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Doxycycline
5
5
Doxycycline
DOXYCYCLINE PRODUCT REVIEW: If there is one antibiotic that is indispensable in small animal conventional veterinary medical practice, it is doxycycline. With the increasing number and prevalence of various tick born diseases in dogs across many areas of the country , and the uncovering of more infectious diseases in cats that are potentially transferred to humans via bite or cat scratch such as bartonella , this is one antibiotic that I often reach for in veterinary practice. Unfortunately, testing for many of these diseases is not only controversial in terms of accuracy of interpretation of lab tests for these various conditions admittedly by even the greatest minds in veterinary medicine, but also highly expensive for clients as well. In these tough economic times this can indeed be a problem for both clients and veterinarians trying to practice evidence based medicine and in making an accurate diagnosis in daily veterinary practice. . When I suspect these diseases as possibilities in my canine or feline patients, especially if there is a history of fleas, ticks or bite wounds, I always offer the testing, however this is not always possible due to the increased cost of running these tests that are so hard to interpret. I therefore dont see a problem if symptoms of lethargy, fever, lameness/swollen joints, blood disorders like anemia or low platelet counts are present in our pets to simply prescribe a 3-4 week course of this broad acting antibiotic. That is the typical course of treatment anyway for all of these conditions, and in fact there is no current hard universally accepted evidence that longer courses of this antibiotic are needed or more effective. . For example, a diagnosis of lyme disease is impossible to make from a positive blood test alone, which only measures exposure at one point in a pet's life, and not necessarily current/active infection. In fact, most dogs who are exposed to lyme disease and "test" positive, get over the disease on their own, or never show any symptoms!!!!. It is actual the clinical symptoms present, and response to treatment with an appropriate antibiotic like doxycycline that is equally if not more important than expensive diagnostic testing. I therefore dont have a problem prescribing this drug in those situations where clients cant afford expensive testing, and I suspect one of these diseases based on the clinical symptoms of the patient. While we always try and give a client a definitive diagnosis, given the limitations/controversies and expense of testing, I dont think it is unfair for a client to ask a vet to forego these blood tests and simply treat the pet for 3-4 weeks with doxycycline, if these tests are not affordable for the client. And for those concerned about kidney complications of lyme exposure, recent findings show that researchers have yet to find any lyme bacterial organisms in the kidneys of lyme positive dogs, shifting current thought away from the lyme bacteria as the cause of the problem, but the patient's overactive immune response on rare cases in leading to this occasional fatal complication of lyme exposure.. In these cases, doxycycline has not helped these kidney patients anyway, and researchers are now looking at the possibility of using immune suppressive drugs to treat patients sick with this less common but fatal kidney syndrome of lyme exposure. The verdict is still out on this latter immune suppressive approach, but it is clear that doxycycline does not appear to help those dogs affected with kidney problems from lyme exposure, nor do prolonged months of antibiotic therapy seem to make any evidence based difference in outcome or survival. . The take home point of all of this, is that testing is not as critical as the presence of symptoms of lyme disease and possible history of tick exposure described above, and that a 3-4 week course of doxycycline can often save clients lots of money in testing if not affordable, however this is a prescription drug that must be written by your veterinarian. I have also found this drug tremendously beneficial in treating various respiratory infections and infectious coughs of both dogs and cats covering bacteria like mycoplasma and bordatella, which are not often covered by other antibiotics, as well as in oral infections in those pets afflicted with periodontal disease. . The anti inflammatory effect of this drug also is another side benefit of this drug, other than its antibiotic effect. The major drawbacks I have seen is the occasional overgrowth of yeast and/or bad bacteria in the digestive tract or skin in pets treated for prolonged periods. This side effect can be minimized by the concomitant use of an excellent probiotic like naturevet enzymes from 1800petmeds. Also, especially in cats, this drug is best followed with a syringe or teaspoon of water, as it can occasionally get stuck in the throat or esophagus of treated pets leading to severe ulceration and inflammation. I have not seen the teeth staining in younger animals that is more common when tetracycline is used, however it is probably best to wait until the pet is at least 4 or 5 months of age to use this wonderful antibiotic. However my overall rating of this prescription antibiotic from your vet, and available at 1800petmeds with a written prescription is a 5 with an efficacy of a 4 and ease of use a 4.
12/19/2008
great med
My dog had a hacking cough, intermittent. After a couple weeks, I took her in, and she was put on this. Her cough seemed to clear, but she was losing weight and wasn't sleeping. I took her back, and the vet thought it was pneumonia caused by kennel cough. Put her on this and Clindamycin. Her cough cleared and she's appears perfectly health now (14 years old) I was told she must be on this for life, which I question (will seek a second opinion). I give it 4 out of 5 due to the mix of both meds. But with both meds, she went from looking like she was on deaths door to wanting to play and bug me all the time.
12/22/2012
Doxy for my Akita
I just found out that my 12 year old Akita has lyme disease. I noticed that he was not eating and was losing a lot of strength and stability in his back legs. I had the blood test done and it came back positive for lyme. I just gave him his second dose of Doxycycline today so I am hoping that he will be feeling better really soon. I will update in a few days.
08/30/2011
Time it stays in your pets system
My dog was on doxy for 3 days 20mg 2x a day and she's 60 pounds . she is drinking like crazy.. she has been off for 3 days and she is still urinating a lot and drinking alot. we are thinking its still the doxy.. how long does it stay in their systems.. she had an intestinal blockage that we hope has cleared so they took her off.. thats why the short time period..
12/16/2009
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Discovered last Thursday evening my dog was very ill (12 yr old Collie) and took him to the vet the next morning. Test were run but nothing of significance pointed in any direction...my vet suggested it could be a tick borne infection and recommended a special blood test ($100). We said yes and while we were waiting for results he put him on the Doxycycline. He started getting better (slowly) the next day and on Monday we found out it was RM Spotted fever. We think he will survive and he is getting stronger every day.
12/08/2009
1-5 of 5 109 Questions · 169 Answers Ask & Answer.Talk to other pet lovers about this product.
My Germanshperd has been diagnosed with tick fever. He is 40Kg and is been given 300mg per day. For three weeks now. Is the doseage right for his weight? how long should I give it. I have red may be for three months?
Answers
Answer:Â the traditional dose for tick fever is lower than what many vets who frequently treat it arecurrently using...........Some vets are using the 10mg/lb 2 to 3 times daily for 6 to 8 weeks regimen for doxycycline........which is a 60 lb dog getting a total of 600mg in a day.........given 300mg twice a day or 200mg 3 times daily........However i am not a prescriber.......I do not know all the other factors that your vet had to consider when figuring out the dose........You should speak with your vet and get a better understanding of what their plan is for your pet's recovery.Good Luck :)
how long is the typical dose given to cats.
Answers
Answer:Â That depends on the type of infection your veterinarian is trying to treat. So only your veterinarian would be able to give you that information. Some infections require a longer therapy than others, andcan range from 1 week to several weeks. Thanks for your question.
Dosage prescribed for our dog is 1 3/4 100mg doxycycline tablets twice daily for 30 days, #105.
Do you have tablets that can be cut into 4 pieces? What will price be? Answers
the benefits are questionable. She is still always itching,licking and scratching at crusty lesions. When she was diagnosed with lymes disease, she took doxycycline, which gave her the best itch-free month of her life! Is doxycycline something she could take long term for these skin irritations that make her so miserable?
dave w Answers
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