Baytril Questions

Hi! So, my bearded dragon Kyle is being treated for what the vet (first time I've used this vet) thinks might be a respiratory infection right now.
We're on day 2 of Baytril and I've read a lot of the side effects include lethargy and lack of appetite.
The problem is, he isn't showing any of those symptoms. He's more active than usual, and while he won't touch his greens right now, he'll gobble up his roaches like nobody's business.
He's also got stress stripes and a black beard a lot of the time, which is also concerning me?
I've also read somewhere else that using calcium and vitamin supplements after orally injecting him might also stop the baytril from being taken into his system, and was wondering if that could be a cause?
I'm just worried about whether or not the medication is working.
He's about 7 years old and 454 grams.
His basking temps usually hover anywhere from 95-103 degrees (depending on the time of day and the weather), his ambient temperature is about 86 on the warm side and 73-75 on the cool side, again, depending on time of day.
He's got a reptisun 10.0 UVB and he can usually get within 6 inches of it.
He eats every day, with a gap on Saturdays.
I'm very concerned, he's like a child to me.

It's possible it isn't bothering him. Sometimes the antibiotics can wipe out their gut flora and make them feel a bit upset for a while which is why some people offer probiotics along with the antibiotic treatment. If he's still active and eating that's a good sign. The black beard tells me something is bugging him though so if he does have a respiratory infection that may be bugging him. Did the vet take a sample of mucous from his mouth to grow a culture and see which bacteria strain might be the culprit? What is the dosage of Baytril he is on?

I'd keep up with the dosage as advised by your vet and keep his nighttime temps a bit warmer than usual. Maybe high 70s up to around 80 or so to help reduce stress on his immune system. If you keep him warm and well hydrated (gutloaded bugs will help with this as well as drops of water on his nose that he can lick up if he wants extra) he may be able to fight it off quickly if it's not too severe.

Thanks for responding!
The vet didn't, mostly because in the area I'm in a culture would be very very expensive. She did say it didn't seem too severe as his breathing was only slightly raspy and he hasn't really exhibited other signs.
He's taking .2ml daily for seven days, but I'm not sure of the concentration.
Would putting a towel over the screen top help hold in the heat more to raise the temperature?

OK, that sounds about right with a 20g/ml suspension. It's a broad spectrum antibiotic and commonly used in many situations. Hopefully it will do the trick soon. If not, you could discuss a nebulizer version of treatment with your vet. Sometimes that is effective with respiratory infections in severe cases.

As far as heat goes, putting a towel over the top may help trap some heat but just be careful around lighting not to make a fire hazard. Using a low wattage ceramic heat emitter is a good option if you have one available. If your house doesn't get too cold overnight it probably won't take much. Just a few extra degrees may be helpful.

Would placing a towel over the screen increase humidity?it's already on the high side and I don't want to risk raising it further.

Maybe. Unless the tank or your house is unusually humid I doubt it would cause a problem. As long as it stays (generally) below about 60% it should be OK.

Hello,

How is your dragon doing today?
You can always put a towel over one end to try & increase temperatures some. What does your humidity run in the tank, do you know?
Since he is having trouble with a respiratory issue, you could try using a dehumidifier to bring it down for now. Or a ceramic heat emitter would work also, so you wouldn't need to place a towel over one end.
Is he eating very well right now?
Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie