My dog has a skin infection. Can amoxicillin replace cephalexin?

Yes, but I prefer cephalexin or cefpodoxime for skin infection. The amoxicillin dose for a dog 40lbs would be about 200mg every 12 hours. I would recommend seeing a vet though for appropriate antibiotic therapy recommendations. Topical therapy should also be considered. I typically recommend using a shampoo such as Douxo PS chlorhexidine combination shampoo and bathe twice weekly until the infection is resolved. I also recommend using welactin omega 3 fish oil and essential 6 spot on by dermoscent. Malacetic conditioning spray is also a good option to spray isolated areas on the body where infection is present. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. I am also available via consultation if needed.

I would not advise giving your pet human doses of amoxicillin. Mainly because this kind of pulse therapy can actually create resistant bacteria on your pets skin and create an even bigger problem. Also you aren't treating the fungal infection at all, so the itchiness and irritation will still be there. There are also stronger antibiotics for skin out there that can help reduce the chance of creating resistant bugs and also are more effective. Here are some financial resources that I hope can help you afford to take Ruger in to your vet for proper treatment of his skin. Red Rover: https://redrover.org/find-financial-assistance-veterinary-care Best friends: http://bestfriends.org/resources/financial-aid-pets AVMA: https://www.avma.org/public/YourVet/Pages/Financial-assistance-for-veterinary-care-costs.aspx HSUS: http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html PAWS: https://www.paws.org/cats-and-dogs/other-services/help-with-veterinary-bills/ Your dogs friend: http://yourdogsfriend.org/we-recommend/need-help-paying-vet-bills/ AFRP: https://www.animalfriendsrescue.org/financialassistance.html Speaking for Spot: http://speakingforspot.com/?p=Financial%20Assistance%20for%20Veterinary%20Care 3 options for financing include www.carecredit.com, www.scratchpay.com and www.vetbilling.com. The first two companies have low interest APR rates (starting at 5%) and allow you to pay for a vet bill over 6-24 months. The last company offer a billing option for veterinary clients through automatic bank account drafting on a predetermined date at the time of service. Care Credit checks your credit but Scratch Pay does not, making it a good choice for owners who may have been declined for Care Credit in the past. Hopefully one of these will work for you and your pet Ruger. In the meantime it is best to just wash his skin in an antiseptic shampoo, such as Duoxo shampoo that helps reduce both bacteria and yeast on the skin. Here is a link --> https://www.amazon.com/Ceva-DOU03604-Chlorhexidine-Climbazole-Shampoo/dp/B07B18LYLY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1545821460&sr=8-4&keywords=duoxo+shampoo Best wishes with Ruger and his skin. I hope it improves soon! Take care.

My biggest concern is that he could also have a bladder infection that is causing him to lick a lot and therefore also causing an infection on his penis. Without seeing him to determine exactly what is infected and whether or not the bladder is also infected, I cannot say that the cephalexin will work. I would strongly recommend to have him seen by your vet. If there is a urinary tract infection and it is left untreated, it could get much worse and even start to affect the kidneys. Your vet will be able to determine if the cephalexin you have will work or if you need something stronger. I would also put a cone collar on him to prevent him from licking it any more and causing more irritation. I hope this helps and he starts to feel better really soon!

Although cephalexin and cefpodoxime are both cephalosporin antibiotics, they are different drugs - so it's certainly possible for an organism to be susceptible to one and not the other. Culture results generally give us a very good idea of what antibiotics are likely to be useful in treating the infection, so I don't see any problem with using cefpodoxime if this is what your veterinarian has recommended.

I would not recommend doing that purely because most ear infections are fungal rather than bacterial and are treated topically and not systematically. you should take Gunner to the vet in order to get an anti fungal prescription ear drops.

While none of the medications that Katie is taking will interact with cephalexin, this antibiotic is not generally very effective for treating urinary tract infections. Since her UTI in January was (I assume) resistant to some antibiotics, there is a concern that a new potential infection may be as well. Giving unnecessary or ineffective antibiotics only serves to create bacterial resistance to some antibiotics. Katie should go to her vet for a urinalysis and urine culture so that the most appropriate antibiotic can be chosen for the bacteria present. I hope that she's on the mend soon!

It does look like a bacterial skin infection which could have started from a bite. Cephalexin is a very good skin antibiotic. I suggest you take Echo back to the vet tomorrow for a recheck. The vet may want to do a little biopsy to send to a lab to determine what is causing this lesion.