FINCHforum

My elderly zebra has an eye infection. I'm treating it this time per ladygoldianfinch with Doxycycline 20%. The site says to prepare it in single doses. The bottle says mix rate is 1/4 tsp. per quart of water. Is it true it must be mixed in single doses? It's hard to make such a small batch...breaking down 1/4 tsp. to a lesser amount. Just wondering. Also...any cautions besides preparing in glass container? She responds well to each treatment (gets this infection every fall, but has it back again since Fall when she was treated and responded to Amoxitex) Not respiratory...only one eye...the same eye always. Treated with colloidal silver one year, with a prescription via the vet of Gentamycin sulfate ophthalmic drops, then Amoxitex were all the things she's been treated with. She will be 10 in February. She is otherwise doing very well, just slower moving. Oh...she had a younger female in with her who started to attack her. They always did very well together. Mom and foster daughter....now separated. Not sure if she pecked her eye starting it again...and wondering why she might be suddenly attacking? Thanks for any help!

I think u just have to maintain the mixing ratio and then u can make as much as you need. But you have to keep in mind the time for which the medicine is effective in water. So making a big amount is not always useful.

The ration would be about 1/16 of a teaspoon for her bowl if I mix it one batch per day. Seemed almost like no meds to me. She's doing better so I guess that ration is working. It sure isn't easy to "halve" 1/4 tsp...and halve it again. Thanks!

If you can get a child's medicine syringe, they are made for much smaller doses. Or ask your local pharmacist what he has. One teaspoon is 5 mL. So a quarter teaspoon is 1.25 mL, an eighth is 0.63 mL, (really 0.625) and a sixteenth is 0.31 mL (really .3125, but not gonna get that accurate). A syringe is much easier to measure out very small amounts with, especially if you get a very small one.