So recently my dog split his nail in two, and the next day a lump appeared on his leg.
We took him to the vet, who charged £83 to drain the lump, some antibiotics and a bandage for his foot.
Hes been on 3/4 of a Nisamox 500mg tablet twice daily, but havent been able to give him the second one last night, because hes stopped eating
usually, he eats like a pig, anything at all
but lately, since hes been on the tablets my dad said he must have had worms and the pills killed them off, which reduced his appetite
but he had one tin of dog food for breakfast yesterday and nothing since
Ive tried feeding him sausage meat, cooked gammon and chicken
usually he would have scoffed it but nothing!
Hes also sleeping a lot more than usual, and not as energetic as he would be

do these sound like normal side effects of Nisamox, or another problem?
he has about 2 doses of the tablets left if we can get him to eat them
the lump seems to be disappearing and his nail is better, is it safe to discontinue the tablets?

Hi,

Thesre are the listed contr-indication and side effects of Nisamox.

Contra-indications, warnings, etc
FOR ANIMAL TREATMENT ONLY
Do not use in rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters or gerbils. Caution is advised in the use in any other very small herbivores. Do not use in animals with known hypersensitivity to penicillin or other substances of the beta-lactam group. Do not use in animals with serious dysfunction of the kidneys accompanied by anuria and oliguria. Do not use where resistance to this combination is known to occur. Hypersensitivity reactions unrelated to dose can occur with these agents. Allergic reactions (e.g. skin reactions, anaphylaxia) may occasionally occur. In case of allergic reaction, the treatment should be withdrawn. Gastro-intestinal symptoms (diarrhoea, vomiting) may occur after administration. In animals with hepatic and renal failure, the dosing regime should be carefully evaluated. Dogs and cats diagnosed with Pseudomonas infections should not be treated with this antibiotic combination. Do not administer to horses and ruminating animals. Use during pregnancy and lactation: Use only according to the benefit/risk assessment by the responsible veterinarian. Chloramphenicol, macrolides, sulfonamides and tetracyclines may inhibit the antibacterial effect of penicillins because of the rapid onset of bacteriostatic action. The potential for allergic cross-reactivity with other penicillins should be considered. Penicillins may increase the effect of aminoglycosides.
Withdrawal period: Not applicable.
Operator warnings: Penicillins and cephalosporins may cause hypersensitivity (allergy) following injection, inhalation, ingestion or skin contact. Hypersensitivity to penicillins may lead to cross-reactions to cephalosporins and vice versa. Allergic reactions to these substances may occasionally be serious. Do not handle this product if you know you are sensitised, or if you have been advised not to work with such preparations. Handle this product with great care to avoid exposure, taking all recommended precautions. If you develop symptoms following exposure such as a skin rash, you should seek medical advice and show the doctor this warning. Swelling of the face, lips or eyes or difficulty with breathing are more serious symptoms and require urgent medical attention. Wash hands after use.

The manufacturer's recommended dosage is 12.5mg/kg twice daily, so the dose you are giving is that advised for a dog weighing 30 kg - about 70 lbs, which is a very large dog.. The treatment should be maintained for at least 5 days.

I hope that this helps.

W




Date updated: 6 July 2007

I read through all of that and none of this applies to him
its so wierd, he usually gobbles everything up

is it possible for animals to get a 24 hr bug or a stomach upset?
he seems really down and sad, and has only managed a few small cubes of chicken and some water, both of which we practically had to force feed him!

i tried the suggestion of boiled rice and skinless boneless chicken but he was having none of it, its now 22:15 wednesday night and he hasnt had a proper meal since roughly 09:00 tuesday morning, do you think his appetite and energy will return on its own?

thanks so much for your help

Hi,

You do not say if the dosage recommended is right for your dog, and if he is getting too much it may well be causing nausea and putting him off his food.

W

he isnt a big dog, hes about knee high (im 5"5)
hes quite strong, and is heavy for his size

the pills are 500mg, so we are giving him 375mg of a pill, twice a day!
he definatly doesnt weigh 70lbs - 5 stone?
otherwise i dont think we'd be able to pick him up or anything

he hasnt had a pill since wednesday morning, as i cant get him to have any food to take it with

Hi,

I am sorry, but I cannot assess your dog's weight on the infomration that he is ' knee high and heavy for his size'. Do you have any bathroom scales - if so, weigh your self, then stand on the scale holding the dog, weigh again, and the difference if the weight of the dog!

If he has been grossly overdosed, it may well be the Nisamox which is making him ill - stop it, and if he is not improving in 48 hours take him back to your vet and question the dosage.

W

Hi
My Dogs have just been prescribed nisamox as they both have kennel cough. The effect has been that both are sleeping alot and don't seem to be eating at the moment. I guess this is just a side effect.

Hi,

Nisamox is a very potent combination of steroid and antibiotics, and modern thinking is against prescribing it for a relatively simple infection like kennel cough.
However, it should do no harm in the individual case, but I do not think that the lassitude is likely to be a result of the treatment - steroids generally have a euphoric effect, not a sedative one.

W

Hi my little Chihuahua weighing 3kg has bitten part of her tongue off and been given Nisamox 50mg twice a day she is 12 yrs old is this dose safe for her ?

Yes