Three Commonly Used Canine Urinary Tract Infection Antibiotics

Canine urinary tract infection antibiotics come in literally dozens of forms and are considered by many to be the best treatment for most types of bacterial infections. For convenience they come in liquid, capsule, and chewable forms with each veterinarian seemingly to have his/her own preference as to which is best. Even households like ours are split on what produces the best results in the easiest way with my wife leaning towards tablets and myself leaning towards the liquid formulas.

But quite honestly canine urinary tract infection antibiotics are only as good as your veterinary doctor is accurate at diagnosing the type of bacterial causing the infections. Furthermore, old antibiotics that you may have in the medicine cabinet should not be used to randomly blanket treat urinary tract infection without a confirmation of the type of offending bacteria along with checking the expiration date.

When the wrong antibiotic is used the bacterial can become resistant thus leading to a curable condition becoming chronic or recurring. Additionally, overuse of canine urinary tract infection antibiotics will kill both good and bad bacterial in the lower urinary tract thus reducing your pets ability to fight off infection naturally.

But despite the concerns antibiotics are still the best first line of treatment.

Frequently used canine urinary tract infection antibiotics

*Amoxicillin: Amoxicillin is from the penicillin class of medications and is used for a wide range of infections in dogs, and will likely be your veterinarians first choice. It comes in tablet and oral forms and works by inhibiting the growth of bacteria. This drug is generally considered safe though side effects such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting, or allergic reactions do occasionally occur.

Dosage: Dosage may vary slightly from vet to vet but the average dosage seems to be around 6.25 milligrams per pound of body weight. Some of the newer formulas are given once a day but generally twice a day is considered the norm.

*Cephalexin: Cephalexin is consider a broad spectrum antibiotic and is used to treat a myriad of different conditions including UTI. Cephalexin comes in gel caps or liquid with the liquid having the added advantage of being mixed with your dogs water for easy use. Side effects include abdominal pain, vomiting, skin rash, and diarrhea.

Dosage: The standard dosage is 10 to 15 milligrams per pound of body weight given twice a day.

*Enrofloxacin: You may recognize enrofloxacin by the name Baytril. This drugs has the reputation for being effective when other antibiotics may have failed. The reason for this in the novel way it works. Enrofloxacin works by modifying the DNA of bacteria causing them to die off. Despite its efficacy for some the side effects have proven to be a concern, especially in young dogs. General side effects include dizziness, lethargy, cartilage damage, and loss of appetite.

Dosage: The standard dosage is 2.27 milligrams per pound of a dogs weight.

In summary canine urinary tract infection antibiotics are generally considered to be safe and effective in most cases. Nevertheless, you should work closely with your veterinarian to manage any unforeseen side effects.

While canine urinary tract infection antibiotics are quite effective on their own they do kill both good and bad bacteria thus reducing your dogs ability to fight off future infections. For this reason many pet owners have turned to natural homeopathic urinary tract reconditioning remedies as a standalone treatment or in combination with antibiotics. These types of natural remedies have proven to be especially useful when the infection is stubborn or has turned chronic.