Levofloxacin for Dogs: How to treat Staph Infection in Dogs?
Levofloxacin is an antibiotic medication that is used for the treatment of infectious diseases caused by bacteria. It's a strong antibacterial medication and could easily treat staph infection in dogs caused by a gram-positive bacteria i.e. "staphylococcus aureus".
Generic levofloxacin belongs to quinolones (a group of antibiotics) and works by stopping the over-growth (over-replication) of bacterial cells.
A pet may develop a staph infection on the body or upper respiratory tract if it has a weak immune system, or has an injury.
Staphylococcus (bacteria) remains in dogs' bodies (usually in the lungs and on the skin) without causing any harm. If a pet is taking steroidal mediation, immunosuppressants, or has a cut or injury that could lead them to the development of staph infection.
Levofloxacin (a fluoroquinolone antibiotic medication) should be the first choice for treating bacterial disease caused by staphylococcus aureus bacteria.
Staphylococcus (Genus) has more than 25 types of bacteria where staphylococcus aureus is more prominent.
This is a gram-positive bacteria and causes serious infections on the skin. Levofloxacin has a different mechanism of action and chemical structure from other antibiotics including macrolides, cephalosporins, beta-lactam, penicillin, and aminoglycoside antibiotics.
Levofloxacin stops staphylococcus over-growth and replication by inhibiting its topoisomerase IV and DNA gyrase enzymes. Both enzymes are involved in DNA replication, repair, recombination, and transcription.
It works great against bacteria (i.e. Staphylococcus aureus) that are resistant to other antibiotics.
Staphylococcus bacteria causes life-threatening infections of the skin, heart, lungs, bones, and muscles. It's a contagious disease and could move from one living organism to another (very smoothly).
Antibiotics are used for the treatment of infectious diseases caused by a staph infection. Below is the list of some popular skin infections that develop commonly because of staph;
Impetigo: painful red sores on the skin.
Boils: a pus pocket commonly develops in the oil gland or hair follicles
Cellulitis: inflammation of the skin cells, causes redness, and swelling on the skin.
Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome: it causes peeling over a large part of the body
These (impetigo, staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome, cellulitis, boils) are fatal and life-threatening skin infections. If left untreated may lead a dog to death. They are highly contagious and commonly need a strong antibiotic treatment for healing.
Levofloxacin could be used for the treatment of all of these skin disorders (bacterial infections) that are caused by staphylococcus. It efficiently treats the symptoms of these infections and may surely help to recover fast.
Untreated staph infection of the skin can be fatal as the infectious bacteria may enter into the bloodstream (the condition is called, "bacteremia"). Once bacteria get to enter the body's bloodstream they could travel throughout the body and may harm the heart, liver, kidneys, brain, bones, muscles, and other organs of the body.
Common symptoms of bacteremia disease are fever and low blood pressure. A dog may die within hours few days if staph bacteria enter the bloodstream. Strong antibiotic treatment is suggested for this condtion.
A veterinarian may suggest a fda-approved antibiotic to a pet or may go for the extra-label or off-label antibacterial medication (drugs that are not FDA-approved for dogs). It depends on a dog's condition and response to a specific drug.
Levofloxacin is no an FDA-approved medication to treat infectious diseases in animals. However, some veterinarians suggest it (as an extra-label medication) for the treatment of staphylococcus infection because of its high efficacy and good feedback.
Below is the list of FIVE (05) Food and Drug Administration approved (strong) antibacterial drugs that are used for dogs;
Simplicef (cefpodoxime proxetil)
Clavamox (amoxicillin trihydrate and clavulanate potassium)
Albon (sulfadimethoxine)
Baytril (enrofloxacin)
Zeniquin (marbofloxacin)
All the above drugs are used for the treatment of soft tissue infections, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, stomach infections, skin infections, ears/nose infections, periodontal disease, gingivitis, and other infections where bacteria is the main culprit.
The above antibiotics are broad-spectrum and are effective against a huge range of gram-negative, gram-positive (staph bacteria), aerobics, and anaerobic. bacteria.
Staph infection may cause infectious disorders of the skin (impetigo, cellulitis, boils) in dogs. Staphylococcus aureus is the main culprit that causes staph infection in pets. It remains present on their skin and causes infection when a dog's immune system gets compromised or suppressed or has an injury.
Antibiotics are used for the treatment of staph infection. Levofloxacin is a fluoroquinolone (a group of antibiotics), has a different chemical structure & mechanism of action than other antibiotic drugs i.e. macrolides, aminoglycosides, penicillins, etc.
Levofloxacin works better than all other available antibiotics for staph infection in dogs. It stops the replication of bacterial cells by inhibiting the DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV enzymes.
Other antibiotics for the treatment of staph infection in pets are Simplicef (cefpodoxime proxetil: a third-generation cephalosporin), Zeniquin (marbofloxacin), Clavamox (amoxicillin trihydrate and clavulanic acid combination), etc.
Antibiotics are the only way of treating infectious diseases in dogs. If staph infection is left untreated it may result in life-threatening events.
An untreated staphylococcus infection may cause bacteremia disease, a disease when bacteria enter the body and cause other organs of the body (liver, heart, bones, kidneys, muscles) to sick and affected.