doxycycline for dogs?

idiaysan

Padawan Learner
Hello everyone! I started this topic because I'm a little worried about my dog; I have one of one year old, is a westie, since she was small has had some allergy problems, due to being prone to suffer dermatitis as is normal in this kind of dogs, the thing taht worries me, and the veterinarians have not solved, is that a month she breathes badly, expectorates a lot and generates such a quantity of mucus that it even chokes and coughs.
her veterinarian, as is common, unfortunately, in the presence of a few hundred of fever prescribed antibiotics, it is possible to say that she is a very energetic puppy, and that those tenths of fever would surely be produced by the exercise itself or probably by inflammation that she may suffer, but certainly do not come from any bacteriological or viral infection.
did the antibiotic treatment for 5 days and followed exactly the same.
I returned to the vet's office and she injected cortisone, as an anti-inflammatory, this worked, the dog went a whole day without expectorating or coughing. I said her that we could cancel the treatment with antibiotics and replace it with anti-inflammatories but it did not seem appropriate.

Does anyone knows if it is possible to use doxycycline in very low doses as an anti-inflammatory for dogs in the same way that it can be used in humans as the C's said? Could it work ?, The dog weighs 9.7 kg.



Many thanks for spending a little time reading my query, I hope someone can solve this question

I send you a big hug

health and knowledge!
 
Doxycycline save our late Sebastian's life back in 2007. He had an infection that was guaranteed to kill him and if it didn't, he was guaranteed to be dead from leukemia in two years. He lived to be 12.5. I found a site on the net that said that only doxy could cure this business and it had to be administered for six months. So, that's what we did. And he got well. Yes, he was a bit arthritic afterwards, but not too bad. He died of congestive heart failure.

So, having worked with doxy in this dog, in an extreme situation, I feel comfortable with it more or less if I have to give it to one of our dogs.

If it was me, I would find out the right dosage for the dog's weight and give a short course of the antibiotic dose, like a week; see what happens; then cut the dose in half for another week; see what happens; and cut in half again and keep going down until it's just a tiny dose and see how it goes.
 
Lavinia_Sofia said:
I returned to the vet's office and she injected cortisone, as an anti-inflammatory, this worked, the dog went a whole day without expectorating or coughing. I said her that we could cancel the treatment with antibiotics and replace it with anti-inflammatories but it did not seem appropriate.

Does anyone knows if it is possible to use doxycycline in very low doses as an anti-inflammatory for dogs in the same way that it can be used in humans as the C's said? Could it work ?, The dog weighs 9.7 kg.

Well, since there are several heart and lung conditions that your dog is predisposed to, they should be ruled out. Considering your description, and since your dog has a productive cough, I would suggest that maybe it isn't the heart alone. But it should be checked at least with an X-ray.

So since you didn't mention specifically what your doctor did already, here's a list of tests and procedures that should be done in order to try and pin point or diagnose a probable problem.

1. General physical examination, including auscultation of the heart and lungs.
2. You need to do CBC and biochemistry blood tests. CBC will be able to show if there is an inflammation present. But if the condition is long term/chronic, sometimes WBC would be normal. Biochemistry is advisable in order to see if internal organs, such as liver and kidneys, are functioning properly. It is particularly important if your dog is going to take any medication long term.
3. X-ray of the thoracic region that will include the heart. This way the doctor will be able to see if there is anything in the lungs, and also check the size of the heart.
4. If the heart is enlarged, then you should do an ultrasound of the heart to pinpoint the exact problem and the type of murmur.
5. If there is something in the lungs, it is recommended to take bronchoalveolar lavage and test it. Or at least do a transtracheal wash. It is important to know what kind of bacteria it is (or if it bacteria at all), and to use antibiotics that are sensitive to it. Many bacteria are sensitive to doxycycline, so theoretically speaking you could try using it and see if it works. But if you can, it is always best to test it, because the dosage may depend on it. And you may need a combination of drugs or antibiotics.

In any case, don't know how much all these tests cost where you live, and it may be too expensive for you, but the more information the doctor has, the higher the chances for better diagnosis. You should at least do CBC, an X-ray of the thoracic region, and transtracheal wash.

If cortisone helped your dog and stopped the couch, then it is more reason to suspect that it may be something similar to the condition that is described in this paper. And it means that you better do the testing.

Also maybe Z as a doctor proficient in an alternative and general veterinary medicine could give you some additional advice.

Wish a lot of good luck and good health to your doggie! :flowers:
 
Here's a screenshot from Plumbs of a dosage for doxycycline.

