[cher1957]

I have some ery-tabs left and want to know if it is safe to give them, he has a sore that will not heal

[Sariss]

No. Take your dog to the vet.

[cher1957]

Is the antibiotic erythromycin (ery-tab) safe to give dog for an infection. Has had round raw looking sore on leg for months and nothing I do gets rid of it

[Shadam23]

No! Human Medication is just that for HUMANS only!! Hope the dog gets well

[Sariss]

You need to take your dog to the vet. Besides the fact that you do not know the proper dosage of that medication for your animal, if the bacteria causing a wound to not heal is resistant to that, it will do nothing.

[Cat1864]

How does anyone have antibiotics 'left-over'? I thought they were something that doctors tell their patients to take every dose even if they feel like they are getting better?

Take the dog to the vet and get it properly taken care of with medicine that is correct for him for as long as he is supposed to take it.

[ohsohappy]

NO! That's why they're for HUMANS! Would you take dog medicine? Really, I'm positive there's nothing on the label that says "For people AND dogs, How about that?!" There's a reason for that.
I feel the need to insult you, but I will refrain.

[Alty]

No! No! OMG! I sure hope you didn't already give him the medication. If you have, take him to the vet immediately and bring the prescription bottle with you so that the vet knows what medication you gave.

Never ever give human medication to a dog. Ever! If your dog is sick then the vet is the only answer. Just like a doctor is the only answer if you're sick.

[shazamataz]

You should never have antibiotics 'left over'
When a doctor prescribes you antibiotics you are supposed to take the WHOLE coarse, not just take it until you feel better otherwise you risk the infection coming back.

You should not give your dog any human medications, especially antibiotics as A) You don't know what type of infection the dog has and B) You do not know the correct dosage.
Dogs metabolize drugs a lot different than humans so it's not even a case of working out the weight of the dog.

[KISS]

I'll agree with everybody and cher, you MUST always finish all of the antibiotics prescribed. If you don't WE risk creating resistant germs. This is not something that WE want.

We have Methacillin resistant Staph and Methacillin is one of the more powerful antibiotics.

While "human" antibiotics are for humans, the problem is you cannot determine the dosage appropriate for a dog for the same reason why "human" medications are not appropriate for a child. There exists pharmacies (we have one in the state) called a "compounding pharmacy". They are capable of modifying dosages, flavoring meds and even creating meds that are apetizing and aure the correct dosages for pets or humans. They can put a medication in a lolipop or a dog treat for instance.

So, from now on, ALWAYS finish your antibiotics unless you have a reaction and your doc tells you to stop. If all the bacteria isn't killed, infections can come back aggressively.

I had that happen with my eye under an HMO care and I'm still suffering. When they sent me out of the network after they did their damage, I got remarkably better. I still have reactions to hydrocarbon vapors and I have a drops that I use on an as needed basis very rarely. 7 days would be the limit I can use the med.

OK?

[Shadam23]

NO! That's why they're for HUMANS! Would you take dog medicine? Really, I'm positive there's nothing on the label that says "For people AND dogs, How about that?!" There's a reason for that.
I feel the need to insult you, but I will refrain.

I'm sorry but would you take a dog to a pharmacy? Come on , think about it!

[JudyKayTee]

Sorry to disagree, guys. You are right in theory. Dogs CAN take "human" medication; the dosage, however, is very, very different.

I get prescriptions from my Vet when my dogs need medication and have the prescription filled at a pharmacy - it's much less expensive because my Vet marks the drugs "up."

"Your" Pharmacist should be able to translate from "dog" dosage to "human" dosage.

And, yes, my late husband was a Doctor of Pharmacy and filled "dog" prescriptions all the time - it was a neighborhood pharmacy.

[shazamataz]

I do agree with you Judy but for the purpose of giving someone info over the internet it's always best to advise they speak to a vet first before giving any sort of medication.

I give one of mine hayfever tablets, yep, human hayfever tablets bought from a pharmacy but only AFTER I talked to my vet about it and found out how much I should give him.
Of coarse my vet recommended I buy the expensive dog medication which had the same active ingredients as the human one, I just bought what was basically the same thing and cut the tablets in half to get the correct dosage... however there are several hayfever tablets on the market that contain different active ingredients which would have been harmful if I gave those to him.

When dealing with antibiotics they have to be specific to the problem. Plus if there are 'left over' tablets, there would not be enough to give an entire coarse to the dog anyway, plus you don't know the correct dosage.

[JudyKayTee]

I do agree with you Judy but for the purpose of giving someone info over the internet it's always best to advise they speak to a vet first before giving any sort of medication.

I give one of mine hayfever tablets, yep, human hayfever tablets bought from a pharmacy but only AFTER I talked to my vet about it and found out how much I should give him.
Of coarse my vet recommended I buy the expensive dog medication which had the same active ingredients as the human one, I just bought what was basically the same thing and cut the tablets in half to get the correct dosage... however there are several hayfever tablets on the market that contain different active ingredients which would have been harmful if I gave those to him.

When dealing with antibiotics they have to be specific to the problem. Plus if there are 'left over' tablets, there would not be enough to give an entire coarse to the dog anyway, plus you don't know the correct dosage.

If this is how you read what I posted I mis-stated what I meant. I was questioning the blanket "animals cannot take human medication" answer.

Dogs CAN take human medication BUT the dosage is different and the prescription MUST come from a Vet and be filled by a knowledgeable Pharmacist.

I was definitely NOT advocating that someone give human medication to an animal without that consultation, again, because the dosage is different. Certainly human dosages are toxic to animals.

My point was that you CAN get a prescription from a Vet and you CAN get it filled at a Pharmacy - but the Pharmacist must be familiar with dosages.

Is that better?

[shazamataz]

Yep definitely misread that Judy.
I agree with you, yes some medications are interchangeable between humans and dogs (heck, I've even taken dog antibiotics myself before but we won't talk about that one)
And yes a lot of the time the pharmacy equivalent is a lot cheaper than what the vet tries to give you.

[JudyKayTee]

No problem - I sometimes confuse even myself.

[Lucky098]

I think I agree with Judy... Had a dog come through rescue with epilepsy... He was prescribed human dose medication for his sizures.

I think it all comes down to what type of infection. Some antibiotics even in the dog world won't cure a specific type of infection. The op should min. call the vet and ask them. Whoever they talk to should be able to figure out if the dog can take that specific pill.

[Lucky098]

A sore on the leg for months? Why hasn't the dog seen a vet? Infection can kill! I do hope you at least put an ointment on the wound...

I think the other post states the medi-question clearly... The dog needs to see a doctor for proper dosage and the proper medication for that specific wound. Antibiotics aren't a cure -all... Sometimes you need a more powerful antibiotic or maybe a broad spectrum...

[J_9]

Some human medications are approved for canine use. However, the dosage will vary. Antibiotics are based on weight. Dogs do not metabolize medications in the same way that humans do, therefore it is essential that the dog see the vet for proper dosing as you could easily kill your dog giving medication without a vet's prescription.

Medications are metabolized in the liver. The dog liver and human liver function differently. If you give the incorrect dosage of human antibiotics to a dog, you could be causing liver damage that may result in eventual death of your pet.

[Cat1864]

Can we get her two threads merged?

In her other thread, it is 'left-over' medicine she wants to give the dog.