Baytril is the brand name of enrofloxacin, an antibiotic composed of nalidixic acid, a modern quinolone. Baytril can be prescribed for a variety of bacterial infections. For a cat, owners typically will be prescribed 22.7 milligram (mg) tablets.
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Proper Dosage
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The recommended dosage for Baytril for cats is 5mg per kilogram of body weight per day. Converting from standard to metric is important to dose a cat properly if the weight is known in pounds (lbs.). Each kilogram (kg) equals 2.2 lbs. To calculate your cat's weight in kilograms, divide her weight in pounds by 2.2. For example, a 7 lb. cat weighs 3.18 kg. Multiply the weight in kilograms by 5 to see how many milligrams per day to give the cat. Example: 7 lbs. / 2.2 = 3.18 kg.; 3.18 kg x 5 mg = 15.90 mg to be given per day
With tablets of 22.7 mg, that equals 7/10 of a tablet. One whole tablet would be too much, half a tablet too little; ¾ tablet is closest. For a cat that weighs 5 lbs, the math works out to 11.36 mg, exactly half a tablet per day. Dosage directions on the package indicate 2.27 mg per pound per day, and each 22.7 mg tablet is scored for splitting in fourths.
Proper dose can be given once per day or divided into two doses given 12 hours apart. Give Baytril on an empty stomach, an hour before or two hours after the cat eats.
Overdose
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Bayer Corporation, makers of Baytril, explains the unwanted effects of nalidixic acid are reduced by using synthetic 6-fluoroquinolone. Overdose of Baytril in cats (20 mg/kg body weight or greater per day) may result in blindness, as quinolones target tissues in the eye in high-enough concentrations. Cat owners must dose exactly as per directions. Verterinarian Dr. Christopher A. Lee, DVM, writes for pets.ca that 5mg/kg/day is difficult to dose exactly without going over or under, citing the inexact splitting of pills necessary.
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