TABLE 19-5.
Antimicrobial Drugs Dosages Used in Foals in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
| DRUG | DOSE | ROUTE | FREQUENCY | COMMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amikacin sulfate | 25–30 mg/kg | IV* | s.i.d. | Requires therapeutic drug monitoring: peak >60; trough <2 |
| Ampicillin trihydrate | 20 mg/kg | p.o. | t.i.d. | Poor absorption noted in foals >2–3 weeks of age. |
| Sodium ampicillin | 50–100 mg/kg | IV | q.i.d. | — |
| Amoxicillin trihydrate | 20–30 mg/kg | p.o. | t.i.d. | Poor absorption noted in foals >2–3 weeks of age. |
| Cefotaxime | 50–100 mg/kg | IV | q.i.d. | — |
| Cefuroxime (Ceftin) | 30 mg/kg/day | p.o. | b.i.d., t.i.d. | Total daily dose is divided into 10 mg/kg t.i.d. or 15 mg/kg b.i.d. |
| Cephalexin | 10 mg/kg | p.o. | q.i.d. | — |
| Ceftiofur (Naxcel) | 10 mg/kg | IV | q.i.d. | Give slowly over 20 minutes as double-diluted volume in 0.9% saline. |
| Chloramphenicol palmitate | 50 mg/kg | p.o. | q.i.d. | Public health concerns |
| Chloramphenicol succinate | 10–25 mg/kg | IV | q.i.d. | Public health concerns |
| Enrofloxacin | 2.5–10 mg/kg | IV, p.o. | s.i.d. | Chondropathy and arthropathy reported in foals. |
| Erythromycin stearate | 20–30 mg/kg | p.o. | t.i.d. to q.i.d. | Avoid warm temperatures and high humidity. Colitis reported in dams of foals receiving this drug. |
| Erythromycin lactiobionate | ∼5 mg/kg | IV | Every 4–6 hours | — |
| Gentamicin sulfate | 8.8 mg/kg | IV | s.i.d. | Requires therapeutic drug monitoring: peak >40; trough <2 |
| Imipenem | 10–20 mg/kg | IV | q.i.d. | Seizures reported as adverse reaction. |
| Metronidazole | 15 mg/kg | p.o., as needed | q.i.d. | Anorexia can occur. |
| 25 mg/kg | b.i.d. | |||
| Potassium penicillin Sodium penicillin | 20,000–50,000 U/kg | IV | q.i.d. | Give potassium penicillin slowly over 5 to 10 minutes. |
| Rifampin | 5 mg/kg | p.o. | b.i.d. | Always administer with second antimicrobial because of rapid development of resistance. |
| Ticarcillin | 50–100 mg/kg | IV | q.i.d. | — |
| Ticarcillin and clavulonic acid (Timentin) | 50–100 mg/kg | IV | q.i.d. | — |
| Trimethoprim-sulfonamide | 30 mg/kg | p.o. | b.i.d. | — |
| Fluconazole | 8 mg/kg loading; 4 mg/kg | p.o. | b.i.d. | — |
IV, Intravenous.
Adapted from Palmer JE: Neonatal drug doses. Proceedings of the sixth International Veterinary Emergency Critical Care Symposium, San Antonio, Tex., 2000.
© 2004
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