When antibiotics for dogs?

When Your Pet Needs Antibiotics

Antibiotics are the most frequently prescribed medications for pets. They are also the most frequently misused drugs. Most dogs and cats will need them for an infection somewhere, sooner or later in their life. This article should help you to better understand their proper use, for better and safer health care for your pet.

Principles of antibiotic usage:

1) Most antibiotics only affect bacteria. They have no effect against diseases caused by viruses, parasites or metabolic problems.

2) There are about a dozen different classes or groups of antibiotics. For instance the penicillin group includes penicillin and amoxicillin. Each class works against bacteria in a different way. Related drugs in the same class are similar but vary in the way in which they are administered, e.g. tablet versus injection. They also vary in how effective they are against particular bacteria. Not all antibiotics work by killing the bacteria. Some, such as the sulfa antibiotics (Albon, Primor, Tribrissen, SMZ-TMP), only suppress the bacteria, allowing the body's own disease fighting mechanisms to do the rest.

3) Not all bacteria are sensitive to the same antibiotics. Different infections will be affected by different antibiotics. For instance, penicillin works by destroying the bacteria's ability to make a cell wall. Hence penicillin works only on those bacteria that have a cell wall. We must choose an appropriate antibiotic for the disease problem your pet has. Bacterial cultures and other laboratory tests allow us to determine the type of bacteria involved in a particular infection, and also the most effective remedies.

4) You must give the antibiotic in the proper amount. The goal with most medications is to keep a fairly constant level of the drug in the body at all times. This level must be high enough to ensure that the drug is effective, but not so high as to cause toxicity. Label directions should always be followed. Bacteria that are exposed to a level of antibiotic that is not high enough to kill them can develop mechanisms to resist the antibiotic, so that it is no longer effective, even at a higher dosage. This antibiotic resistance is the primary reason for the ongoing need to produce newer, stronger (and usually more expensive) antibiotics. It is also the reason that an amount of penicillin that was effective 40 years ago would not be enough today. On the other hand, if too much medication is given, the excess will be wasted, and is potentially harmful. For instance, overdosing gentamicin can cause kidney failure.

5) It is also important to give the antibiotic at the proper interval. All medications are metabolized (broken down) by the body and excreted. The rate at which this occurs varies from drug to drug and animal to animal. Again, the goal is to keep a constant amount of the antibiotic in the body. If the medication is given too frequently, toxic levels may build up, since the animal cannot get rid of the drug as fast as it is beingadministered. If the medication is not given often enough, the amount of drug in the body will drop below the effective level. This again leads to the development of resistant bacteria.

6) You must use antibiotics for a sufficient length of time. Resistance can occur when an antibiotic is stopped too soon. Relapses may also result. If the animal is running a fever, the rule of thumb is to treat for 3 full days after the temperature returns to normal. It is usually necessary to use antibiotics for a longer time if there has been damage to the body's disease fighting systems. For instance, with diarrhea the lining of the intestine is often badly eroded. The animal must remain on antibiotics until the intestinal lining has healed enough to defend itself from further infection. Never use systemic antibiotics for fewer than 3 days in a row. Systemic antibiotics are all those given orally or by injection. (Topicals, such as ointments and powders, are not always used according to this rule.) Conversely, using antibiotics for prolonged periods of time, even at the proper dosage, can cause problems such as fungal infection or toxicity. Always follow the label or a veterinarian's instructions as to length of treatment.

• Hide the pill in a piece of food.
• Sprinkle the powder over your dog's food or into a liquid.
• Get some pill-pocket treats and make it a fun game.
• Sneak it into a toy.
• Ask for a flavored option.

When your furry friends are unwell, helping them feel better as quickly and painlessly as possible is every pet owner’s goal. Sometimes, that might mean giving them pet antibiotics. But how do pet antibiotics work and what do you need to look out for? Read on.

Pet antibiotics are medications that may be prescribed by a veterinarian when your dog or cat has a bacterial infection—like an ear infection, urinary tract infection, or skin infection. They can also be used to prevent infections from setting in during a high-risk situation, like after a large wound or during abdominal surgery. But don’t run to the medicine cabinet just yet. Like with humans, using an antibiotic on a virus is ineffective.

“Before you can decide if antibiotics are necessary, it’s important to understand whether there’s a bacterial component to the infection at all,” says Georgina Ushi Phillips, DVM, a veterinarian based in West Chapel, Florida.

“While that can sound obvious, conditions like upper respiratory infections may have bacterial or viral components—and, in many cases, a combination of both,” Dr. Phillips explains. “If the infection is only viral, not only are antibiotics not warranted, but they can actually contribute to antibiotic resistance among certain types of bacteria.”

If your veterinarian determines that an antibiotic would be effective, the next step is to determine what pet antibiotic is most effective, since most antibiotics don’t treat specific conditions, but rather types of bacteria.

“To ensure veterinarians are good stewards of antibiotics and prevent resistance, I recommend either culturing or using appropriate first-line medication,” says Michelle Burch, DVM, a veterinarian based in Decatur, Alabama.

“Culturing an area of infection will determine the exact species of bacteria then determine the appropriate antibiotic to eliminate the infection,” Dr. Burch says. “Culturing helps to determine if the bacteria is resistant to certain medications or has a low sensitivity, which can increase the risk of resistance.”

Although antibiotics will work to fight bacteria, whether it’s used on a human or animal, it’s important to not give antibiotics prescribed to people, says Dr. Phillips. Some antibiotics work better in some species over others and dosages may be different. Side effects can also vary greatly between species.

Even in classes of medicine that are prescribed to both humans and animals, certain medicines may be toxic for pets due to differences in metabolism between people and dogs or cats. Veterinarian oversight is critical to making sure the right antibiotics are used on pets.

For example, Dr. Phillips said, “Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid is a commonly used antibiotic in both pets and people under several brand names. But the ratio of amoxicillin to clavulanic acid varies significantly between products that are intended for humans and those that are intended for pets. These kinds of differences can make a big impact on the effectiveness of the antibiotic.”

Bottom line: if you think your dog or cat may need pet antibiotics, it’s best to see a vet and get a prescription to keep your pet safe and get them healthy once again. In some cases, your vet may send you to a human pharmacy to pick up the medication. In others, your pet will need a specially formulated Rx.

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If your dog needs an antibiotic, it’s likely to be one of the pet antibiotics below, said Dr. Phillips.

If your cat needs an antibiotic, there are some of the most commonly prescribed.

Before giving antibiotics to your pet, it’s best to first consult with a vet who understands your pet’s medical history to ensure there are minimal side effects and no interactions with any other medications.

Once you have a prescription, you can usually pick it up at a pet store or your local pharmacy—be sure they don’t stray from the original prescription in any way unless they’ve consulted with the vet. (And, yes, if you pick up from a human pharmacy, you can use a SingleCare coupon to save!) Some medications may have side effects like low appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea. If your dog or cat exhibits any of these symptoms, it’s a good idea to contact your vet.

Most importantly, it’s critical that you administer the entire course of antibiotics, even if your pet improves and the infection looks like it’s resolved. Because animals usually aren’t eager to take medication and it can be tough on their owners, people sometimes stop pet antibiotics early, leaving your pet at risk for becoming unwell again. Stay the course and your pet’s health will thank you.