questions about doxycycline side effects, if any

[danisgoat]

Give it with food, and when my guys were on it, I gave them a tablespoon of plain, nonfat yogurt (which they love) to put the good bacteria back in.

Did the same with my horse - but not with yogurt, I used ProBios.

Please note....you CANNOT give milk products with doxycycline. Your vet should actually tell you this when they give you this ABX. Even yogurt.

The reason is that antibiotics from the tetracycline group react with calcium and you will greatly decrease the effectiveness of the product. Dairy products greatly reduces the absorption of the doxycylcline!

This is really important!!!!

There are many other ways of given your dogs probiotics, if you would like your dog to get some while on this medication.

 

[Abby's Dad]

After 3 weeks on doxy Abby would not eat her food anymore. I think she blamed the upset stomach from the doxy on her food. She needed to have gasti-sooth. After the full month we rechecked blood work and her liver enzymes were elevated to an alarming rate.

 

[SheltieChe]

Please note....you CANNOT give milk products with doxycycline. Your vet should actually tell you this when they give you this ABX. Even yogurt.

The reason is that antibiotics from the tetracycline group react with calcium and you will greatly decrease the effectiveness of the product. Dairy products greatly reduces the absorption of the doxycylcline!

This is really important!!!!

There are many other ways of given your dogs probiotics, if you would like your dog to get some while on this medication.

doxy is really not that bad, so little dairy is not as harmful as with others abx of this group but just to be on safe side give dairy or probiotics about 2 hrs away from the doxy.
Generally doxy is well tolerated, it is old med. As with anything eventually you might want to check urine and blood work to be safe. Some dogs have to stay on doxy for years.

 

[Ann]

After 3 weeks on doxy Abby would not eat her food anymore. I think she blamed the upset stomach from the doxy on her food. She needed to have gasti-sooth. After the full month we rechecked blood work and her liver enzymes were elevated to an alarming rate.

This is why I never give any antibiotic without also giving milk thistle to protect the liver. I hope Abby is OK!

 

[insideout]

This is why I never give any antibiotic without also giving milk thistle to protect the liver. I hope Abby is OK!

Yup, we learned this lesson the hard way (assuming Greyson's liver issues were caused by the doxy, which I believe they were)...I wish my vet had suggested Milk Thistle since I had no idea about it.

 

[danisgoat]

doxy is really not that bad, so little dairy is not as harmful as with others abx of this group but just to be on safe side give dairy or probiotics about 2 hrs away from the doxy.
Generally doxy is well tolerated, it is old med. As with anything eventually you might want to check urine and blood work to be safe. Some dogs have to stay on doxy for years.

It is not that Doxy is bad....it is that the dairy prohibits the effectiveness of the Doxy. Dairy isn't harmful while on Doxy, it just prohibits it from working to its full potential.

 

[Ann]

I agree with Dani. My vet always stresses no dairy while on doxy. Why take a chance that you'll lessen the effectiveness of the medication?

 

[The Quahog]

The tetracyclines are certainly not entirely benign drugs, and doxy is a little rougher than most.
This is why the decision to treat asymptomatic Lyme positive dogs is controversial. I practice in Lyme central, and a very fine practice a quarter of a mile from me tests every dog every year and puts all positives on a 28 day course of doxy. I do not. And, I suppose, I lose a great deal of income by not doing so.

There are three choices-
Treat, don't treat, or do a quantitative test and treat those which indicate active infection. (I believe that this is the course favored by Dr. Shelli.)
All three choices can be fully justified by sound medical logic- there is just so much we don't know about this disease.
But the point is its is not a matter of 'I love my dog so i want to play it safe and not take any chances so I'll treat.', the risk/reward for doxy in asymptomatic dogs is not clear. And in all likelihood the next time you test them after the treatment they will still test positive on the qualitative (that is 'yes or no' rather than 'how much') test.

As an aside, when my son had acne the dermatologist out him on a tetracycline, I don't know which one, for a year and a half. I didn't like this at all, but you can imagine how much luck dad has telling mom the doctor is wrong when her son is unwell. -Dr.Mac