From:
Bruce Williams, DVM
Date: 2001-07-29 23:45:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Helicobacter treatment
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "Danee DeVore" <daneedv@a...> wrote:
My understanding, so far, is that either treatment
> is correct, and that there are just some pros and cons to each
one.
> I am curious to hear other opinions, for future reference.
While both treatments can be successful, not all are viable for every
ferret.
The amoxi-biaxin-carafate protocols are my personal favorite, because
they generally are better tolerated, and have to be given for a
shorter time. The downside is that biaxin is relatively expensive.
Successful treatment with amoxi-biaxin can be accomplished in as
little as two weeks, while the amoxi-flagyl-Pepto regimen (the most
common used is humans) takes 6-8 weeks.
Flagyl and Pepto are not well-tolerated by ferrets - in fact the act
of administering these medications over time may worsen or even
result in the development of additional ulcers from the stress of
administration.
I am not familiar with teh "blood thinning" effects of Pepto in
ferrets. Pepto does have a potential antibiotic effect (the bismuth
may have some effects on Helicobacter), so it has been used in
treating Helicobacter for many years.
In the final analysis, both can be successful. However giving bitter
medications to ferrets for a longer period of time is simply not in
my opinion a logical way to treat a serious disease.
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM