Please be very careful about giving your dog the antibiotic Keflex (cephalexin). The vet prescribed it for our dog to treat an infected hotspot. One week later he’s lame in the hindquarters, weak and in pain.
This is, apparently, a common reaction to Keflex and a known side-effect of the medication in dogs.
Keflex, though widely-prescribed for dogs, is an Off label medication. It hasn’t been FDA approved for use in dogs, and therefore has never been fully-tested for use in dogs. The vet who prescribed this drug for our Bernese Mt. Dog had never heard of the lameness as a side-effect, in part because the side effect is rare, but also because the medication is canine-tested only in the field. The information on Psuedo HOD Polyneuropathy (the official name for this condition) is coming from breeders and other pure-bred owners who have seen this reaction in their pure breeds.
I just wanted everyone else out there to be aware.
—
Update: For those who find this page while searching for terms like such as weak hindquarters, lame hindlegs, paralysis and all the other terms I used when doing research I decided to add a progress diary.
Day 1: Wednesday
Dog was anorectic and non responsive, with a lot of roaching (pronounced curvature of the spine). Discontinued antibiotic, continued previously prescribed Prednisone 20mg 1/day.
Day 2: Thursday
Dog weaker, still anorectic. Responsive to normal trigger words and phrases (“go for ride”; “guys”; “would you like a treat?”). Roaching still pronounced, with abdomen slighly distended. A visit to the veternarian ruled out bloat. The vet examined the dog manually and diagnosed possible Spondolyitis–arthritis and bony growth of the lower spine. I told the vet the roaching had been seen previously in the dog when he was dealing with gastric issues and that I suspected Keflex side-effects of gastric upset. The vet advised 24 hours NPO followed with a continued course of cortisone. While at the vet’s office the dog eagerly ate hand-fed treats, leading me to suspect either the positioning or type of food he had at home was unappetising.
Day 3: Friday
Dog making whimpering noises while he breathes, drooling excessively. Having a hard time without food and water. At 22 hours NPO decided to give the dog coritsone, food and drink. Dog eagerly took 1 dose of cortisone camoflaged in cream cheese, followed by limited water. Three hours after dosing the dog eagerly ate scrambled eggs. Still very lame in hindquarters and demanding constant attention.
Day 4: Saturday
Internet research confirms that pseudo HOD is a known reaction to Keflex, seen mostly in large breeds with more esoteric breedlines. (In short, this happens mostly to pedigreed dogs with tightly controlled breedlines like Bernese Mt. Dogs and Great Danes. It doesn’t happen all that often at all in mixed-breeds.) Internet advice confirms the best treatment is corticosterioids and bed rest. I can find no set length of recovery times, ranging from 3 days to 16 weeks. Titrated up the cortisone to 2x daily. Higher dose seems to have better effect. The dog’s aspect is clear and bright, but hind legs are still lame.
The dog doesn’t seem to be in any pain; the issue seems to be more neuropathic–as if his back end were “asleep”. Since he is not in pain, but more discouraged from the lack of limb function, I’ve decided to give him periodic exercise to prevent atrophy and bedsores. I walk him short distances every 3 hours.
Day 5: Sunday
The dog is much improved, moves around better and has fully regained his appetite. He still has some lameness in the hindquarters–I think we’re looking at a longer recovery time than the earliest estimate of “three to five days”.
Day 6: Monday
I had reduced the cortisone dosage on the advice of the vet to one pill every 24 hours. This seems to cause the dog some discomfort. Stepping the cortisone back up to 2 pills every 24 hours and handfeeding the dog to make sure of maximum nutrition. We are still taking brief walks in order to preserve long term limb function. He is drinking a lot of water–a side effect of the cortisone–and therefore he’s peeing a lot. Sadly, he has been having to pee in a modified squat. Monday, Day 6, was the first day he was able to pee while lifting his leg, in the traditional “boy dog” stance.
Day 7: Tuesday
Breakfast of scrambled eggs and oatmeal, followed by lots of water. The dog slept peacefully for 4 hours following his morning dose of cortisone–an improvement. His sleep over the last few days has been marred by much whining and yipping of discomfort. At noon he went outside for his usual evacuation, and was able to pee twice with his leg lifted, and defecated. (Moving his bowels presents more of a challenge given the problems with hind-end posture.) He is eating some kibble again and drinking liberally. His noon walking time had fewer stumbles and more upright time.
Will he improve after the drug gets out of his system??
Yikes. I hope your dog is okay once the meds are out.
Thanks for sharing that. I’ll remember should I have to take my Georgia to the vet.
I hope your doggie is OK.
I don’t know if he will get better or not. I’m hopeful. The treatment is 2-3 days of prednisone, which we’re doing faithfully. Theoretically at that point he should be better. If he’s not, I’ll be a basketcase anyway.
Hello, I know it has been years since this was written and I doubt anyone will see this but I found this page by looking up “allergic reactions to Cephalexin in dogs”. Our 1 year old Golden Retriever was prescribed this on Friday 9/09/22 for a presumed UTI / bacterial infection. First dosage was given Saturday 9/10/22 at 3:45 am. He was prescribed 250 mg pills, 3 pills at a time, 2x per day. By Sunday 9/11/22 at 7:00 pm, we noticed he was in severe distress and was panting a lot but most what stood out to us what his back legs shaking. He seemed absolutely miserable but we thought the shaking was from pain. We gave him CBD oil and have just tried to make him comfortable. We called his vet on Monday and emailed a video of him shaking and in distress and she said he “looked fine” and that it “just looked like a muscle spasm” without acknowledging that this didn’t happen until after we started this medication. Monday night we noticed that as soon as we gave him his evening dosage, the shaking episode and fatigue returned. We decided we were no longer going to give it to him and that we would see another vet to get a second opinion. It is now Tuesday 9/13/22 and the shaking in his legs is getting worse so we came to an emergency vet clinic. The vet here has said that Cephalexin is commonly prescribed without issues and that he “looks fine” as he is sitting there panting and shaking. We requested a re-do of blood work + an ultrasound so we have to wait for those results.
There’s been a push to get the government to put a black box warning on this drug for dogs but I’m not sure how far it’s gotten. You may want to go to the FDA’s website and find where to put this reaction on their website. I believe it’s the FDA responsible for that warning. If they aren’t going to take it off market for dogs, they need to at least put a warning on it.
I 100% agree with you. I understand that essentially no medication is risk free but we need to be aware what those risks are so we can make informed decisions.
Sorry to hear about your Golden Retriever.
In December of 2021 our black lab Yuma (age 14) was given Cephalexin for a hot spot on her left front leg. After the second dosage she lost control of her rear legs and was in severe discomfort. It also affected her mind. We called the vet that treated her and he said he didn’t think it was the result of the Cephalexin. We immediately stopped given her the meds and started with heavy doses of liquids. It took her about a month to return to normal. She had a few good months then we had to put her down in May 2021. It’s hard to say if the Cephalexin cut her life short as she was 14. Hopefully your Golden Retriever will make a full recovery being so young. I’d recommend being patient and watch for signs of improvement over the next few weeks.
On a side note: I looked at some human side affects from this drug on various web sites. Being that I’m now 70, I will NOT take this drug.
Doug, I am so sorry to hear about your black lab and that she also suffered because of this medication. Charlie is doing better, thank you! I’ve experience the same as you .. both the vet that prescribed this medication to Charlie and the vet I took him to treat him for the reactions to the medication deny that the Cephalexin caused the shaking in his hind legs and other reactions. I stopped the medication on day 3 after noticing the exact same reactions the 3 times I gave him a dose. The last time he had it was this past Monday 9/12/22, on Tuesday when he saw the new vet he still had horrible shaking, lethargy and excessive panting and thirst. I requested blood work and an ultrasound to look at his kidneys. Results came back good. I started him on a regimen of activated charcoai and pre+probiotics to help his body and his gut detox from this horrible medication. Wednesday morning when we woke up he no longer had the shaking in his back legs, appetite was good and energy levels were great. This is how I know it was the medication causing this as the symptoms didn’t show until after he started taking Cephalexin and they went away after stopping Cephalexin.
Claudia, I didn’t realize that your piece wasn’t at the end of this general thread. Please look at the end of this webpage for my comments posted just now. Thanks.
@jmarietg: I scrolled to the end but all I could locate were your comments from 12/10/2020. I could not find any recent comments you have made other this reply. Feel free to copy and paste / comment it again under mine so that I may read it.
Yes, after I posted this second reply then I noticed that the first one no longer showed. I’m just relieved to see that you stopped the Rx when you did. My comments on here actually go back to early 2018 when my sweet little 6 y/o Mama dog almost died from the Cephalexin prescribed her. The Vet at the time dismissed my concerns and insisted we finish the 3wk course, but she never would had survived 2 weeks. After a week, she would not eat, drink, nor could raise up on her hind legs. We kept her alive by forcing diluted gatorade down her throat. We changed Vets who administered mega doses of prednisone that saved her life, but even he would not hold the other Veterinarian responsible nor acknowledge the fact that 3-5% of dogs respond to this drug this way and often die. I thank God for this webpage and will forever be in debt.
I’m so happy to hear your dog survived, and so frustrated that the vets for whatever reason don’t get it. It has been said when something just doesn’t make sense “follow the money”, buy I prefer not to go there. It’s been several years now since my cocker, Lola, was almost killed from this negligence by the vet community but I’m so grateful to report that she is very happy and healthy today at 13! I won’t recant the circumstances of her brush with death but suffice it to say I am as certain of as anything I have ever known that cephalexin was the culprit and the diagnosing vet refused to accept it and I’m afraid, learn from it. Let’s keep spreading the word BEWARE!
