Please note that Prescription Only Medicines (POM) and Prescription Only Medicine – Veterinarian (POM-V) for animals can only be prescribed by veterinarians for animals in their care.
Anaesthesia
- General anaesthesia can be undertaken using the volatile agents halothane or isoflurane for both induction and maintenance. These are delivered through oxygen and nitrous oxide/oxygen mixtures.
- Neither local anaesthetic agents nor injectable general anaesthetic agents can be advocated.
Analgesia
- Meloxicam (e.g. Metacam Oral suspension).
- Contraindicated in dehydrated, pregnant or lactating individuals.
Antibiotics
- There are no antibiotics specifically licensed for use in bats; however they have been used to good effect. The use of antibiotics should be very carefully considered and only used according to need.
- All antibiotics should be given orally.
- The small size of the bat and the potential for the bat to go into torpor should be taken into account.
- Doses should be calculated for body mass and should be given to bats while warm and active. These products could be toxic to bats in torpor because of their changed metabolism; therefore bats should be kept warm during and after treatment until all of the drug has been excreted.
The table below provides information on antibiotics that have been used in UK bats:
Amoxicillin/Clavulanic Acid
- Known as Clavamox or Synulox
- No Contraindications listed
Enrofloxacin
- Known as Baytril
- Not for pregnant, lactating or growing bats
Ectoparasiticides
- Small numbers of ectoparasites can be removed with a fine damp paintbrush.
- Heavy loads of ticks (Argas vespertilionis) can be treated with POM-V Frontline spray. Do not spray directly onto the bat, spray into a dish and use a fine paintbrush to apply to the nape of the neck or directly on to the ticks. This is available through vets.
For further information; Bexton & Cooper (2010) and BSAVA Manual of Wildlife Casualties (2016) (see Further information, support and references).