For: Dogs, Cats, and Horses
What is Doxycycline?
Doxycycline is a semi-synthetic tetracycline antibiotic. Tetracycline antibiotics such as doxycycline are effective against a broad spectrum of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, and wide variety of other organisms including Rickettsia, Spirochetes, Mycoplasma, Leptospira, Anaplasma, and Chlamydia. In addition to its use as an antibiotic, doxycycline is used in low doses as an anti-inflammatory and adjunct treatment for arthritis and degenerative joint-disease in dogs and horses.
Benefits:
- Treats a variety of infections
- Once-a-day broad-spectrum antibiotic
- Treats Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever
- Also can treat urinary tract infections
- Can be taken with or without food
- Can be compounded to meet your pet’s specific needs!
What are the potential side effects of Doxycycline?
The most-common side effects in dogs and cats are GI upset, including nausea and vomiting. Other side effects may also occur. Talk to your veterinarian about any side effect that seems unusual or bothersome to your pet.
What happens if I miss giving a dose of Doxycycline?
Give the missed dose as soon as you remember during the same day. However, if you don’t remember until the next day, skip the dose you missed and give only the next regularly scheduled dose. Do not give a double dose of the medication.
Cautions:
Do not give doxycycline to pregnant or nursing pets. Do not give multivitamins, calcium supplements, antacids, or laxatives within two hours before or after giving doxycycline. These products can reduce the effectiveness of doxycycline.
What other drugs will affect Doxycycline?
Dosing of oral doxycycline should be separated from any oral antacids, bismuth, kaolin, or pectin-containing products by 1- 2 hours. Oral iron also interferes with the absorption of doxycycline and should be separated by three hours. Doxycycline and other tetracycline antibiotics are generally not used with bactericidal antibiotics such as penicillin, cephalosporin, and aminoglycosides. Tetracycline antibiotics may change clotting times. Animals receiving warfarin or other anticoagulant may need additional monitoring and dosage adjustment. Drugs other than those listed may also interact with Doxycycline. Talk to your veterinarian or pharmacist before giving any prescription or over the counter medicines.