@Jordan I am so happy to hear that your Lola is alive and thriving at the age of 13! This gives me a lot of hope ❤ It really is frustrating talking to a vet, telling them that your pet obviously didn't have these symptoms before the medication, that they only happened after the medication was given and that they subdued after the medication was stopped and still have them gaslight you and tell you its not the medication. I refuse to let them tell me otherwise and I am warning as many people as I can about this medication by telling our story. It's imperative that people know all the possible side effects/adverse reaction to a drug so we can make informed decisions.
Thank goodness you also followed your intuition and took her to another vet! I did the same and although this vet is better and is helping me get Charlie back to good standing, she also refuses to acknowledge that Cephalexin was causing these unusual reactions. Even after I sent her this website.
The vets don’t get it for whatever reason and I shutter to think it’s another case of “follow the money”. So so glad your dog survived. My cocker, Lola, who nearly died from this negligence several years ago is now very happy and healthy at 13! We have to keep spreading the word of the sometimes deadly side effects of cephalexin!!! From my first hand experience I have never been more sure of anything than cephalexin was the culprit with Lola’s near brush with death.
I think they all took vows not to rat each other out. Even the Vet who saved my dog’s life would not say anything negative about the one who almost killed her. I guess they fear getting involved in a lawsuit.
@jmarietg and yes, I agree 100% with you! I forever grateful for this page! I was starting to go crazy before I found it because I was seeing Charlie get worse and the vets were all telling me “he’s fine”. My intuition told me not to let them gaslight me and to keep digging. I am so glad I did. Charlie has an instagram account and I plan to make a video to warn others and also post it on TikTok.
Be careful about what you post; not sure you read this entire site’s worth of info, but what you post could end up grounds for legal action.
You should know that I had to look all the way to Italy to find evidence medically of this drug’s allergic response in certain dogs. That for 95% of canines, this is an excellent antibiotic. Unfortunately, for that other 5%, it can be fatal or life debilitating. The manufacturer will not allow this is possible and neither will vets. But the reaction is pretty much a constant – within 24-72 hours of 1st dose appetite will cease, within 24-48 hrs after that so does thirst. Within 2-4 days the hind quarters of the animal become Painfully tender to any touch; your baby Will cry out. Don’t wait to talk to a vet about these side effects; STOP ADMINISTERING THE DRUG IMMEDIATELY and then get tests done to access damage.
I grieve for what you and others have gone through
Thank you SO much for getting the information out there, Claudia. No doubt that you are saving more lives that way…
Oh I would be a basketcase too.. I am not a gun person but I think there would be guns involved if my dog did not get better.
Lol had to laugh at the comment about the guns being involved. The prednizone that was given has the side effectt of being dehydrated for dogs. It’s been given to mine in the past and created the same kind of thirstiness in my dog so I guess it’s common. As for the leg if it does not go away then my council would be to get another opinion from another vet who at that point may need to introduce some kind of leg and joint med so that he is not in pain. My baby is about 11 and just a Sr. nothing I can do about that except keep him comfortable and make sure he is not in pain…the pain can be managed. I make sure he get’s out of bed in the morning and walks outside to pee just so that he get’s his legs circulating and then we take a slow walk in the park in the evening so it helps to make sure the dog get’s exercise for the joints and mobility. Prayers and hugs to you. You sound like a good mom. Blessings.
Guns? That’s a bit over the top. I can understand being upset about adverse effects of drugs, but that’s unfortunately a risk we have to take with *any* medicine- in humans or animals. I don’t know if your healthcare providers would really appreciate that lol.
I’m so sorry, Kat. I would be livid, I know. My vet was one of those who always prescribed amoxicillin for everything, dog or cat, and I don’t think we ever had anything else since I’ve had dogs, but I certainly will speak up if that if ever suggested with mine. I can only imagine how you are feeling right now and I hope to goodness he gets better soon.
Reba – nice thing to be talking about guns when everyone is hoping and praying that the dog does get better.
Keflex is not the only antibiotic that you have to worry about with dogs there are a couple of them that are very dangerous if given or over prescribed.
Most vets. are very carefull with what they prescribe also the dosage of medication given.
Hope that he gets better.
[…] Katherine Coble For those interested, I’ve added information on my dog’s progress in the original entry. I’m doing this to keep those informed who otherwise wouldn’t be, but I’m also […]
So sorry to hear that! I know how you must feel. We place so much trust in vets to make our babies better that it’s heartbreaking to see them suffer anyway. I wish your doggie a full recovery!
I sure hope he’s much better soon. Thanks for the alert on this. I’d never heard of it, and I’ve had a LOT of dogs. Keep up the progress reports.
how sad! what a horrible experience! dogs are such a blessing and and i can’t imagine having to go through that. my puppy maggie and i send our love!!!
OH man! I hope your pup is gonna be ok! Scarey that a med that should help is causing such problems.
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Thank you for posting your experience. I found this page by searching “My dog is drinking excessive water after antibiotic” and then was shocked to see that the antibiotic that your dog was on was the same that was given to my dog.
My dog (german shep) had a rash like spot under her arm that she wouldnt stop licking (for about 2-3 days). It was very red and sore. I decided to take her to the vet for whatever to get her healthy faster.
Vet said it was allergies, and recommended a shot of antibiotic, a cream and gave me a bottle of Cephalexin. I religiously gave to my dog twice a day and noticed she was drinking a ton of water from the first day. I didnt do anything until the 4th or 5th day where we had to refill all three bowls in the house like twice a day. She will just drink until the entire bowl is gone (like at least 16 ounces!). then she’d pee a lot of course. Then she vomit a few times.
Something gave me the impression i should quit the antibiotic…. and I did. She stopped vomitting. Her sore has been cleared up for days now (like one day after i left the vet it was better), and her drinking is still a lot.
I would take her to the vet but frankly dont trust them anymore. Everytime i go it seems they throw all the meds at me in a big guess. I prefer my dog be healthy naturally.
Does anyone have suggestions what the excessive water might be. Could a dog develop diabetes from 3 days of antibiotics? Should i wait til it just gets out of her system? If so, how long til it does?
She has no other symptoms. Shes pretty regular in every other way (her eating is fine and shes still her self, except just drinks lots of water)>
thanks!
Hi Liberty,
Wow I know how you feel about vets…I don’t want to throw them all in the same heap together but I’ve been through some doozies with them recently but getting back to your baby…antibiotics cause dogs to drink lots of water at least that is my experience. I’ve had cocker spaniels with ear infections and it’s common with this breed and every time an antibiotic is prescribed it’s to be expected…I woudn’t be too alarmed because in actuality the very best things for a dog is water. I think they get dehydrated like we do sometimes and it sounds like the stuff is still in his system and in time he will be back to normal. If’ he’s pooping and his appetite is good don’t be too worried just be watchful and I just bet his drinking will go back to normal…could be other factors ie: is it hot in your climate, is his exercise more lately?
Blessings.
I know these posts are old, but I thought I’d reply in case anyone still reads them (if I found this, others will). I am certain that your dog was drinking excessively because the “antibiotic shot” the vet gave your dog was probably a long-lasting corticosteroid shot like vetalog/triamcinolone. Any steroid has common side effects of increased drinking, increased urination, increased appetite, and panting. Cephalexin commonly causes vomiting, especially when given on an empty stomach. Some dogs can be sensitive to it and can’t take it because of the upset stomach.
Get the homeopathic remedy Nux Vomica 30c in a medicinal solution. Tap the bottle ten times, place one teaspoon in 7 tablespoons of water, stir briskly about five times and give to your dog.
If no improvement next day, repeat above.
The moment there’s the slightest improvement, don’t give any more.
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I just lost my Weimaraner named Parker just a couple of hours after giving her the first dose of Cephalexin. She was just seen by the vet yesterday and was giving it for a skin rash. She was suppose to get 500mg every 8 hours but she never made it to second dose.
I’m glad I stumbled across this, but wish I had a few days sooner. We took in a 10 yr old lab mix who had a slight cough with some spit up. Since he was older and the cough was getting worse and he’d been kenneled then lived in a car before we got him, we were worried and took him to the vet. The vet prescribed Cephalexin “just in case” it was kennel cough, so it did not spread to our other two much younger dogs. We had a 7 day supply and by the 4th day we noticed the dog was losing appetite. We read on other websites that antibiotics can make a dog nauseous and lose appetite, so hoping it would pass in a day or so, we gave him his 5th and 6th day meds. Only when we noticed the almost depressed aura and his weak stature did we stop the antibiotics. Hoping his appetite would improve once we stopped the doses, we continued giving him food without success and then a couple of days after his last dose, he finally ate canned food. He ate 1/2 can the first night (2.5 days after last dose), then 1/2 can the next morning, then 3/4 can the second night (3.5 days after the last dose), and hasn’t eaten any since then (5 days since last dose, now 1.5 days again without eating). He seems to be getting slowly less healthy, very weak, having a hard time standing, urinates without lifting leg, started drooling the last night he ate, often sits with his hind legs collapsed under him and holding himself up with front legs, unfocused vision, restless to the point of lying down for only a minute or so before standing up in a single place staring off into nothingness for a few minutes, barely manages to walk on a leash whereas before he was pulling in excitement at beginning of walks.
If I had read this before it got to this point I could have started steroid treatment (we have some for our other dogs who have very bad allergies) to see if his health would improve. At this point I’m worried about the lack of eating and drinking water. We have a vet appointment today and I’m worried as this is the same vet who prescribed this drug. I would love for them to confirm it could be a side effect of the antibiotic and send him home with steroids to see if that will help. Even though we’ve only had him for a month or so, we love him and he is part of our family. It would devastate us to know our trust in the vet and lack of our own knowledge caused his suffering but as long as there is hope that he can come out of this condition we’ll keep trying.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I hope it has helped others!
