Enrobactin with pineapple juice

[F&G]

Hi,
My guinea pig was prescribed enrobactin. He said that I should dilute it with pineapple or watermelon juice as it tastes awful.

What do you think? Would it be okay or should I just dilute it with water following the manufacturer instruction?

Thanks

 

[Wiebke]

Hi,
My guinea pig was prescribed enrobactin. He said that I should dilute it with pineapple or watermelon juice as it tastes awful.

What do you think? Would it be okay or should I just dilute it with water following the manufacturer instruction?

Thanks

Hi

Personally I find it best to not dilute and just give in one fell swoop, followed by the same amount of water or something stronger tasting like UK ribena to wash the taste away that is easier than trying to get a larger volume of still pretty foul tasting mix into an uncooperative piggy.
Baytril (under which name your antibiotic is better known; enrobactin is the new brand name for the licensed rodent/small animal version) is one of the worst tasting things but as it is harmful to humans even in small quantities, please never attempt to taste it yourself!

Please never give pineapple to guinea pigs. Water melon is not strong enough in taste.

If you have got a companion, you can support the gut microbiome (which can also be affected by baytril) with 'poo soup' (i.e. transfer of live healthy microbiome when made properly). otherwise I would recommend probiotics.
You can find the necessary product information and poo soup recipe in this link here: Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links

Could you please tell us what your guinea pig is being treated for?

 

[KathT]

One of mine had that a few weeks ago and she took it neat without any problems.

 

[F&G]

Thank you so much Wiebke.

She used to get baytril without diluting 2 years ago as I was never told to do it and she was fine with it. So maybe as you said I give her the medicine without diluting and then give her some homemade freshly squeezed carrot juice or something like that.

2 years ago she had impacted and infected grease gland that needed to be surgically cleaned. Unfortunately, even though I was trying to keep it as clean as possible, the gland is once again infected (not as bad as the previous time though). She was prescribed an antibiotic to fight the infection, so then they can carry out a small surgery to remove the gland completely as it causes lots of problems.

 

[Elliegirl]

Wiebke can I ask why you should avoid pineapple juice, mine have had it before.
I understand that the dilution is because the liquid is hugely alkaline and dilution stops it's caustic effects, nothing to do with taste etc.

 

[Free Ranger]

Do the instructions say to dilute enrobactin then? Is it a powder or a liquid?

I've had Baytril before which is a liquid - the 0.2 - 0.4ml I gave wasn't diluted. Nobody liked it but it was such a small amount that they couldn't spit it out or even let it dribble out the side! If we've also had painkiller (metacam or loxicom) I've given that straight after to take the taste away because it's sweet. Or a sprig of parsley which has a strong taste. But not a lot of parsley as it's one of those 'limit it' things.

@Elliegirl I think I know this one. Pineapple juice is quite a strong acid (like citrus) with a low pH which can make the soft tissues sore and soften the tooth enamel in people, but it also has an enzyme in which can actually be used as a meat tenderiser because it dissolves proteins in the tissue. Some people can't eat it because their mouths start to bleed and ulcerate. I'm guessing pigs are like people and some don't have much trouble with it but some can get very sore mouths and sensitive gums - whether that develops into something worse I don't know though.