Ampicillin Dosage Question

[Red Horse]

So antibiotics aren't available without a prescription in my state, and without a poultry vet nearby I'm kind of up the proverbial creek. My equine vet has some ampicillin sodium, and they gave me some dosage instructions but since they have done exclusively horses for the last like 50 years, I thought I would double check with you wonderful folks before I dose her.
Poultry DVM says I can administer 200mg ampicillin sodium orally every 12 hours.
The stuff I'm picking up from my vet is the powder, and they instructed me to reconstitute each 1g vial with 5mL water (and store it in the fridge afterwards). The hen will receive 1mL of the liquid every 12 hours. Is that right? Shouldn't it be 2mL? But then when I look at my syringe, 2mL seems like a lot of liquid to squirt into a chickens mouth.
For background, she was egg bound and lethargic yesterday after just starting laying a couple days ago, and pooped some blood. I have only seen the tiniest thread of blood today at one point, but she is still feeling very poorly and has not laid today. @azygous has been helping me with other treatments for her too to make sure all possibilities are covered.

 

[azygous]

Let's get our expert med dosage person over here to advise. @casportpony can you please advise?

 

[casportpony]

So if you add 5ml of water to it that makes it 200 mg per ml? And how much does your bird weigh?

 

[Red Horse]

So if you add 5ml of water to it that makes it 200 mg per ml? And how much does your bird weigh?

No idea! We are going to have to see if the neighbors have a bathroom scale we can use.

 

[Red Horse]

So if you add 5ml of water to it that makes it 200 mg per ml? And how much does your bird weigh?

She is a golden comet at 18 weeks old, probably around 6lb but we will find out for sure.

 

[casportpony]

When my vet prescribed it for one of mine she said to give 150 mg/kg.

Math for six pounds and your vile:
6 pounds / 2.2 x 150 / 200 = 2 ml twice a day.

Can you get more from your horse vet? Tell them the poultry dose is no less than 150 mg/kg twice a day.

 

[Red Horse]

If they don't have more immediately on hand I will ask them if they could write me a script for Valley vet or chewy or something, I'm sure they would. They told me to give 1mL per day and that there were 8 days worth and I was like hmmm... but I was just grateful to get it, I've been trying to get a hold of something for her all day while I was supposed to be working!

 

[casportpony]

I don't know what to say then.

 

[Red Horse]

I don't know what to say then.

I think that your math is the correct math and that the vet needs to go to chicken school! Does anybody have the picture circulating of where to squirt liquid into the chicken's mouth? Is it off to one side? I bookmarked it a long time ago but can't find it, it's my first time having to do this and I'm afraid of causing her to aspirate.

 

[casportpony]

I think that your math is the correct math and that the vet needs to go to chicken school! Does anybody have the picture circulating of where to squirt liquid into the chicken's mouth? Is it off to one side? I bookmarked it a long time ago but can't find it, it's my first time having to do this and I'm afraid of causing her to aspirate.

Safely Administering Oral Medications to All Poultry and Waterfowl

How to Safely Administer Oral Medications to Poultry and Waterfowl Many medications are more effective when given orally instead of in the water, especially when a bird is ill because an ill bird is unlikely to drink enough medicated water. The oral administration of liquid medications in...

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