Jessica, did steroids worked non your dog?
As far as I’m Now concerned, NO DOG SHOULD BE GIVEN THIS DRUG (CEPHALEXIN) !! I have a 10-yr. old male Samoyed who, other than allergies, has always been a happy, healthy dog. Last yr., he was down & blue, his girlfriend had died a couple months earlier. Took him to the vet who diagnosed a virus. Gave me a two week protocol of this drug. Within hours, his mood soured, he cried out in pain, stopped eating, but I thought this would pass as his system got used to the drug.
A month after this, he still hadn’t recovered. Took him to the vet who ran a senior profile on him (9 at the time) and told me he had kidney & liver damage, probably from something foul in the yard he ate. I blamed generic dog food since it was only a yr. since the melamine scandal. He said he had 2-4 weeks maybe.
I started doing online research and started a protocol of low-grade proteins, egg whites, rice and yams, all organic. Gave him salmon oil, Vit E, 30 mg of CQ10 and a blood pressure pill aimed towards his intestines. He rallied really well. (Screw Prescriptives diet, that was killing him too)
Took him back to the smart-ass vet who said he wouldn’t take responsibility is my dog died from my treatment. Now the prognosis, after 2 mo. of this treatment was pushed to 2 yrs.
Recently he developed a sore on his pads and red yeast stain on paws and eyes. Yogurt and ACV didn’t help after 3 weeks so back to the vet. She looked at his records, said he’d not been on Cephalexin before, I said I was sure he had. So she gave me the script. Within 4 hrs. his appetite fell off completely, he was in pain again, his mood soured and he simply wouldn’t even get up. After 3 days, I took him off it again. Went back to the vet today and while the docs weren’t there, I pushed the recept to look farther back in the records. There it was, last Dec. when he almost died. In 5 days, he’d lost 6 pounds and almost died again.
Then I looked up and found that this drug is used on dogs off-label.
AGAIN, NO ONE SHOULD GIVE THEIR DOG THIS DRUG. I’M CONVINCED THAT IT’S WHAT CAUSED HIS INTERNAL DAMAGE AND I’M GOING TO BATSH*T ON MY VET TOMORROW!! BE WARNED!!!!
Kimberlee, I was wondering if there was any further news on your Sammy.
Update on Bobo The Magnificent (also known as a Samoyed, LOL):
Well, it’s 10 months past the latest date given by the vet previous to my Muscatine vet that he was supposed to die. We moved about 6 hours east from there back in July and, at that point, his energy and appetite were becoming poor. I had his new 58 lb. frame (most of his life he was slightly overweight at 64) checked in Aug. by a new vet (actually, a much older vet than I would’ve liked) who said he was failing badly and quickly, had advanced anemia and, quite probably, testicular cancer. He said he wouldn’t even try to operate since with that anemia, he’d probably never come out of the anesthesia. AGAIN it was insisted upon that I rely on K-D diet and that he wouldn’t take responsibility if my dog failed without it.
AND AGAIN (LOL) I REFUSED to pay any attention.
I took him home. The one think he did suggest that I saw no problem with was 10mg famotidine daily to help his tummy. It was also mentioned that this could somehow help with the anemia, though I don’t recall what he said about that.
Funny thing is – – about 2 days after going to the vet, he perked right up again. Started eating his dry Candidae again though he wouldn’t touch their canned food anymore. Wonder why,
But he would eat anything that looked like stew. Don’t know why, maybe because we started eating with him instead of in different rooms and he just liked the way our food looked better. But he won’t eat anything that looks like pate anymore.
Then, about a month ago, we had to go out of town, take him with us, and had to leave him for the night for two nights in our old garage. Don’t know what happened, but he lost his energy and appetite again. Tried to go back to that vet, but he was out that day so I went to his back-up person who told me after looking at his creatinine levels that he had 10 days to 2 weeks. She said a very kidney diseased dog shows at something like 5-7.5, her reading machine went to 13.5, and that Bobo’s number was beyond what she could read. She said he’d lose more energy and appetite and finally go into a coma.
Yeah – right. Bobo didn’t get the memo I guess. I took him home and fed him raw, grass-fed ground beef and his new favorite, watermelon. After 5 days of that, he got his full appetite back and more energy than I’d seen in a year!
So who knows anymore? Every day we still have him is a gift and we don’t take him forgranted. He is never left alone for more than 4 hrs. anymore, and sometimes that’s a hassle, but definitely worth it.
He plays, initiates play, takes us for a drag (damn, he’s still so strong), still sings to us, and eats us out of house & home.
Definitely worth it. And thank you so much for asking.
Wow, found this page by accident. My vet just prescribed Keflex 500mg twice a day. I am an RN and this is a dose that I myself have been on. My 2.5 year old mixed breed girl Mia is thought to have some infected flea bites. She got her 3rd dose this evening and funny I said to my husband tonite that Mia isnt acting like herself. Now I am wondering if the antibiotic is causing this change. Well I am not taking any chances. I am stopping the tx and I will watch her skin for signs of any progression. I will find something natural for her. Glad I found you guys. Thanks.
Maureen,
I wish you good luck with Mia. I’m hopeful that all goes well.
When I first started looking into this issue it seemed that the largest population for contraindication was Large Purebreeds. So I’m fervently hoping that with your dog being younger, mixed breed and having her dosage stopped early that she’ll rebound quickly.
I’ve been able to treat skin infections with shaving and thrice-daily peroxide washouts. I’ve also had good luck with some other antibiotics. I’m not anti-treatment. But it’s safe to say I’m very anti-Keflex.
Good luck, and let us know how Mia is fairing.
Not to further alarm anyone, but I did feel like I should add that after 14 days of watching him deteriorate, we did have to send our beloved Berner on to wait for us.
This information is very important to all pet owners!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have a 11 year old Cocker Spaniel inwhich I took to my vet in August 2011 for a limp in the right rear leg and weight loss from 34lbs to 25 lbs the vet gave me Cephailexin 250 mg to give him 2 times a day every 8 to 12 hours apart and told me to bring him in for blood work and stool sample after 1 week. I did this for 1 month and followed his directions carefully, the next month (september 2011) my dog was loosing his hair along with scabs that was forming on his skin, in October and November I tried giving him food that did not have soybean, wheat, corn or byproducts in it expensive but it seemed to be working, I went back to my vet at the end of December, he recommended an abdominal scan which turned out ok and a skin scraping which he sent to the lab for analyzation in which Iam still waiting for results back as to the findings. he also recommend and I paid for, CEPHAILEXIN (back to antibiotics) since I read these articles I have completely stopped the antibiotics, I personally contribute my dogs back end problems to the antibiotics that I gave him.
These drugs need to be outlawed and away from animals I am very concerned that any vet would prescribe to pet owners to give this drug to there pets knowingly that it could be this dangerous to the pet this is a crime and needs to be addressed by the proper authorities!
I have to admit – I like my vet; I really do. After my knee-jerk reaction, I did a TON of research from everything from anecdotals to reading case studies done in Europe.
Apparently, MOST drugs given to dogs are OFF-label, NOT approved by the FDA for dogs, drugs. Keflex is one of these.
Yes, I did find research that talked about how 3-5% of dogs are FATALLY allergic to this drug. One of the symptoms, and my dog started to suffer from it also, is pain in the rear quarters. This is accompanied by loss of appetite, increased thirst, general pain, renal disruption and kidney damage.
My vet SWEARS she was unaware of this and after knowing how drug reps work, I believe her. She’d never intentionally hurt my Bobo. I know he’s one of her favorite patients.
I faxed her all the info sheets I came up with and she actually forwarded them to the professor of veterinary studies at Iowa State, so I know my research was good.
He’s doing better now and we have this allergy on his file. If I’d known that only certain dogs could be allergic to just certain medicines like this, I would have been watching out better for symptoms when they persisted and taken him off the drug sooner.
Took almost 5 days till he was eating again, 8 days before his rear wasn’t painful to the touch, and almost two weeeks before he was completely his old self.
He’s weaker for the experience and now won’t eat his normal food since he associates it with being sick.
As for feeding your dog more expensive foods like Blue Buffalo or Candidae, yes it is necessary for your dog to recover to keep giving him 1st-class nutrition. I too, took pride in how little money I could spend to feed my dog, but with the damage from the drug, it’s not worth it if I want him happy and healthy again.
Thanks for reading and for your concerns. It helps to have support.
I give you a world of credit for so thoroughly researching this drug! Do you happen to have any links, or sources, that you can recommend to me? Knowledge is power! Also, I wonder if adverse reactions to such drugs (for dogs) can be reported to the FDA or at least to another agency?
My two-year-old border collie was recently given 500 mg x 2 Cephlexin for skin allergies and a urinary tract infection. Although the drug almost instantly cleared up his sores, within 5 days he was vomitting. My vet said to take him off Cephlexin and wait a few day to give him another (similar) antibiotic. He was also supposed to take predisone, but I held off on that, being cautious (and am too afraid to give it too him).
However, he has continued to vomit daily even after I discontinued the Cephalexin. (He’s only on Bendryl for itchiness) He’s been off Cephalexin about 5 days and now the vomit has turned to bile, which makes me wonder if there is possible liver damage.
I had read about the bad effects of this drug, but decided it only happened in a minority of cases, so I gave it to him anyway (to my regret). But, luckily, I started off giving him only half a dose (a good practice to use before any new drug is used). He’d probablybe a lot worse right now had I given him the full dose.
Presently he eats very little, drinks lots of water, and I am worried. I hear that the effects of this drug can last a very long time, with new symptoms showing up several weeks later. Perhaps through everyone’s input and help, I hope that all dogs on this site who are sick will find a way to become quickly better.
