Antibiotics for Dogs

This page looks at antibiotics for dogs - common types of canine antibiotics and their potential side effects, and the reasons why sometimes antibiotics do not work.

Antibiotics are used to fight bacteria and fungus in the body. This group of medications use a substance produced by one microorganism to fight others. Penicillin is a typical example - growing from a mold and capable of destroying many bacteria.

Antibiotics fall into two categories: bacteriostatic drugs are those that inhibit the growth of bacteria and bactericidal drugs are those that kill bacteria outright.

Bacteria are classified according to their ability to cause disease. Simply put, there are pathogenic (bad) bacteria that are capable of causing infections or illnesses. There are also nonpathogenic (good, "friendly") bacteria that live on or within the host and, under normal conditions, do not cause any health problems to the host. In fact, many such bacteria are beneficial to the host. For example, some bacteria living in the guts of the host actually help with the digestion process, and some bacteria synthesize vitamin K (which is necessary for blood clotting). These "friendly" bacteria are commonly known as "normal flora".

When using antibiotics to treat an illness or infection, however, the growth of both pathogenic and nonpathogenic bacteria are inhibited or both are killed outright. Therefore, if your dog has been given a course of antibiotics, it is advisable to supplement his diet with probiotics, such as Only Natural Pet Probiotic Blend for Dogs, which help replenish the "friendly" bacteria in his body. Start the probiotics on the last antibiotic tablet.

Antibiotics for Dogs - Why Antibiotics Sometimes Don't Work

Antibiotics may not work sometimes, due to a number of reasons:

Insufficient Dosage: Sometimes when the total dose is too low or the antibiotic is not given often enough, the drug may not be effective.
Bacterial Resistance: Bacteria can sometimes fight back, with either natural or acquired resistance. For example, in the case of natural resistance, an antibiotic drug will not work on bacteria that do not have an enzyme targeted by the drug. In the case of acquired resistance, an antibiotic drug that originally was effective against a certain type of bacteria no longer works because that bacteria type has developed resistance to the drug through mutations. This usually happens if the drug is not used correctly, e.g. too low dosage, medication not given for the full course, very long-term use of the drug at a low level, etc.
Route of Administration: If an antibiotic drug is administered using an inappropriate route, it may not work well. For example, some antibiotics for dogs should be given on an empty stomach, while others with a meal. Or, in cases of serious infections, antibiotics may be better given intravenously instead of orally.
Inappropriate Drug Selection: An antibiotic chosen to treat a particular disease or infection has to be effective against the specific type of bacteria causing the problem. Administering the wrong type of antibiotic will not work. One way to ascertain that the drug selection is appropriate is by performing a culture and susceptibility test, which involves culturing a sample of bacteria taken from the dog, then gauging the abilities of different antibiotics to kill the bacteria.

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Antibiotics for Dogs - Danger of Overuse

Overusing of antibiotics may cause bacteria to develop acquired resistance to the drugs, in which case the drugs will no longer be effective against the bacteria.

Antibiotics should therefore be prescribed only when strictly necessary. They should only be used to treat infections and illnesses that have already set in, and should not be given to as preventative medicines, unless it is absolutely necessary to do so. One example is to give antibiotics to a dog who is taking corticosteroids. Because steroids depress the normal immune response which can impair a dog's ability to fight infection, antibiotic drugs are sometimes being used to prevent bacterial infection.

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Possible Allergic Reactions to Antibiotics for Dogs

Antibiotics cause more allergic reactions in dogs than any other group of drugs. Signs of a mild allergic reaction include:

Hives (generally appear within 30 minutes of taking the drug and disappear within 24 hours)
Rashes
Incessantly scratching caused by itchy skin
Watery eyes

A more serious but rare allergic drug reaction is anaphylactic shock, with signs including:

Vomiting and diarrhea
Weakness
Difficulty breathing
Collapse
Sometimes death

Obviously, a dog who has had any type of allergic reaction in a certain antibiotic should not be given that drug again.

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Some Common Antibiotics for Dogs

Antibiotics for Dogs	Type	Uses	Side Effects
Amikacin	bactericidal	against aerobic bacteria, e.g. E. coli, Salmonella	kidney problems, hearing losses
Amoxicillin	bactericidal	broad spectrum use - respiratory, bladder, skin, and soft tissue infections	safe, but should not be used for dogs with penicillin allergies
Cephalexin	bactericidal	respiratory, bladder, skin, middle ear infections	GI upset, rash; should not be used for dogs with cephalosporin and penicillin allergies
Clindamycin	bacteriostatic	skin infections (e.g. deep abscesses), prostatitis	(rare) vomiting, diarrhea
Enrofloxacin	bactericidal	skin, ear, UT, and soft tissue infections	(rare) vomiting, anorexia, seizures
Erythromycin	bacteriostatic	skin and prostate infections	vomiting
Metronidazole	bactericidal, antiprotozoal	gastrointestinal and periodontal infections; antiprotozoal med against Giardia	(prolonged use) neurological, GI, and liver problems
Penicillin	bactericidal	acts against outside infections	vomiting, diarrhea; should not be used for dogs with penicillin allergies
Sulfadimethazine	bactericidal, antiprotozoal	used alone for skin infections; antiprotozoal med against Coccidia; combined with other med to make a bactericidal treatment	(rare) diarrhea; (prolonged use) dry eye; sulfa crystals in urine (can be prevented by lots of water intake)
Tetracyclin	bacteriostatic	used against rickettsia and mycoplasma problems	nausea, vomiting, fever, depression