Post by Die Fledermaus on Dec 13, 2007 22:37:47 GMT -4
I hate using a syringe to administer medications: either I can't get it in or I fear getting too much in and drowning the critter.
A nebulizer is another option. I had never heard of it before.
This is from the AGS board:
>> Here is a short clip of the 3 week old pups under the nebulizer.
youtube.com/watch?v=Rmkqtxs1ZZE
It is very loud, though the beep in the background is my smoke detector reminding me to change the battery. You can tell the Burm pup with the raggedy coat and swollen belly is still feeling sickly, as his sibs are all frisky. The older ones are the mom and an eight week old sister.
The nebulizer is similar to a air pump for an aquarium, just louder
and more expensive. It has a cup for the liquid medication, Amakacin in this case, and a tube that connects to the cup by a T shaped device that you then attach a mouthpiece to and hook it to the cage.
I used a Critter Keeper plastic cage as a treatment cage at first,
but I think it freaks them out to be moved into it, so I just put the
tube into the tank with a towel over the lid to keep the mist from
escaping. You can hold the gerb in front of the tube and let them
breathe the mist, too. It runs about 15 minutes on 3cc of fluid and
doesn't seem to make a difference in the humidity level of the tank.
The mist is very very light and you can't tell you're breathing it.
My vet said that he attended a recent symposium on rodent antibiotic treatment and that the nebulizer is the preferred method. The cost of the nebulizer is a bit prohibitive for most pet owners, as I bought mine new at the medical supply store for $85, but with my 50+ gerbs, I should get good use out of it. I've had a few "mystery illnesses" happen recently with two recovering and one loss and the nebulizer could prove useful for those. You can also use it on people and apparently there are many natural remedies that call for one. Mine is VERY noisy so I try to keep the unit as far as possible from the tank.
There are many less expensive ones online if you google. I'd
buy one now if you can afford it just so you have it when needed.
Also, I bought an Ionic Pro air purifier (like the Ionic Breeze) and
it's really helping keep the dust down, which my vet says causes most respiratory infections in rodents. The dust is just from cardboard chewing at this point. <<
A nebulizer is another option. I had never heard of it before.
This is from the AGS board:
>> Here is a short clip of the 3 week old pups under the nebulizer.
youtube.com/watch?v=Rmkqtxs1ZZE
It is very loud, though the beep in the background is my smoke detector reminding me to change the battery. You can tell the Burm pup with the raggedy coat and swollen belly is still feeling sickly, as his sibs are all frisky. The older ones are the mom and an eight week old sister.
The nebulizer is similar to a air pump for an aquarium, just louder
and more expensive. It has a cup for the liquid medication, Amakacin in this case, and a tube that connects to the cup by a T shaped device that you then attach a mouthpiece to and hook it to the cage.
I used a Critter Keeper plastic cage as a treatment cage at first,
but I think it freaks them out to be moved into it, so I just put the
tube into the tank with a towel over the lid to keep the mist from
escaping. You can hold the gerb in front of the tube and let them
breathe the mist, too. It runs about 15 minutes on 3cc of fluid and
doesn't seem to make a difference in the humidity level of the tank.
The mist is very very light and you can't tell you're breathing it.
My vet said that he attended a recent symposium on rodent antibiotic treatment and that the nebulizer is the preferred method. The cost of the nebulizer is a bit prohibitive for most pet owners, as I bought mine new at the medical supply store for $85, but with my 50+ gerbs, I should get good use out of it. I've had a few "mystery illnesses" happen recently with two recovering and one loss and the nebulizer could prove useful for those. You can also use it on people and apparently there are many natural remedies that call for one. Mine is VERY noisy so I try to keep the unit as far as possible from the tank.
There are many less expensive ones online if you google. I'd
buy one now if you can afford it just so you have it when needed.
Also, I bought an Ionic Pro air purifier (like the Ionic Breeze) and
it's really helping keep the dust down, which my vet says causes most respiratory infections in rodents. The dust is just from cardboard chewing at this point. <<