Hi Paula,
Getting in touch with the FDA wouldn’t yield you any results anyway. Apparently, it’s common to try human medicines on animals and they’re often prescribed off-shelf like this. The FDA doesn’t really carry any credibility these days anyway, LOL!
Sorry your Border was a victim. Guess he’s part of the 5-7% like mine. I have heard when the drug works and the animal doesn’t have a reaction, that it’s gang-busters. I’m supposing the fact that we’re talking about animals is why it doesn’t seem to be a big deal about us and ours having fatal/near fatal reactions. Wish they’d get with the program. Anyways –
I got a lot of info from a site called b-naturals and looked at their diet for kidney problems and made my own dog food based on what I was able to figure out from studying the info there..
At this point, avoid foods high in sulfur (egg yolks), oatmeal for some reason exasperates the condition as does high-quality proteins like fish or lean beef.
I boil an organic chicken JUST till I can get the bones out or just barely warm some organically raised, fatty ground beef then mix that with equal parts of white rice and sweet or regular potatoes, both overcooked to mush. Then I add some ground eggshell, an 1/8th tsp. per lb., and you can get “Just Whites” in the refrig. section of the market. That I do cook with the beef just till it coagulates. For flavor, a tsp of organic sugar of some sort, honey or agave, whatever and a 1/4 tsp. of salt per lb. I make it into balls whatever size you want and then freeze. My boy actually prefers them frozen but you can defrost and feed any way you want. Also you’ll see about CoQ10 (my 60 lb takes 40mg I figured) and how salmon oil and Vit E will help retard kidney deterioration.
I’ve learned that careful nutrition CAN bring your dog back. Do go back to your vet and have the values run on a blood test to monitor how much damage your dog may have and when your vet suggests that Prescription Diet nonsense, turn him/her down. It just made my dog sicker. They still use the suggested diet from back in the 60’s/70’s, when the protocol was different. The studies I used were all from 1989 and newer.
I also found a lot of knowledge from the links pertaining to pet nutritional problems from exploring a catalogue called Only Natural Pet Store. They have a flea chip in there that I swear absolutely worked on my part-time outdoor dog. But explore the site for links to other vet’s works.
I’m not a doctor or learned person by any measure and wouldn’t say that my work is in any way professional. I was just desperate to save my boy.
Hope anything I’ve added here is helpful to some degree.
Thank you so much for this information. I’m dealing with similar problems after the Vet gave my 12-lb Chihuahua mix Cephalexin, prescribed for 21 days, after presenting with a rash and fever. She became helpless in her hind quarters within days after starting the Rx and hasn’t had an appetite for weeks now. I took her off the antibiotic 3 days ago but haven’t seen much improvement yet, if any. Wondering if she needs prednisone? Not crazy about that either. Your comment gives me hope.
Typical over-reaction from an unfortunate owner whose dog happened to be in the minority to have an uncommon severe reaction to cephalexin.
Common side-effects, affecting about one in five dogs, is vomiting and possible diarrhoea; the nausea causes excessive drinking. The hindlimb lameness is less than a one in a thousand chance, and if it does happen, certainly never give it to your dog or cat again… but you’ll find that the same animal will also likely be sensitive to penicillin-based medications as well, limiting the antimicrobial choice.
However, cephalexin is safe for the overwhelming majority of dogs and cats out there, if dosed appropriately and if dispensed by the veterinarian for the right condition. If everyone panics every time a few animals have a reaction to a medication, then no medication will ever be good enough for any pet. Be vigilant, and certainly question your vet if your dog does have an adverse reaction, but don’t then rule it out for everyone else.
Elsol
You are the typical jackass that has nothing better to do but spit your hate on everyone that’s trying to give good updated info for our pets. I have a Pit that is having the same issues and until I found this site I had no idea what was going on so Blow you grumpy liberal ass out of here and leave us loving pet owners alone. Hell you are probably one of those who hate animals or have your dog chained up in the back yard with no food or water. I’m tired of being Mr nice guy screw you!
John – I can understand your response except for one thing – Why do you seem to insist that this person is a “liberal”?
I’m a liberal but do not consider myself “grumpy”. (Although occasionally, I have been considered and consider my occasional behavior as, an “ass”.)
John,
I’m not going to be so nice. You are the jerk, and need to go back to the basement where you probably reside. If you think you have been nice then you don’t know what a nice guy is. A truly nice guy would never have talked like you did. Actually, it’s people like you that I look for to investigate for spousal abuse or in your case no spouse I’m sure, and their pets. Everyone has the right to their opinion without being threatened. Don’t ever speak to anyone like that again! Maybe you should try putting some money out and going to the vet to solve the pet’s problem. You used three vulgar profane words in a span of six sentences which tells me how ignorant you are to not have the vocabulary that a sixth grader has. If you can’t tolerate someone don’t say anything, it makes you look like a bigot.
“If everyone panics every time a few animals have a reaction to a medication, then no medication will ever be good enough for any pet.”
This what You said Elsol and I’m sorry but when Death is the reaction, then NO, perhaps it Shouldn’t be given.
I started out by DOING RESEARCH into scientific studies as well as the anecdotal. I perused over 50 sites and read them in depth. My vet doesn’t even do that!
I don’t consider 3-5% rare so much as perhaps, uncommon, but it’s still a concern. As for the lameness, my research found an Italian study where the incidence was .02%. That’s 1 dog in 200 which is also not that rare.
“Typical over-reaction from an unfortunate owner whose dog happened to be in the minority to have an uncommon severe reaction to cephalexin.”
I found this line to be patronizing and insulting.
I LOVE my dog. So do many here. Did you not see that others have LOST their beloved pets? The tone of your response seems to belittle others who are grieving.
I have heard of people whose dogs did get better on this med, but owners should be WARNED of the dangers and what to look for. Otherwise, they will simply assume that those side affects are normal to the drug. The fact is that vets should not issue this medication without warnings.
I need to correct math in this post. Incidence of .02% = 1 dog in 10,000. You got to get the numbers right.
Kimberlee, I for one am thanking you for this thread,I brought my 5 yr. old beagle to the vet for a hotspot he had behind his ear which appeared within a few hours. she shaved the area ,cleaned it then handed me a priscription for keflex.. soon after giving him the first dose he became worse (no appetite, distended stomach,major pain all over. ) as I write this I am waiting for my son to come home to help me get him in the truck to get him back to the vet,, my daughter is in there with her beloved dog crying her eyes out because she thinks he is dying. !!!! We just lost our 8 yr. old shepherd a yr. ago… I am getting quite angry at the vet right now myself… If this can be so fatal they should give you a verbal warning also. I even called them yesterday and they told me to wait until tomorrow and if he didn’t feel better to bring him in today ….I will repost and let you know how things went today…
Hi Cheryl,
Just so folks know, while I’m fairly invested in this particular thread, it is our host’s site, LOL!
As I said, this drug is supposed to be fairly safe for the majority of dogs, but the ones who do turn out to be allergic to it, do seem to be almost, if not Fatally allergic to it.
I wonder if there are any tests that could be conducted by vets to see how a dog would react to it? That would save a lot of grief. Unfortunately, it would seem that no one is going to find this thread unless they’ve encountered damage to their pet that’s already occurred.
I started off angry at my vet too, but after I calmed and realized that she was only acting on what she has been taught, we discussed it, made a note on my dog’s chart to never prescribe it again, and she learned a lesson to always warn dogs’ companions to watch for certain symptoms and quit the treatment immedialtely under her new guidelines, based on my dog’s experience.
I think this may be the best we can hope for unless so many dogs suffer from this drug that it needs to be tested again by whatever Veternary Assoc. controls that sort of thing.
Best wishes and prayers out to you.
My purebred bulldog had a course of cephalexin–had mild initial reaction–vomited twice–so i gave her half her meal, waited a while, then the rest of the meal with the pill. no more vomiting. She was more thirsty as well. During the 10 day course for an infection under her nose rope, she became weak and at the same time restless, up at night wandering around. I checked online for side effects and these were side effects. I was close to the end of the course so I finished it but she became EXTREMELY weak in the hind quarters as well as lethargic and panting. She seems to be in pain. While these symptoms seemed to lessen after 4 days off the pills, they are back now, a week later. I notified my vet and she said she had never heard of any reaction like this to cephalexin. I had them note on my dogs chart she was NEVER to take this again. Yesterday amy dog seemed to be in more pain so I am giving her a dosage of aspirin (per her weight) twice a day (as recommended by an online vet site. I am hoping time will heal.
Cephalexin killed my dog. She had a paw infection. The vet gave her an injection of Cephalexin and Cephalexin capusles (500 MG) at 2 daily. Within 48 hours she started showing weakness and then paralysis in her hind legs. I stopped the meds and took her back to the vet. Told him she was having a severe reaction to the drug and needed an antidote. They started working with her, but in the next 24 hours she was totally paralized in the hind legs. She died in her sleep 5 days after this drug was administered. She was 9 years old, large breed, half Weimeraner and Siberian Husky. All I wanted to do was clear up her infected paw, and instead I am burying her. I will never get over her death. I am convinced this drug caused it.
Perhaps we should all make copies of these pages and send them to whatever agency decides these things. At the very least, I’m going to make a copy and bring it to my vet. I know since my problems with this drug and my Bobo, she has been much more vigilant about warning patients to watch their animals when she prescribes this drug and report ANY side affects so that she can keep track and hopefully, mitigate the effects before it can do any more damage.
But I really wish they’d make a public announcement.
