks Anne.