Dosage Question

[Pastor Dave]

I was told by another breeder and rabbit judge acquaintance of mine to treat a doe of mine with 1cc of penicillin for 10lbs, every other day for 10 days subcutaneous. The problem is the penicillin I bought at TSC says on it to use 2cc for 150lbs. I do not know what I should have purchased to allow for a smaller animal, and I can't reach him at the moment. I could use some in this. Thanks for any help.

 

[animalmom]

The penicillin I keep on hand for all my animals says it is for IM use only and the dosage is 1ml per 100 lbs. Having said that keep in mind the bottle can say a lot of things that may or may not apply to your circumstance. My bottle gives 300,000 units/ml at 1ml per 100lbs.

The last time i needed to give penicillin to a rabbit he needed .8ml IM so I just bought the bottle from the vet and dosed him per the vet's instructions.

Unless you have heard back from your rabbit person, I'd go with the 1ml sub q with the penicillin you have on hand. Something is better than nothing. My understanding is IM gets the drug into the body sooner than sub q, but if your advisor has had good results with sub q then go with his knowledge. Sub q is easier to give than IM, in my opinion especially on a rabbit (and me).

Good luck with your doe, and please let us know how things are going.

 

[Pastor Dave]

The doe still looks healthy(aside from the iinfection) and acts normal. Her appetite is good too. I had to foster her kits to another doe that is taking care of them. The treatments have started and she doesn't flinch or make any sound or reactions to the needle sticks.