Thank you, everyone. There is a lot of very good advice here. My border collie recovered from taking cephlexin (thankfully, I’d only given him half the prescribed dose and the vet told me to immediately stop the drug once he began vomitting). I learned a lot from my previous beloved dog, who passed away from liver disease and nearly suffered respiratory stress after a steroid shot. I heard Injections are typically more dangerous than oral medication, and I always try for the lowest dose (learned the hard way). However, my present dog’s itchiness has returned in full fury and now he has been prescribed prednisone (which I don’t think I’ll give him; too many side-effects) and the antibiotic, “Baytril.” I guess I need to give him the antibiotic becasue he has sores all over his body from scratching (at least the cephlexin cleared up his skin, though it caused a much worse problem). Does anyone know anything about the antibiotic Baytril? Of course, we are all now afraid to give our dogs new medicines.
I’ll tell ya, Paula; you would probably be best off by just doing what I did – Google the thing, LOL! I put in the generic name, Cephalexin, and then canine to specify my search. I checked anecdotals in chat-rooms and blogs, such as this, and I checked veterinary studies and trials and read the results.
Yes, it can be difficult. I don’t have more than a year of college, but I know enough Latin roots and can compare numbers enough to figure it out to some degree. I’d put in Baytril, find out the pharmaceutical name, and then do a search of that drug combined with canine. After visiting their webpage (they probably have one) to find out what the thing is supposed to treat and how, then I’d ignore any sites that sell the stuff. They’re going to just give you propaganda anyhow and you want to see the case studies. Also, look at any European studies (you might be able to use an online tool to translate it, but you can still look at the numbers). I found no American studies to support my position that Keflex caused lameness, but did find an Italian study that my vet actually put me in touch with her old college professor about!
That was also how I gained the info to treat my dog in the aftermath of the drug’s damage.
BTW, he’s been slowing down A LOT lately and he’s only 11 1/2. (Sigh) Well, the vet did reassess the diagnosis to two years. Maybe I was optimistic. Maybe I’ll get $300 worth of blood work done and find out he’s just got the flu. I’ll keep y’all up to date with it. Meanwhile, we’re moving out of what I believe is a radon-filled house in stinky Muscatine and going on to the Central IN/MI border. Wish me luck with this crazy move.
First of all, please send my best wishes to your beloved canine kid (even at eleven-years-old, they’re still our kids!), and I hope he soon is feeling better. SAMe (a natural substance found at most major stores or at health food shops) did wonders for two of my elderly dogs (now deceased; both lived to be 13 and 14 respectively). It is a natural substance that the liver often produces minimally in older canines (or humans). It really gave my older dogs added “zip,” and I do mean it really energized them! The liver is also the organ responsible for cleansing the body of toxins and SAMe has been proven by tests (in Europe!) to help the liver, help osteoarthritis, and improve mood. After only a few days on SAMe, both my dogs – almost lame – were hopping on my bed again! I gave it to them for the rest of their days (although only about 3 pills a week after the initial dosage as it is a bit pricey – but still a lot cheaper than the vet, lol)!
Thank you so, so, so much for taking the time to respond to my problem and for your absolutely great and appreciated advice. I had, in fact, forgotten all about checking European sources. You sound a lot like me! I will follow your advice!!!! I like doing research instead of blindly listening to a doctor or vet. Thanks for the helpful tips on which websites to follow (or ignore), as it can get confusing.
By the way, you sound like a scholar, and I think you should be awarded a degree! Thanks again!
Aw, g’won. But thank you; you’re good for my ego, LOL!
I’ll try the SAMe. Right now, I just started him on Glucosamine/Chondroitin. I know it did Amazing things for my 19-yr. old tabby I had a decade ago.
His back had formed a permanent arch, not unlike my Uncle Babe’s really bad bursitis. Started giving him a kitty-sized dose and within 8 weeks, his back straightened out and he lived without pain for another 4 yrs. Stuff works great but you have to use Enough of it.
I’m giving this to my dog in the 250 milligram rate 2 pills a day as prescribed by the vet. This is a long with a pain pill and some pain liquid because the tumors have been hurting her so very much. My dog has been drinking a lot of water for a long time so I would not notice if that had increased any at all. The only other thing I have noticed is that my dog, a 10 year old dachshund, sleeps a lot more than usual.
My first pup was a mini-doxie, back in the early 60’s. She had cancer 3x, the last time she just didn’t go into remission anymore. She was a month from her 16th and we were told for a breed that recent (at the time), she was Very Old. But we waited till she was in pain and couldn’t get up anymore before we made the decision.
I’d say that if your dog is still eating and drinking, not constantly vomiting, isn’t crying out when you touch her hind haunches, that your baby isn’t allergic to this drug.
I’m not going to discount this drug in the altogether. It obvoiusly DOES help most dogs or it wouldn’t be on the market.
My problem is that when a dog DOES show failing after 4 days or so depending on your animal, that the allergic reaction is usually very fierce and Hurts and sometimes, Kills your pet.
My anger is reserved for veternarians out there who I’ve spoken to who ABSOLUTELY DENY that this drug could POSSIBLY be responsible.
I couldn’t agree with you more! My dog’s hind end collapsed within days of starting the Cephalexin. When I called and reported it to the Vet, she too denied it had anything to do with the Rx, even when I called again a week later worried that my dog hadn’t improved. This new Vet (who took over when my other one retired) actually had the nerve to suggest that my dog was just manipulating me for sympathy. She had prescribed this Rx for 21 days. I took her off it after 11 days but I hope it’s not too late. It’s been 3 days with no improvement. She collapses when she tries to stand. She’s very weak and wobbly. Still with no appetite. She’s only 6 years old. Chihuahua mix weighing 12 pounds. She was a rescue dog we got from the pound and had had puppies. Sweetest dog we’ve ever owned.
My labrador went LAME from Cephalexin. It happened after 2 weeks on the drug: 500mg 2x/day. Luckily she ate & walked gingerly sometime later that day. I took her completely off the drug. I started feeding her canned Purina One
every 4 hours. She was lame on Monday & by Friday night she ran again for the first time. I bathed her last night with the special shampoo. I’m curious about how to treat her without that drug or any drugs? She’s got alot of scaly patches
& a rather large 4″x2″ barish spot.
Really simple actually. A lot of vets like Keflex as the “go-to” drug of choice in an antibiotic. Just ask your vet what they used before Keflex. That’s what I did. I was told there was no way it could’ve hurt my dog by two vets. That’s when I walked out of their offices.
I treat vets like I treat my own physicians. If they use words like “always” and “never”, since medicine is NOT an exact science, I walk.
Those of us here on this site and a few others I’ve seen KNOW BETTER.
But there are many antibiotics out there. You should be able to find one your Lab tolerates well. But remember – allergic to Keflex(Cephalexin) once, your dog is allergic to it forever.
Oh – and P.S.- get your dog off Purina and find a specialty store. Yes, Blue Buffalo and Candidae cost about 3x as much, but the other benefit I found was not only did my dog rally, his allergies almost disapppeared! He used to get ear and eye infections many times a year until I started him on foods like these.
That savings of over a dozen vet visits a yr. for those I felt was well worth it. These are companies started by people who have had the same problems that others have had with commercial foods. You never know what they’re REALLY putting in there. He also likes those Merrick stews. ( I discovered them watching the Today Show). They actually put bowls of them out for the hosts, LOL! And they really look & smell like you could serve them to the family, LOL!
The research is readily available online. Just gotta look. I usually put in the search engine the name of the food, and then the word “complaints” or “problem” and then decide if that person’s opinion applies to me.
Distended stomach can be caused by a slow moving digestive system. Fiber usually helps in abdominal distention.:
Our own web-site
http://www.healthmedicinelab.com/triglycerides-diet/
My labrador is still feeling effects from Cephalexin that I stopped about 1 month ago. I am now making her meals of ground beef, turkey or chicken tenderloins weighed to 3 ozs. each meal with whole grain pasta, veggies & Total cereal. Dogs need protein to build strong muscles. Got abit waylayed with Sandy & the loss of power & it showed in the dog’s strength. Probably won’t cook every meal forever but when trying to regain her strength diet is very important.
I took her back to the same vet who wanted to give her the left over Cephalexin & then was very rude to me & walked out of the examining room. Maybe she was angry when I questioned whether she wanted to help the dog or not. Seems she wanted to harm – perhaps kill – the dog.
I have found bathing the dog with the prescribed antifungal/antimicrobial shampoo very helpful. I followed the directions & left it on my dog for 10 minutes. I’ve also started her on flaxseed oil. The hot spot is totally healed although she still has some crusty patches uner the fur here & there.
My prayers & thoughts to everyone out there with sick pets. I hope they all recover quickly. Feed them well if they can eat. If not, maybe IVs as one lady I met at the vets was doing.
Cynthia – Great for you! Yeah, I’ve had to deal with vets who have told me point-blank to my face “Your dog didn’t get sick from Cephalexin” and when I attempt to show them my evidence, they simply write me off saying I have no medical training and what could I possibly know or understand.
I’ve walked out of I can’t tell you how many vet’s offices just for saying that to me. I say screw ’em. If they really cared about the animals, they wouldn’t be so adverse to reading other, more Recent studies.
I still can’t get any of these idiots to see that K-D almost killed my dog. But that’s because veternary offices make such a G-D killing $$-wise off it.
A good vet doesn’t do that.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t leave very many out there. And my search continues . . . . . .
By the way, I don’t know why, but ever since I started Bobo on watermelon, he’s just been getting stronger & stronger. I still can’t find anything out about WHY though. (and with a 55-lb dog, about 1/2 to 3/4 lb./day supplemented with his reg. food)
My border collie had SEVERE itching of unknown cause for about one year and was losing his hair (it’s since become very thin). He was itching 24/7 and was absolutely miserable. I tried many antibiotics , including Cephalexin (which made him vomit, so I stopped) and he was prescribed predisone which I never used (afraid of side-effects), Benedryl, anti-histamines,and about everything else one can think of.
