Kennel cough is a highly contagious disease in canine. It can be spread through contaminated air, water, food, polluted objects/toys, and through direct contact with other infected dogs. It’s also known as tracheobronchitis, which means the inflammation or swelling of trachea (windpipe), voice box (larynx), and bronchial tubes of the lungs. Most dogs recover this disease without any medication but younger puppies (below six months old) or other immunocompromised canines need to visit a veterinarian. In the following article, I would deeply inform you How Cefpodoxime proxetil treats kennel cough in dogs?.
Kennel cough symptoms include constant and persistent cough which sounds like a goose honk noise. Other symptoms are runny nose, fever, chest congestion, difficulty in breathing, anorexia (loss of appetite), weight loss, and watery eyes, etc.
Contents
What Is Cefpodoxime Proxetil Used For?
Simplicef film-coated tablets are the product of Zoetis Pharmaceuticals private limited. Its generic name is cefpodoxime proxetil, a broad-spectrum, third-generation cephalosporin, FDA (Food and Drug Administration located in the USA) approved, a highly effective veterinary antibiotic drug that is suggested for kennel cough treatment by most veterinarians.
The cefpodoxime proxetil chemical composition is effective against a huge list of bacterial infections including kennel cough. It kills all types of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria by damaging their cell walls. Simplicef inhibits bacterial cell wall synthesis. Hence, stops bacterial over-growth and over-population.
How Simplicef Treat Kennel Cough In Dogs?
Cefpodoxime proxetil the main ingredient in these tablets is effective against bacterial infectious diseases where the bacteria are responsible. It does not treat viral infections or other parasitic diseases. But it can be used to treat secondary bacterial infections in the dog’s bodies caused by viruses, parasites, parazoans, and insect bites.
Kennel Cough Causes In Dogs
A dog may develop a tracheobronchitis disease through bacteria, viruses, or both of them. Bordetella Bronchiseptica is the bacterium, which is mostly responsible for kennel cough in canine. But viruses like adenovirus, reovirus, parainfluenza virus, and distemper may also cause this disease in canine. Sometimes canine develop this infection through the activity of both bacteria (Bordetella) and viruses (including adenovirus, distemper, or others).
The bacteria and virus may enter your dog’s body through contaminated or polluted air when your dog inhales or take a breath. The pets whose immune system is not strong against these pathogens, they may cause infectious diseases like tracheobronchitis.
Diagnosis
A Vet may diagnosis tracheobronchitis or kennel cough in dogs by taking an X-ray of chest area including lungs. Your dog’s veterinarian may also suggest some blood tests of your pet and bacterial culture test to identify the type of infection. Most of the time, a bacterium Bordetella Bronchiseptica is found to cause tracheobronchitis in canine. But bacterial culture test provides the exact information about the cause of tracheobronchitis disease in your pet.
Vaccination
Although, a kennel cough vaccine is available for dogs to prevent the tracheobronchitis disease (the inflammation of windpipe, voice box, and bronchial tubes) in canine that is caused by a bacteria called Bordetella Bronchiseptica. The vaccination is available in three dosage forms:
- One is administered orally or through the mouth.
- The second is administered through the nose or directed as a nasal mist.
- Thrid is an injectable form.
The vaccination is done yearly or after every six months periods (especially for puppies). It gives support against susceptible bacteria but it cannot provide 100% protection against kennel cough in canine. The dogs who have done the vaccination course may also develop tracheobronchitis (swelling of windpipe, larynx, and bronchial tubes).
Best Antibiotic Treatment For Bordetella Bronchiseptica
A veterinarian may decide whether it’s essential to use an antibiotic treatment for your dog’s kennel cough or not. Because dogs who have a strong and healthy immune system may recover without taking any kind of medication. But young puppies (below six months), aged dogs and who have a weak immune system which is not fully developed or is compromised, need strong antibiotic medication to prevent further complications that may lead to pneumonia and other life-threatening diseases.
I can provide a list of antibacterial generics that could be used to treat kennel cough in dogs. As Clavamox (amoxicillin trihydrate_clavulanate potassium) veterinary antibiotic, Zeniquin (Marbofloxacin), and Rilexine (Cephalexin), and Simplicef (Cefpodoxime proxetil) are some effective antibiotics to treat kennel cough (a respiratory disease) in canine and feline.
Simplicef (cefpodoxime proxetil) tablets, available in 100mg and 200mg tablets form, is the best antibacterial treatment to kill and restrict the over-population of bacterium Bordetella Bronchiseptica (which is responsible for tracheobronchitis in dogs).
Bordetella Bronchiseptica affects the respiratory system as it swells the bronchial tubes of lungs, as well as voice box (larynx) and windpipe (trachea). It is gram-negative bacteria which has rod-shape. Simplicef medication can kill it by disrupting its cell wall or by stopping its cell wall synthesis. The cell wall is the outermost layer of a cell. Cefpodoxime proxetil, a third-generation antibiotic drug effectively treat kennel cough in dogs.
Simplicef Dosage For Kennel Cough
A veterinarian would suggest the exact recommended dose of Simplicef tablet (cefpodoxime proxetil) to treat kennel cough (a respiratory tract infection caused by Bordetella bronchiseptica) in canine and feline. But the recommended dose of cefpodoxime for tracheobronchitis is a minimum of 2.3mg/lb to a maximum of 4.5mg/lb or a minimum of 5mg/kilograms to a maximum of 10mg/kilograms per day (24 hours).
It means the recommended dose for a 10lb (pounds) puppy should be between 23mg to 45mg per day. You can comment below to get the exact dosage plan for your pet. The overdosage of this medication is not in your dog’s beneficiary. The overdose and hypersensitivity to cefpodoxime proxetil may lead to some serious adverse reactions including vomiting, diarrhea, skin rashes, swelling on the face or other parts of the body, nausea, abdominal pain, and cramps, etc.
Recovery Timeline After Using Simplicef For Tracheobronchitis
A kennel cough treatment with antibiotics like Simplicef (cefpodoxime proxetil) should be administered for at least 3 weeks. The tracheobronchitis (inflammation of voice box, windpipe, and bronchial tubes of lungs) is a chronic respiratory disease of canine and feline. It may take more than 4 weeks to fully recover depends upon the situation and the severity of the bacterial infection. If you don’t see improvement within the first three days of using cefpodoxime, it is suggested to revisit your dog’s veterinarian and consult about it.
Simplicef is an effective antibacterial composition that provides guaranteed fast results against a broad range of infectious diseases caused by bacteria. Simplicef can be used to treat kennel cough in dogs and cats as well as other bacterial infections of the urinary tract, respiratory tract, ear, nose, eyes, skin, digestive tract, wounds, periodontal disease, and all types of soft tissue infections.
Some Precautions and Storage Guidelines
It’s safe to keep Simplicef tablets at room temperature below 25 degrees celsius. Keep all medicine out of the reach of children. Store in a cool and dry place. Do not exceed the recommended/suggested dose. Never give a double dose to your dog (if you forgot a dose). See the expiry of medicine before using it. Protect from direct exposure to sunlight, heat, and moisture.
0 Comments