Gave 1st Duramycin injection - how often should I give additional dose(s)?

[NDeAngelo8517]

Hi all,

I have a Mille Fleur rooster that has been sick with a respiratory issue and he's gotten much worse to the point that I think I'll lose him soon without antibiotics. I wanted Tylan, but it seems to be out of stock everywhere so I got Durvet Duramycin 72-200 (oxytetracycline). This was my first time ever injecting a chicken, and I'm really hoping that I did it correctly. I'm fairly confident about it, but I'm just a little nervous that I maybe didn't insert the needle quite far enough. The skin had more resistance than I was expecting and I was afraid to go too far. Fingers crossed the medication got to where it needed to go to work.

Anyway, my main question is about dosing frequency. I've read three different things about dosing frequency. Just once, twice three days apart, and once a day for 3-5 days. Which one is actually correct? I gave him .3 ml tonight. I know antibiotics should not be stopped early because of the risk of the bacteria forming a resistance and coming back stronger or in another form, but I can't seem to find a clear-cut answer on how frequently and how many doses he should get. Is there a risk of over medicating him with antibiotics if I gave him a dose every day for 4 days? Is it less risky to give him more or less doses?

If it matters for dosing, he is in extremely rough shape right now and if I didn't do something more than I've been trying, I think I'd lose him in the next few days. At this point, I'm not just treating some sneezing - he won't eat/drink on his own as of the past few days and we've been hand feeding/watering him, giving him vitamins, electrolytes, and VetRX. He spends the entire day crouched, super puffed up, and breathing very heavily. At the state he's in now, is it better to give him daily doses or should I be concerned about overdosing him?

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. I am a little more familiar with LA 200 (oxytetracycline dosage. Personally, I would give any oxytetracycline orally, instead of by injecting it. If it were me, I would give a bantam 0.25 ml daily for 5-7 days. If he starts to look better at several days in, stop it in 2 days.

 

[NDeAngelo8517]

Thank you so much for your reply. I originally went to Tractor Supply for LA 200, but then saw the Duramycin next to it (for less $), and after comparing the two side by side, I couldn’t see any difference. I asked a worker and they said it was the same medicine, just name-brand versus “generic” basically.

Why would you give the medicine orally instead of injecting? Is the absorption the same? I remember reading somewhere that it was not as easily absorbed orally and a higher dose should be given, but I couldn’t find how much more, if any.

Since I injected the first dose, can I still give the rest of the doses orally?

 

[Eggcessive]

Yes you can give it orally after first injecting it. Injectable oxy is a cattle medicine, and those can cause muscle damage when injected in chickens—and it is supposed to be injected into the breast muscle. For that reason, oxy and tylan and others are probably better given orally. This is just my personal opinion and I am not a vet.

 

[NDeAngelo8517]

Thank you for the info!