After searching the internet I finally came across a scientific study by a vetrinarian who found that simple “bathing therapy” can resolve itching in a very high number of cases; it appears many dogs are allergic to the bacteria in their own skin oils. She suggested bathing once a week , even every day (in extreme cases). It was interesting, because the advise seemed counter-intuitive; I, myself, was hardly bathing my dog at all, because I thought dry skin would make matters worse, and he was getting worse and worse.
Desperate, I began bathing him frequently and kept him on Benedryl. At first, the bathing only brought relief for a day or so. Gradually, it brought more and more relief. He is currently off Benedryl and off all meds. Sometimes, he starts to scratch again and then I immediately bathe him with a medicated shampoo. The results are now long-lasting, up to several weeks itch-free. This simple cure worked for my dog, who I feared would suffer his entire life.
It is easy and safe and worth a try!
Our Piper was just percribed Cephalexin 3 days ago. She’s had only 3 doses and last night she started pacing back and forth, panting heavily. Not knowing what the issue was, we tried to give her another dose which she refused. Around 12:30 last night she vomited which we thought may have been the result of her getting into the trash the day before but she continued to dry heave and began whimpering and howling. We got out of bed only to find her in a full blown seziure. Since then she has been nearly completely parylized and in A LOT of pain. We’re taking her back to the vet today, but if they don’t recognize that it could be side effects of this medication we’re going to get a second opinion…thanks for the information.
Good for you. It may or may not make a difference for you to make a copy of this column. Most vets will scoff. Yeah – 3 days? That’s when I first noticed my Bobo acting strangely. If I hadn’t continued him on it for another couple days, he may not have suffered the damage to his kidneys he incurred.
Why do so many vets think we’re crazy? We’re not; our dogs are being sickened by this drug and no one will take it seriously (I believe) because they’re making so much money off it I guess.
Just don’t let them sell you any of that K-D crap. That just made my dog worse. Get some organically raised ground beef. When Bobo got sick recently, I fed him just that (raw) and watermelon. In 4 days, he was back to his old self.
Don’t let them tell you that the protein needs to be held back. That’s not it; it’s the sulfur compounds and other things. A dog without protein fails.
When they tell you that, I’d ask how old that info is. The info I found was from 2002.
And apparently, it also has something to do with the type of protein. I read that fattier, lower quality proteins are better (thus the ground beef over fish or a lean steak).
I don’t know what it is about the watermelon? The vitamins? The fiber? The moisture? But whatever it is, it’s working for my animal. (Of course, the first time he tried it was when he noticed my husband and I slurping some down; he’s the type that wants to try everything we eat)
I’m betting the watermelon is the fiber and water.
Pardon the brevity and the typos. This was sent from my iPhone.
Hey – no prob. Sorry it looks like I “hijacked” your thread here, LOL! But with what I’ve been going through with Bobo, I’ve gotten really activistic.
Also have pissed off more than a few veternarians along the way.
Thinking of drafting a letter to the FDA or whatever regulatory agency that overlooks this sort of thing. Has to be a database somewhere, doesn’t there?
update: Our 11 year old, beloved Piper died yesterday morning. She apparently had tumors on her spleen that had most likely spread to her heart and liver, so she would have probably died within a couple months. To my surprise our vet said that the cephlexin COULD HAVE KILLED HER. We’re grieving right now and know that it’s going to take a long time to get used to her not being here…Maybe taking the medication sped up the process thereby reducing the amount of suffering she may have gone through otherwise. God works in mysterious ways, and we’re trying to look at the “upside” of this ordeal. We Love and miss you, Piper. 😦
Ah Joe, I’m so sorry. I know how hard it is. I’ve had pets go in moments and through a course of time. Doesn’t matter; it still hurts. We just Miss them So Much!
Sam & I have discussed what we will do and how we will feel many times, but end up ending the conversation as it is so sad. (but as the wife, I have to go to the practical because he, quite frankly, can’t, poor baby, and someone Has to.)
You’ll be okay. It will take time like anytime someone passes from this world. It will happen to us one day. But it’s the “missing” that gets to you. And the good memories.
Give yourself Time. It’s not much consolation, but it does work Eventually.
Take care of yourself and yours. And again, my deepest sympathies on your loss.
And getting another dog is Not a betrayal.
(and if you have a vet that would at least acknowledge that the Keflex could have contributed, keep that vet. Sounds like someone willing to keep learning and that’s the best medical help you can get)
Thanks 58sage, we’ll get through it, eventually.
scrambled eggs and oatmeal will probably kill him alot faster than Keflex
Except not. That’s the best diet (along with white rice) for a dog with an upset digestive system.
But actually not for kidney disease. Nausea yes, but not kidney problemed dogs. Most of the readings I did seem to implicate foods with sulfur compounds as doing the most damage. So I used egg whites only since the yolks are full of sulfur. And for some reason, the oatmeal was also found to be harsh on the kidneys. Rice was the preferred grain and white, sticky rice the best choice. Found list online for sulfur counts in foods.
The egg whites – thank goodness I found that you can just buy cartons of whites in the dairy dept. at the store. Was getting tired of baking so many custards and pound cakes – was getting fat too, LOL!
You can?!?!? I’ve got to make a ton of macarons this Christmas and was dreading all the egg noodles I had to make to use up the yolks.
This is terrific news!
Oh yeah, no prob – I’ve seen pints and quarts of egg whites. Also great for Chinese stir-fries.
I lost my best friend (a beautiful Golden Retriever) four months ago to what I have suspected ever since was the use of cephlexin to treat a hot spot. I gave her the medication as prescribed over a ten-day course. About mid-way through her treatment, I noticed her panting excessively and becoming somewhat lethargic on her daily walks. I initially thought it was a flare-up of a very mild case of Lyme that she had been treated for previously with much success. She then had two “peeing” accidents in the house which concerned me because she was nine years old and never had an accident since her housebreaking as a puppy. Finally, on the morning of the sixth day after completing the course of this antibiotic, I noticed her backend “swaying like a drunk” when she walked across the yard to do her business. She also would not eat or drink that morning, which alarmed me and told me that something was very wrong. I got her in to see my vet that same day and she was diagnosed with severe autoimmune hemalytic anemia (her white blood cells were destroying her red blood cells). She was also becoming jaundiced (billirubin was being released into her system). My vet treated her that day and saw her again the next day when she referred us to an emergency animal specialty hospital for blood transfusions because her red blood count was still extremely low after her treatment the day before. At the end of the second day at the specialty hospital and after having two blood transfusions (one on each of those two days), I was told that she was beginning to respond to the second tranfusion with an acceptable red blood count. However, within hours of that news, I received a call from the treating vet that my precious friend had taken a sudden turn for the worse and “supposedly” developed severe pneumonia. I was told that her prognosis was poor as she was too weak to fight both conditions now. So, after only four days of being diagnosed, I was given no real alternative but to allow the sunshine of my life to be euthanized. I know that my own vet cared very much about my dog and would never, ever do anything to harm any animal. I, unfortunately, do have questions about what happened at the specialty hospital, but realize I will never know for sure. After doing my own research on some reliable veterinary websites, I learned that some medications, along with a handful of other things, are “suspected” causes of this type of anemia. Cephlexin is one of the medications listed. It is apparently difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of AIHA, but since my dog had been on this particular antibiotic when her symptoms began, I would think that cephlexin would be considered in this case. I know that nothing will bring my pet back, but I am devastated and am still trying to come to terms with all of this. I talked with my vet about what could have caused my, otherwise, healthy dog to develop such a devastating illness so suddenly. When I mentioned my research and what I discovered about cephlexin, my vet told me that some medications are suspected but that this is not one of them. My understanding is that jaundice is a result of kidney/liver malfunction, which has been listed as a possible side-effect of using this antiobiotic. And this would be tied in with the red blood cell issue, from what I understand. I only wish that I had been made aware of the possible side effects of this drug so I would have known what to look for. Maybe my vet never encountered this scenario before, and I certainly do not believe she would knowingly give my dog something that could harm her. I will never know for sure what happened, but if I eventually get another dog, I know that I will never allow this drug to be used again. Unfortunately, this whole thing has made me a bit fearful about getting another dog and dealing with having to use medications in the future. After reading the posts here, I wanted to share my story for your “information only” as I am not an expert, and maybe a part of me just needs to share my sorrow with other folks who share the same kind of love for their pets. I somehow feel responsible for the loss of my beloved pet because I have no clear-cut answer and find myself constantly wondering and going over things in my mind, looking for “signs” or trying to remember anything that may have been a clue prior to her getting sick that month. I miss my best friend so very much. My best to all of you and your beloved “best friends”.
My furkid has been diagnosed with chronic ear infections. Vet prescribed cephalexin. 500. X2 twice a day. For 5 to 6 weeks. Very scared after reading these posts. Any advice appreciated
my dog did fine…..just stop if dog has probs
I’m a vet, and regardless of my feeling on Cephalexin, this course of treatment probably won’t fix your dog’s ears. Ear infections are usually secondary to allergies, most commonly food allergies. You should discuss a possible food change with your vet (beef, chicken, wheat, dairy the most common causes)…keep in mind treats and people food are BIG sources. I would recommend an ear swab to find the appropriate topical medication, regular ear cleanings (can be done with water with a little vinegar in it), and corticosteroid (prednisone, vetalog, etc) pills or injection. Good luck! Ears can be tricky!
Thank you for ringing in Jen. I believe you’re right there. My Bobo had ear infections, on average, once a month for years. And as I said before, I took Pride in feeding my babes as cheaply as possible. How Wrong I was. When he became so sick from the Cephalexin, I tried mostly organic solutions. He got better, but better still, I got Educated.
I believe Precisely because I changed his diet up to quality food, his allergies have been almost eliminated. In the past almost 1 1/2 yrs. since he first suffered his reaction, he’s only had ONE allergy attack.
Jen – I read a number of sites that also advocated straight alcohol mixed 50/50 with water to be poured into the ear. It just sounded so strong; are they right? I’d like to go back to vinegar, but after trying it for his yeast probs, he runs at the smell and fights me horribly to get away. I have had some good results with a ticture of rosemary in aloe water however. Thinkin’ I’ll go back to that.
I wouldn’t recommend doing a 50/50 alcohol mix! I’ve seen things like that before and it seems ridiculously harsh! And if the vinegar bothers him, just do water. For really irritated ears, we use lukewarm water with a bulb syringe (nasal aspirator for kids) to clean ears. The main purpose is to get the debris out of the ear, so bacteria and yeast don’t have a medium to grow.
Thank you Jen. ‘ppreciate that.
No problem!
Doc Jen –
I will take it forgranted that you’ve perused this entire column. When I was facing this situation, I scoured the internet for 2 weeks, about 3-7 hours/day for answers. So it should not surprise you that I came across quite a few forums besides this one where owners were discussing this drug and how it affected their pets.
Of the research I did. it seemed to indicate that this drug appears to be an allergen in approx. 3% – 7% with most studies indicating a range of 3% – 5%. I included individual vet’s studies as well as a couple from overseas (an Italian medical university one I looked at was specifically for the lameness issue. Thank my lucky stars I tried to learn a little Latin as a teen, LOL)
Now, nowhere in the clinical research I read showed such a sudden death as some here have experienced, but did show that when the protocol was continued in spite of my listed side-affects, the results were always an eventual fatality for kidney-damage reasons.
Most people, as I’m sure you’ll agree, give their vets the benefit of the doubt because of their education. I know I did which is why I didn’t take Bobo off the Keflex after the first protocol even though he presented the symptoms I described. I trusted my vet. She trusted her education. As it should be.
And that’s the problem. Unless a vet asks the family to watch for these things, most families would accept them as acceptable side-affects and continue to give the drug. And that’s when a vet and a family have to face a tragedy that’s un-necessary. I believe that when most vets are told/taught/introduced to this drug, they aren’t being given ALL the actuary tables. Just the ones that show the drug as harmless. After all, we’ve seen this done with medications for humans; would I not believe the drug companies would shield their negative findings for dogs as well? The FDA is just not a reliable institution anymore since they’ve started allowing those affiliated with the drug companies onto their boards.
The only thing I’m asking of the veternary profession is to recognize that this drug CAN occasionally be an allergen, as evidenced by symptoms and lab results, and that they take the risk more seriously. There’s just too much evidence. My vet listened to me and so did her professor who I spoke with later at Iowa State. They accepted lab results that other vets have insisted to me are anecdotes because they knew me and how serious I was. The result is that she still administers this drug, although at lower doses now (findings showed that 500mg 2X/twice per day was almost double of what was needed for effectiveness) and with a warning for owners to look for specific side-affects. My guess is that she’ll never lose a patient this way.
So vets should continue to prescribe Ceph “With The Addendum’ that they tell owners – “if your dog should start to exhibit these symptoms in 3-5 days, stop the drug and call me and we’ll find another antibiotic. This one’s not good for your dog.” (And maybe a follow-up to see if there is any kidney damage.)
I don’t think that’s unreasonable.
Lisa – Look for symptoms. If in 3-4 days, your baby is showing signs of distress like:
Vomiting water
Refusing food
Being listless & disinterested and ESPECIALLY
If your furkid shows lameness or soreness in the hind quarters,
STOP the regimen IMMEDIATELY.
This means yours is allergic to this drug and should never have it prescribed again. (Also look for the brand name Keflex – same drug)
If your dog isn’t having these symptoms, your dog is not allergic to it. If your pet is allergic, hopefully you’ll recognize this ASAP and be able to stop to prevent kidney damage.
SuzyQ – I am SO sorry for your loss. This is why I keep coming back to this column. I want to get the word out. Vets (no offense Jen) by and large, have been refusing to attribute ANY harm coming from this drug. I’ve been told my dog must have been sick all along, that I was dosing my dog beyond what I was told, even that my dog was faking symptoms for attention, if you can believe that! It just makes me so angry when they look at the papers I bring them and scoff as if I couldn’t tell the difference between anecdotal and clinical or between “less than” or “more than” symbols on a clinical trial sheet.
I’ve told them over and over that the studies I’ve been bringing them are RECENT, that the idea of withholding protein is from OLD studies when dealing with kidney disease. They just keep pushing the K-D diet at me even though I’ve told them my dog failed even worse on that food!
I read about the anemia when Bobo was also diagnosed with that as part of the kidney failure he’s experiencing now. Again, it just seemed totally counter-intuitive to withhold protein which was what I was advised. In practice, when he’s going down like that, I give him raw, organically-raised hamburger – low-quality protein (think they call it that because of the high fat content) and his watermelon. He rallies within 5 days on that diet and then I slowly bring his normal food back.
I also read about blood transfusions and other protocols for the anemia. Unfortunately, none of them seem to offer any better than a 50/50 chance and in some of these cases, it seems to actually do more harm than good. And I read about how expensive those treatments are for how little they could end up doing. I can only imagine the helplessness and frustration you must’ve been feeling. I am so sorry.
When death comes to the door, it’s those left behind who suffer the worst, if only because we MISS our loved ones so much! Don’t beat yourself up please. Yes, you could go back over everything, but that won’t help and will only make you feel guilty which you shouldn’t. Right now you have to deal with your sadness.
Just talk to your friends and acquaintances who have dogs or who have friends that have dogs. Get the word out. Don’t scare people, but make them understand that they have to monitor their pets when this drug is prescribed. If we get the word out far enough, maybe the FDA will finally issue a warning to vets to get their patients to monitor any they prescribe this drug to. That would be the best outcome and being proactive could be healing for you like it has been for me.
My prayers are with you.
I think the reason why vets don’t believe it is because it isn’t a common allergy. I have NEVER seen this reaction to Cephalexin, but if a patient starts vomiting on Cepha, I stop it and prescribe something different and make a note not to use it anymore. I have seen reactions to many other antibiotics, some severe and some not, but it doesn’t keep me from using them again in a different dog when indicated. I think it is wrong to demonize a good and CHEAP drug when it has its place in medicine. I see clients every day that can’t afford drugs, and it is nice to have a free script to Meijer/Walmart, etc as an option for them. I can’t speak for all, but veterinarians in general do the job they do because they care for their clients and pets, not to make money…if we wanted to do that, we would have gone into human medicine or another science-related profession. And I would most certainly make WAY more money prescribing an animal-only on-label medication like Baytril or Primor, but those drugs have more side effects and can be cost-prohibitive.
Our dog has been on Keflrx for months. Now and is stumbling on each walk. Has hot spots. Don’t know what to do. He is 13 years old
For Month??? No wonder you dog is lame. He highly toxified with that stuff. It’s an anti-biotic. Except for CAFO cattle and other dometics, no animal should be on that stuff for more than two weeks! You absolutely need to find another vet. Is he being prescibed this med for the hot spots originally? You need to find the Cause for that instead of constantly dosing your dog.
Sorry, that should have read “Months”, and I didn’t mean to give the impression that I thought CAFO should even exist, let alone be given all those antibiotics. That’s where over 80% of antibiotics end up which is why we’re developing all these antibiotic-resistant infections and diseases now.
One should only try to buy grass-fed, non-hormone, non-antibiotic fed meat & poultry.
Update on Bobo – Jan. 25th, 2012.
Bobo died this evening. Hadn’t eaten in 48 hours, wouldn’t drink anything but snow for 3 days. Hadn’t walked in a week. Hadn’t had a bowel movement in a week.
When he began to toss and turn, that was time. I wouldn’t do it unless he was in real pain and I knew from personal exp. that his show of discomfort was simular to what I’d experienced after surgery after anesthesia wore off.
I know people thought at the first sign of pain, the merciful thing to do is administer the shot. This was more like my grandmother’s death. And while she was not quite comfortable at the end, I hardly think she would not have fought me off would I have approached with a pillow in hand.
So I held him the last 72 hours. With the exception of a single business dinner I could not get out of, he was with me every minute till the end.
Thanks to anyone who has been following this whole thing. I’d write more, but right now, aside from boring the crap out of everyone, to tell the truth, I’m a bit numb and feel very drained. Anyone who has ever sat waiting for death, going thru the procedures of death and/or the after-times of death knows that feeling. Please excuse me.
I am so incredibly sorry.
Pardon the brevity and the typos. This was sent from my iPhone.
Katherine,
Thank you for your post about Keflex, I believe that it has saved my dogs life.
My 15 year old papillon, Naomi, ate 4 small stones and was experiencing extreme discomfort. Trying to have her expell the stones with medication failed. Because of her age I took her into a vet clinic that was a referral center for dogs and cats with specialty surgeons and an ICU. Her vet felt that her heart and other vitals were strong enough to tolerate the surgery to remove the stones. She came through it beautifully and was put on the antibiotic Keflex as a precaution. Day 3 post-op she was running around quite happily but I noticed she had a slight tendency to trip with her front legs I thought that this was just that the soft collar she was wearing was getting in her way. Day 4 I had to go out of town and a friend came in to look after her and my other dogs. Day 6 my friend was reporting that something was very wrong, that she was sleeping all the time and seemed very uncoordinated. I arrived back on the afternoon of day 7, she could stand outside on the rough ground and walk a few steps but was very weak, her expression was dull, I dosed her again that evening with the Keflex then later that evening sat down to do a computer search to see if I could find out what the problem might be. As soon as I found your article I knew that this was it and immediately stopped the the Keflex. Day 8 she was not able to stand, was extremely uncoordinated, and had very rapid respirations, however throughout this whole ordeal her appetite was good. By day 10 she was starting to improve.
