My senior dog has an enlarged kidney. Is it from Cephalexin damage?

It is a high dose (22 mg/kg is average although there is a range because of capsule sizes) and in some cases we would dose reduce this drug with kidney failure (but if your pet has early changes this may not be necessary, is case dependent). I would call your vet to check the dose, he or she may have a reason for this high dose. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

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!

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach to address your concern. At the high end of the dose of 60mg/kg for systemic infections, it would be approximately 436mg every 8 hours for that dose for a 16lb dog. A 500mg capsule will not likely cause any life threatening problems. You may see vomiting and diarrhea but this should resolve on its own. If you start to see neurological symptoms such as seizures or a wobbly gait, I would have a veterinarian examine KC. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be happy to help further.

Using antibiotics is generally safe for pets with kidney failure, however Sofiya needs some aggressive treatment for her kidney issues. This could look like more testing, including an abdominal ultrasound, leptospirosis testing, checking for tick diseases, and other tests depending on what is going on with her clinically. It would also include treatment of IV fluids, anti-nausea medications, medications to lower her phosphorous levels, and others (again depending on how she's actually doing). In short, the Cefor isn't going to treat the issues in this bloodwork.

That depends. Ideally a culture and sensitivity is run on the urine to identify what bacteria is present and guide what antibiotic should be used. However, this is sometimes cost prohibitive. Cefpodoxime is a perfectly reasonable choice if we don't have a urine culture to go off of, or if we don't yet have those results. If Laddie is eating,is not vomiting or having diarrhea, and isn't in acute kidney failure due to the infection, oral antibiotics alone are probably just fine. However if she is vomiting, is not eating, or is acting very lethargic, she should be re-evaluated by a vet. It is wise to monitor the creatinine value in the blood. If it is elevated, often dogs are treated with IV fluids as well as antibiotics. The creatinine can be measured daily with a blood test. I hope that is helpful, and I'm so sorry we weren't able to get to your question sooner! Thank you for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Please don't hesitate to post to the forum again or for the fastest, most interactive service you can request a consultation. Best of luck with Laddie!

It is not likely that there is a connection between her medications for the chronic kidney failure and the synovial sarcoma. Synovial sarcomas are very aggressive soft tissue tumors that tend to metastasize as well. Here is some good information: http://vetsurgicalcenter.com/synovialcellsarcoma.asp Unfortunately at 13 years tumors seem to be the most common cause of death in dogs. I am very sorry for your loss.

Yes, CEFUROXIME AXETIL 500mg can be given to dogs with kidney disease. High creatine by itself does not have it's own set of symptoms. When elevated along with the BUN then the symptoms would be those of kidney disease - it differs for acute vs chronic disease. ( https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/kidney-disease/ ) I would not recommend given any drug with phenylephrine to a dog. I cannot tell you an alternative as I don't know what is available in your country and I'm not sure why your vet was prescribing this medication. I suggest you consult with them since they have Chutki's medical history and can advise you better.