In general dogs tolerate it ok, and the only main side effect is diarrhea. It can be even given to animals with kidney disease. Perhaps use it in combination with probiotics. Just not at the same time, obviously.
 

Attachments

  • doxycycline.jpg
    doxycycline.jpg
    138.2 KB · Views: 71
Many thanks Laura and Keit, I am very grateful for your advice and help.

the veterinarian did a general physical examination, and she felt her heart perfectly and a slight noise in her lungs, which she did not give too much importance to, or this is what she transmitted to me.
the truth is that the mucus, which started being a brown color, that was what alarmed me the most, since I feared that there were no remains of blood, soon became transparent white mucosa, which in humans could be a common cold.

I am going to make cases of your advice, I will ask the vet for a complete analysis and plaques, to rule out major evils, and I will begin to study thoroughly the treatment with doxicilina. and if necessary a second medical opinion as well.

many thanks again, I will inform you about how Piren responds, that's the name of our little puppy :)

a big hug! :hug2:
 
The docyciline indeed has anti-inflammatory effect and can be used at the low dose of 4 mg per kg twice daily to achieve this effect safely. However what you described seems like auto immune issue and using doxy is akin to painting over moist patch on the wall without fixing the leak. I would recommend finding good holistic practitioner in your area. And number one question all begins with - what do you feed your dog?
 
Keit said:
Here's a screenshot from Plumbs of a dosage for doxycycline.

In general dogs tolerate it ok, and the only main side effect is diarrhea. It can be even given to animals with kidney disease. Perhaps use it in combination with probiotics. Just not at the same time, obviously.

small correction - according to this study for anti-arthritic effect it can be used long term - up to 6 months and the does is 4mg twice daily
 

Attachments

  • doxy in canine osteoratritis.pdf
    376.6 KB · Views: 1
thank you very much Z :hug2:

We fed it with dry dog food, two shots a day.

At home, my partner and I are following a keto-paleo diet (he's more than me, everything has to be said, I'm trying to accommodate my diet) so next to the feed to Piren, we throw her meat cooked in the oven with something of fat.

I give this note because to part of the junk that can carry the common dog food (and that might be another question for the forum ... how to feed our pets well?) The dog eats quite well, or so I think.
 
One of the things that helped our dogs the most with their arthritic and other conditions was changing their diet to raw meet and a side of lightly steamed veggies like beans and carrots or broccoli and cauliflower etc. You just mix the veggies with the burger or ground chicken. And maybe once or twice a week, oily sardines.
 
Lavinia_Sofia said:
thank you very much Z :hug2:

We fed it with dry dog food, two shots a day.

At home, my partner and I are following a keto-paleo diet (he's more than me, everything has to be said, I'm trying to accommodate my diet) so next to the feed to Piren, we throw her meat cooked in the oven with something of fat.

I give this note because to part of the junk that can carry the common dog food (and that might be another question for the forum ... how to feed our pets well?) The dog eats quite well, or so I think.
there is a sticky thread on this subforum,
I would also recommend visiting http://rfvs.info/
also if you can see a movie called Petfooled
On my website you can also find loads of info.

In a nutshell feeding processed food is the same if not worse as eating human junk food. There is no amount of medicine- conventional or alternative that can fix any condition as long as the diet is wrong.
Responsible raw feeding or species appropriate feeding may seem complicated ( its not just about feeding raw minced meat, the bone content is important, as well as organ content) but once you get into it it doesn't require a lot of effort. And once you start raw never under any circumstances mix in or relapse to kibble, for various important reasons. If your freezer runs empty on the weekend its better to leave your dogs hungry than resorting to commercial pet food. In fact I fast my dogs for 24h twice a week. This has many beneficial effects same as intermittent fasting in humans. Dogs' body was designed for fasting ( hunt often fails and they dont get any food for days) and their digestive tract which is much shorter then ours needs regular resets for optimal functioning.
And one last thing - when switching to raw its very important to add good quality probiotics - my favorite brand ( both for me and my patients) is Biocult, really good stuff. For Westie size dog one capsule daily for at least 3 weeks and then every now and then for one week should be enough.

Hope this helps.
 
many thanks Z for all the info, you have opened a door on canine food and the web you mention http://rfvs.info/ is very interesting and I have shared with my brother and others who have dogs

we have already programmed with the veterinary a complete analysis, we will start there and by the change of food to see how Piren responds

many thanks to all of you again, I will share with you the results of the analytical test when they are delivered to me

a big hug!
 
Lavinia, I found this page about raw food for dogs. I will start me too to give them raw food. Good luck with your dog and thanks to Laura, Keit and Z for this valuable information.

http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/AnimalWellness/SampleRaw
 
Back
Top Bottom