How can I reduce my dog's frequent medication and antibiotic use?

Hello. Yeast infections often have secondary bacterial infections present, so the vet prescribing the antiboitic for the yeast infection was probably actually giving it to treat a secondary bacterial infection. There is no way to ensure that Danny lives to 13 years of age, as you cannot control for many diseases that could occur such as cancer, heart disease, etc. You can improve his chances of living longer by getting him on a good quality dog food (kibble), getting him neutered, and making sure he stays fit and in a good body condition (not fat but not thin). Also, keeping him up to date on vaccines and deworming, and making sure he doesn't get out to get hit by a car. After that you cannot control how long he lives for, and when you are unsure if he is sick or not have him seen by a vet.

Ceohalexin once per day is not recommended. It needs to be given 2-3 times daily. That is likely why the infection keeps returning- it is probably never completely gone because the medication is not given correctly. A normal course of antibiotics is not likely to damage the liver or kidneys. You are making more of this possibility than you need to. That may happen 0.0001% of the time. I have never seen antibiotics, when used correctly, cause this problem in 25 years of my experience. Antibiotics are very useful drugs and needed in some cases like this. If you want a once a day antibiotic you can ask your vet for cefpodoxime. It is made for once daily dosing. He probably keeps getting these hot spots due to an underlying allergy. You can’t completely avoid this until you identify the underlying allergy. He needs allergy testing. You can try this topical medicated spray to see if it will help treat the spots. ( https://www.entirelypets.com/douxomicro200.html ) You can bathe him with the same product shampoo once a week to see if you help prevent the spots once they are healed. USE AS DIRECTED. ( https://www.entirelypets.com/duoxoc16.html )

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would assume if Danny has something infectious like a bacterial or viral pneumonia he would have improved with antibiotics or the virus would have ran it's course. The only advice in retrospect would have been to not stop the antibiotic until the cough had resolved for at least a week or 2. Some pneumonia's require 4-8 weeks of antibiotics. He definitely could have something else going on in his lungs like heart worm, heart disease, tracheal disease, a hernia, fungal pneumonia (they are very sick), cancer or allergic airway disease. If you are able try to get Danny to a vet for an exam, heart worm test and chest X-rays. I wish you the best!

Antibiotics are used very commonly to treat infections and infectious diseases in dogs, just like in people. There should be no problem with using them when they are needed, even if she has needed antibiotics before multiple times in the past - most antibiotics are very safe and pose little risk, even with long-term use.

It is difficult for me to give you much advice without having more information but I will try my best. His skin may be getting worse due to an idiosyncratic drug reaction. The antibiotics may not be agreeing with him. A change to a different class of antibiotic may be all that is needed. The antibiotic he was prescribed may not be the correct one for this particular bacterial infection (if it is a bacterial infection). A culture and sensitivity of the crusty lesions on the head may need to be done in order to find out what bacteria are there and what antibiotic will be most effective. This may be a fungal skin infection (or yeast) and not a bacterial infection) hence why the antibiotic is not working. Antibiotics do not treat fungus or yeast. In young dogs I would be worried that this is a secondary infection of the skin from mange mites. It can be seen in older dogs as well but it is much more common in youngsters. So, I would have your vet do a skin scraping to check for mites. This could be an autoimmune disorder (like pemphigus). A biopsy of the affected area would be needed for diagnosis. That is all I can come up with right off the top of my head. I hope this helps to give you some things to bring up with your vet. Best wishes!

If this is a recurring skin issue, he most likely had an underlying allergy. It could be an allergy to environmental things, or an allergy to the protein in the food. You can treat the infection, but it will keep returning if the underlying issue isn't also addressed. I would talk with your veterinarian about allergies. The antibiotics are not too harsh, and won't cause kidney damage

Hello. Antibiotics may help, but probably will not cure Snow. I would recommend weekly medicated baths using a product with benzoyl peroxide &/or weekly dipping with a product containing lime sulfur. This is antibacterial & antifungal & will also kill some parasitic mites. Weekly treatments for a month is often very helpful & may be curative. If you think she needs antibiotics, it is best to see a veterinarian as to what is best & how much to give. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.