Treating Respiratory Infections in Animals

[Henlus]

Respiratory diseases are bad for animals. If they can't breath well they may die or loose weight. I once had a bad experience with layers. One night, I noticed that many birds find it very very difficult to breath. You could hear sounds as they struggle to breath. From time to time, they will violently shake their heads as if to cough out phlem. After a course of antibiotics, they recovered but some died. Weeks later, I found out about bromhexine, a drug that can greatly improve efficiency of antibiotics used for respiratory diseases. I soon found a drug from Animal Care Nigeria that contains bromhexine. It is Conflox, containing Enrofloxacin, an antibiotic, and bromhexine hydrochloride. Below are some important facts about bromhexine.

1. Bromehexane breaks down mucus blocking the respiratory tract and this helps the animal to breath better. It also help in healing the inflammation in the oesopgagus.

2. Bromhexine alters the ability of bacteria (P. aeruginosa , E.coli , S. aureus) to adhere to the upper respiratory tract. This way, they will be flushed out.

3. Bromhexine modifies the distribution of antibiotics in the organism and increases their concentration in the respiratory system, thus making them more effective. It may be used in conjunction with antibiotics and/or sulphonamides, bronchodilators . The concomitant administration of bromhexine with antibiotics has enabled a 41% increase in spiramycin concentration in nasal secretions of heifers after two days of treatment. A 25-35% increase of tylosine or erythromycin concentrations in the serum of cows after a single administration was noted. Bromhexine also significantly increased concentrations of tylosin in serum and in nasal secretions of pigs after a single administration. Maximum concentration (Cmax) was 50-70% higher that the Cmax of oxytetracycline administered alone in cows, the absorption half-life was significantly shorter and the elimination half-life was unchanged.

4. In humans, bromhexine is used to relief painful sore throat. Relief is quick and can last up to 3 hours. Caution should be taken by patients with gastric ulceration, and usage during the first trimester of pregnancy is not recommended. Don't depend on this advice, consult a doctor if you have sore throat.

Recommended Link: https://www.ceva.co.uk/Poultry/Water-Solutions/ExFlow

[FarmKing]

Thanks for sharing.

[Manihot]

Thanks for sharing. I never knew bromhexine can boost the effect of antibiotics in birds. Will definitely try Conflox.

[FarmLady]

I’ve used bromhexine syrup for my own cough before. Works very fast. Didn’t know animals can also benefit.

[Farmqueen]

Thanks. I think ventilation is also key. Even with drugs, if the poultry house is poorly ventilated, birds will still struggle.

[EcoFarm]

Good info. Farmers need to stop self-prescribing anyhow though. A vet should be consulted before combining drugs.

[YoungAgropreneur]

I used bromhexine with oxytetracycline once, and I noticed faster recovery in my broilers. So your writeup is correct.

[GreenVet]

My experience is that if you catch the disease early, treatment will be more effective. Delay is dangerous.

[Hilux]

I think many farmers ignore stress factors. Overstocking and heat stress make respiratory diseases worse.

[Henlus]

Good info. Farmers need to stop self-prescribing anyhow though. A vet should be consulted before combining drugs.

True. But not for small farmers bc of cost

Thanks everyone