My 3-week-old kitten got an antibiotic overdose. What should I do?

I would not be overly concerned, although the recommended dose is 5-10mg/lb (and an 8lb cat would have consumed approx 15mg/lb) it does have a wide safety margin and overdose symptoms are very rare. I would expect some mild gastrointestinal upset and a probiotic would be helpful to reduce the impact on the natural gut balance

Hello and thank you for using PetCoach! Sorry to hear that this happened. When antibiotics are ingested in toxic amounts, it can result in mild to severe signs ranging from gastrointestinal signs (e.g., drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, inappetance, discolored teeth), metabolic signs (e.g., skin lesions, liver failure, kidney failure, etc.) to central nervous system signs (e.g., tremors, seizures, death). I would advise contacting your local emergency vet hospital or contact Poison Control https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control Sorry this happened with your pet. Another option would be to contact the drug manufacturer directly if that information can be learned. I'm hoping for a positive outcome with your kitty!!

Unfortunately, some antibiotics can cause GI upset (vomiting and/or diarrhea). Since Snow is a kitten, we certainly worry more about her vomiting and getting dehydrated. Since it's too late to contact your vet tonight, I would try to offer Snow a small amount of water overnight and see if she is able to keep that down. If she does not want to drink water, you can try a small amount of a low sodium chicken broth or the water (not oil) that canned tuna or salmon is packed in. I would recommend contacting your vet in the morning to get their recommendation from there. If Snow continues to vomit, she will certainly need to be seen by your vet for some medication. Good luck! I hope that was helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This should be fine as most commonly used antibiotics have wide dose ranges and good safety margins. It does depend on the specific antibiotic though and dosage, to be safe you can either ring your vet for advice or repost with more details here.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am so sorry for the loss of Kitty! The most common side effect of antibiotics is tummy upset: vomiting, diarrhea or not wanting to eat. My concern is that there was something else going on with Kitty. If she had a large parasite load maybe when the dewormer killed them it caused an obstruction or intussusception. I also wonder what symptoms she had when you took her to the vet and what the other injections she received. Antibiotics are not typically prescribed for just worms. I'm assuming more than just worms were affecting Kitty. Again I am sorry for you loss. Feel free to post again with further details or questions. I hope this helped in some way.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your kitten. Amoxicillin is a medication with a wide dosing range. I can understand your confusion with the package though. I would recommend following your veterinarian's dosing for now, but be sure to follow up with the prescribing doctor to double check. You should be able to call the office and have someone check for you. This will give you piece of mind. I hope this information helps!

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Leo is having this problem. Many antibiotics cause gastrointestinal issues in cats so you will need to call your vet and let them know what is going on. Most likely they will have you stop one or both of the antibiotics and prescribe something different. I would also suggest that you put him on a pre/probiotic while he is taking antibiotics and then continue for at least one week after the antibiotics have been stopped. Hope this helps. Best wishes.