Will doxycycline harm my 10-month-old puppy's growth if he has Lyme?

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The recommended dose of doxycycline for Lyme disease is 20mg/lb once daily, so Joey should be taking around 200mg a day. Rarely doxycycline is used at higher doses or more frequently than once every 24hrs. Please, get in touch with your local vet to discuss the treatment as it sounds that the dose should be slightly adjusted.

Unfortunately, no, doxycycline is not a good choice for antibiotics in a nursing mamma dog. First, it does not have the spectrum of antibacterial activity needed for most mammary gland infections. This means that it may not clear up the infection entirely or be effective against the organisms causing the infection at all. Secondly, this is a drug that needs to be avoided in nursing moms because of potential side effects it can have in young puppies. This drug is not safe in neonates and can cause problems with the teeth in these young pups. I would recommend taking your momma dog to the vet to be examined and to get an antibiotic that is safe for her and the pups. In the meantime, until you can get to the vet, try using warm compresses and massage on the affected glands if your dog will tolerate it. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

If Rufus is still testing positive for Lyme disease, then yes he should continue to take the doxycycline. If you stop it and he's still positive for it, then the symptoms of it will come back. He needs to be treated until he is cleared of the disease. Studies have shown that some animals do not clear the organism after 30 days, and will relapse once the antibiotic is discontinued. While there can be side effects of antibiotics, the symptoms of Lyme disease can be quite severe and lead to fatal kidney failure. Not treating him will lead to much worse symptoms that the side effects of long term antibiotic use.

Doxycycline should be taken whole or immediately before food to ensure it is swallowed into the stomach, it should then be followed by a drink to ensure it is washed down. It can cause painful ulcers in the upper GI tract if it lodges here and is not taken directly to the stomach

A part from possible oesophageal inflammation, Prince should not experience any other side effect a part from nausea, vomiting, and possibly diarrhea. I would not be extremely worried and just monitor him at this stage. Should you notice any signs listed above, a check up would be needed.

This is a great question. Doxycycline falls into the category of antibiotics called tetracyclines. Other tetracyclines- namely oxytetracycline- are shown to disturb bone and teeth developement in fetal skeletons or in young growing animals. Doxycycline is MUCH less likely to do this than other tetracyclines. Even so, the formulary recommends considering the risks and benefits before prescribing. Though I don’t routinely give this to kittens (I prefer clavamox) I do often give it to puppies. I have not yet seen or heard of a case of abnormal bone developement with doxycycline in kittens or puppies - but it could theoretically happen. In my opinion, doxycycline is a great drug for upper respiratory infections in cats- especially in a shelter situation which may not have the labor, funding, or storage abilities of my suburban clinic. I also feel that - especially in a shelter situation - the benefits far outweigh the risks. I am far more worried about a kitten in a shelter dying from complications from a URI than I am about the minuscule chance of affecting bone development. Of course, if your shelter had plenty of liquid clavamox and people to administer it, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to switch the young ones to something like that. Hope this helped clarify some things! Thank you for all you do!

Doxycycline is not a drug of choice used during pregnancy, especially the second and third trimester with the main risks related to abnormal tooth and bone development, with permanent staining of the baby teeth, but if the health of the mother is at risk then the benefits may outweigh the risks. If she is now heavily pregnant I would continue to use as stopping now will not affect outcome, if however you think she is less than 3-4weeks pregnant and she had not been critically ill then it may be worth considering stopping treatment whilst aware that the initial disease symptoms may return or worsen if not fully cured. Blood tests to identify current infection may be helpful in deciding