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Thread: Cat bite, infection showing up after 5 days on Baytril

  1. #1
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    Default Cat bite, infection showing up after 5 days on Baytril

    3 week female. 44 grams. Had two cat punctures on arrival, one in right shoulder and one on right chest.
    Treated with Baytril twice per day for 5 days.
    Both areas showed some redness for a few days, then looked normal.

    On 5th day (while still on Baytril) an inch long red line appeared from the puncture point on right shoulder leading up towards the back. No hair loss.
    It swelled up over about 6 hours, and then discharged a white pus from the puncture wound.
    I drained the pus by pressing from back towards wound, and put betadine cream on the puncture, and administered a 6th day of Baytril.
    Punture dried up. Then about 6 hours later it started swelling again.. and I again (just now) pressed the puss out and used betadine cream.

    The pus from swelling appears to be collecting sub q.

    Flush the wound with a solution? Swap to a different antibiotic?

    I currently have Ciprofloxacin 250mg, Clindamycin 150mg, Metronidazole 250mg, and children's Benadryl.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Cat bite, infection showing up after 5 days on Baytril

    Does not sound like Baytril is working. I would certainly try to drain any pus buildup. Not sure what AB would be best next, my guess would be Clindamycin.
    See my wild squirrel adventures in the thread "Squirtle's yard!":
    https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...quirtle-s-Yard!

    Loving dad to Sir Max, 2017-2018. There is no foot so small that it cannot leave an imprint on this world.

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  3. #3
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    Default Re: Cat bite, infection showing up after 5 days on Baytril

    I was also leaning toward the Clindamycin... as it: 'can treat various types of infections, including skin and vaginal infections.'
    I don't' have a dosing sheet on it.. can someone PM me the dosage per kilogram?

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    Default Re: Cat bite, infection showing up after 5 days on Baytril

    Baytril is not the Ab for abscesses as explained and covered under this forum which also recommends which are and why.
    https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...S-IN-SQUIRRELS
    Step-N-Stone
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    Javarat (08-23-2019)

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    Default Re: Cat bite, infection showing up after 5 days on Baytril

    Quote Originally Posted by Javarat View Post
    I was also leaning toward the Clindamycin... as it: 'can treat various types of infections, including skin and vaginal infections.'
    I don't' have a dosing sheet on it.. can someone PM me the dosage per kilogram?
    can do...
    Step-N-Stone
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    Default Re: Cat bite, infection showing up after 5 days on Baytril

    She passed away very suddenly at 9:05 am.

    I dosed her with the Clindamycin at 2am.
    She ate well at 2am and 6am, hitting 5%. Peed and pooped.

    At 9am I weighed all of the squirrels, she was 47 grams, 3 gram gain in 24 hours, warm and wiggling in my hand. I placed her back in the incubator.
    At 9:15 I reached her in the feeding rotation, and she was not breathing and cold to the touch. She must have passed away as I placed her back inside, with the stimulus pushing her over the edge.

    I double and triple checked all of my dosing numbers.. everything seems correct.
    Also I think an adverse reaction to the drug should have appeared by 6am, with at least a reluctance to eat.

    I was arranging to transport her to Spanky for xrays tomorrow, because she was dragging her back legs.
    Apparently the infection in her shoulder and back legs were symptoms of a lot going on internally.

    My only thought is maybe I should have stacked Clavamox and Clindamycin when I picked her up 6 days ago.
    And carry on for the ones I can still save.

  9. #7
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    Default Re: Cat bite, infection showing up after 5 days on Baytril

    Javarat, I made the same mistake ONE time. I won’t repeat my mistake. We alway think that Baytril/Ciprofloxacin is the go-to antibiotic for cat bites because of Pasteurella that is usual flora in a cats mouth. Pasteurella is very sensitive to many antibiotics including Baytril. The problem is that this is just ONE of the organisms in a cats mouth. I have no doubt that you killed the Pasteurella but what you didn’t kill is the anaerobes and Streptococcus that also reside in cat saliva. This is why we shouldn’t treat head/neck and face wounds on squirrels with Baytril or Ciprofloxacin. It just doesn’t have proper coverage for oral organisms. Of course squirrels don’t carry Pasteurella in their mouth, but they do have Strep and anaerobes. Baytril has no coverage for anaerobes and very poor coverage for Streptococcus.

    A better choice for cat bites is Clavamox. A puncture wound on the chest is always problematic. The incomplete coverage with the Baytril allowed the ‘other’ organism to progress. The close proximity to the chest cavity likely caused the infection to break through into the pleural cavity or cause sepsis. They won’t last long if that happens.

    Javarat, I learned from my mistake. I had a cat caught baby that was clicking. There were no apparent cat bite injuries so I felt safe to just dose with Ciprofloxacin for the clicking. I passed the baby to another rehabber with antibiotics. 3 or 4 days later I received a late night call that a massive abscess under the babies arm had ruptured. That night we switched to Clavamox and thankfully the baby survived but I will NEVER make that mistake again.

    I’m sorry for your loss. It’s so hard to lose them when it seems that the battle is won.

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    Default Re: Cat bite, infection showing up after 5 days on Baytril

    Quote Originally Posted by HRT4SQRLS View Post
    A better choice for cat bites is Clavamox.
    Thank you. I will go with this from now on.
    I admit a guilty relief.. as it looked like she was going to have no or limited back leg function, and I would have to face a decision of whether to euthanize.
    She never cried or complained, and struggled to get around with just the front legs.

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    redwuff (08-23-2019)

  12. #9
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    Default Re: Cat bite, infection showing up after 5 days on Baytril

    I understand. Poor Baby.

  13. #10
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    Default Re: Cat bite, infection showing up after 5 days on Baytril

    We can only try our hardest to help, there are never any guarantees.

    Godspeed little one.
    See my wild squirrel adventures in the thread "Squirtle's yard!":
    https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...quirtle-s-Yard!

    Loving dad to Sir Max, 2017-2018. There is no foot so small that it cannot leave an imprint on this world.

    "Once in a while you get shown the light, In the strangest of places if you look at it right."
    -Grateful Dead

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