My frustration was that the vets in the intensive care clinic where she had the surgery were adament that it was not the Keflex that was causing her problems. They believed that it was some sort of neurological condition. They wanted me to bring her back again so that they could do some neurological testing with a specialist however, as she was already improving and as it was very expensive I declined
Today is day 34, she is back to her old self running around and complaining as only she can if I am slow with the food. She runs around outside well but still has a bit of a residual weakness in her back legs on the lino floor. She is still improving.
Thank you so much for your post I am truly grateful for the information and believe that this has indeed saved her life as I would likely have dosed her for another day before discontinuing the antibiotic.
Shirra Kenworthy
Langley, BC, Canada
Just one comment here Shirra (and so glad your baby is better).
You may want to have some of the kidney values checked to see if damage was done. Your dog may appear fine, but there may be damage that would indicate you want to change your dog’s diet to fattier, lower-quality proteins as detailed in the forum posts.
Found that the vast majority of vets, for some reason, REFUSE to blame the Keflex, even though this antibiotic was relatively recently released for use in pets.
I have found that they choose not to listen to, not just patients, but any of the European studies. I think it’s protectionism and really good sales reps who are actually killing our pets. But in the grand scheme of things, vets are doctors, in a sense, and experience of many, many years has shown me that doctors are nothing, if not hubristic.
This brings hope for Romeo will recover
Hi my dog was prescribed Cephalexin for hot spots and has been fine for the three days he has taken it for hot spots but after reading these problems is there any other other medication to give for hotspots they also gave me a spray nolvasan , I have about 12 days more at 2 pills a day at 500mg for a 70 pound dog.
As I did my research, one thing I did discover was that most control groups of dogs were given – at that weight class – they were given the dosage you indicate. My dog was given twice that dose. I believe that’s one of the reasons hiis kidneys sucumbed so quickly.
But as long as your dog is eating, drinking, no more than a tad tired (as opposed to your dog’s “normal” state), not vomitting, not showing pain in the hind quarters, he is one of the lucky 94% who is not allergic.
I’m not trying to condemn in entirety, this drug. When it is effective, it works great. I just wish that vets would include the warning of what to look for and if those symptoms do present, to stop the medication immediately.
A distended stomach normally designates an increase in the girth of the stomach. It normally results because of an escalation in pressure intra-abdominal which drives the wall of the abdomen out as well as being the reason why the stomach distends.:
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My min pin Is going through the same thing right now. Thank you for posting this, information. I’ve looked up side effects from the antibiotic & this Is the page that talks about this particular side effect. I’m taking him off the medicine. Thank you again!
Alicia – it’s great that you’re taking this information to heart, but have to wonder if you’re taking your dog off the med because of the fear or because your pin is having side effects?
Like I’ve said a few times, “most” dogs don’t suffer from this allergy. BUT, if the symptoms DO appear, that’s when you talk to your vet after stopping the med. There are still other antibiotics out there and your darlin’ pet may still need medication.
leo april 15 2013
I brought my 11yr. old to his vet because of UTI.he was given cephalexin 500mg 2x a day.After 5 days I have to stop the med. because he stop eating,started vomiting and drinking a lot of water.I brought him back to the vet they run blood test and the result is pancreatitis.He was given panakare to combat this but it didn’t help.He still won”t eat,drinking a lot of water and weakness on his hind legs.after 2wks. he started vomiting blood,we took him back to his vet and the prognosis is ulcer,he was given sucralfate but didn’t help.The vet decided to put him on IV for overnight the following day when I picked him up,things didn’t change.After more than 4wks. of taking cephalexin our dog BRUTUS finally said good-bye.The research I have done I really believe it is the cephalexin that did this to him.So please all pet lovers don’t give your pets this drug.DO NOT SUFFER LIKE US.
My dog was given cephalexin and has been on the drug 2 days. He has had several accidents (peeing) in the house. He is completely house broken and totally out of character. I called the vet and they said that this is not a side effect and the vet will call Monday. I am stopping this medication after reading all of these posts!!!!!
So glad they care to even give me a phone call. The receptionist called and did not have any answers for me. I hope that he stops the accidents! He is such a good boy!!!
Sounds like you did the right thing even though your vet and the experiences of many here have not encountered that side effect (as yet).
It also sounds like your vet is like most doctors – treat with a general antibiotic and see the results to see if it was an infection or something else. I’ve had a doctor that treated me like such. I stopped going to him.
But a lot of medical caregivers do that to rule out other issues.
I don’t want to sound alarmist or cost you $300 or so un-necessarily, but you may want to have your dog’s kidney values checked if this behavior continues. If they are bad, go back to another, earlier post of mine. Your vet will probably want to withhold protein if the kidneys are bad and from all my research, that’s not exactly what you want to do (although most vets seem to still be using research done before the 1990’s to treat kidney failure).
I only say this because I tried my dog’s vet’s advice and he almost died. Did my own research and my dog out-lived that vet. Bobo was given a two-week death sentence and he lived over two years.
BTW – A month ago, my husband and I were lucky enough to adopt Bobo’s nephew. He’s proving to be even smarter than our Bobo and is the absolute love of our lives now. We’re so happy! (of course, our cat, ZeeZee, is Pissed-Off like all Get-Out, LOL! Poor kitty – we love you too.)
Wow — I read the full thread, how much information and heart-ache in this posting. I was just prescribed Cephalexin for my 8 yr old lab Lucy — who had blood in her urine, but also scaly patches of itchy skin and ear infections in both ears. I thought that 2 pills of 500mg 2x a day would be too much so I researched and found all this info. Now I’m not sure I want her on this.
She’s in the ocean swimming at least 3x a week, so she gets a bath with the specialty vet shampoo (one is peroxide the other is an oatmeal base) once a week, sometimes twice. I have used an enzyme in her ears on and off, and have now bought a flush for the ears. I use an natural anti-microbial salve on her scaly spots. She is on the best kibble, with a green supplement powder, as I believe nutrition is critical. I’m really trying hard to manage the itchiness, skin and ears naturally — but now with the blood in the urine I was thinking I need to go for the full-on antibiotics.
Not sure what to do now!
Like you’ve no doubt read, only 5-7% of dogs are allergic to this drug and the side effects have been thoroughly documented here. Those of us who are having or have had this problem have had it for a time. Just watch your dog closely. If she’s refusing food, showing any pain or lameness (and I mean ANY pain; antibiotics should NOT hurt) or is out of it for more than a couple days, stop the drug. Tell your vet your dog is not reacting right to it and you’d like to try an older antibiotic. You’ll have to probably dose a little higher, longer and more frequently, but at least you’ll know you’re using a drug with a longer track record of events that are known.
If your vet does what so many I’ve run into have done and makes a dramatic “Scoff”, I’d find another vet. I don’t like physicians OR vets who believe they know Everything.
And I agree that 2000/day seems like a lot. It turned out to be too much for our Bobo and he was 60 lbs.
BTW – Drove down to TN last month. Bobo’s full blood nephew was born and is now what will no doubt be, our last boy. He’s turning out to be even smarter than Bobo was, but not quite as much a ham. Course, he’s still young. More personality to come. He’s such a little doll; we’re so happy.
Thanks Kimberlee,
I have decided to try an treat her symptoms by focusing on a wholistic program — I’m not using the Cephalexin or the Temaril. I am using the Ketoconazole for the itching.
What I have decided to do us put her on Urinari-X for her UTI — it is all natural supplement: herbs (oregano, olive leaf, uva ursi, marshmallow), cranberries, grapefruit seed extract, bilberry, raspberry and blueberry. I contacted the company and there are no contra-indications for use in dogs.
She is also on 2 clove of raw garlic, coconut oil 2 tsps, flax oil, Green Mush (all green powder) and probiotics.
Topically I’m applying an ear enzyme product and a neem skin product. So far she is on day 2. I will try this for a week and have her urine re-tested.
I am hopeful that if I work on building her whole immune system up, that her body will have the resources to bring her back into balance.
Good to hear that you have a new little pup in your family — I’m very happy for you!!
Glad to see you have a comprehensive view of the holistic world. I go there for the simpler problems like allergies, maintenance, etc. But still have a good relationship with a vet you can trust.
I’ve gone to over a dozen physicians for myself before I settle on one. I do the same for my charges (my new Boo and my older feline, ZeeZee) There will come a time when you need more involved medical advice. Have someone you trust Before you need to trust that person.
Thank you for the kudos. One last thing that just strikes me as intuitive – When my friend had her baby, she introduced individual ingredients one at a time to her and then would wait for two weeks before introducing anything else. She said that was a way to identify allergies and their symptoms, which can be vastly different and even unusual. Perhaps stripping her diet down to one ingredient (say, uh, hamburger), wait two weeks and then add some mashed sweet potato, etc. Something in that vein. My best wishes go with you.
Wow. Just wow. So much ignorance in one post!
I know this is 3 yrs old, but since people can still access this disinformation, I feel compelled to clarify…
1) Ketoconazole is an antifungal. It will treat your dog’s yeast infection (likely secondary to atopy or food allergy- which, shockingly, is usually due to common proteins (beef,chicken, dairy, eggs, etc. and NOT grains. Grain allergies are actually uncommon. Who knew!), but will NOT stop her from itching. That’s the Temaril-P. Which you refuse to give.
(side note: Your dog is also not allergic due to overvaccination, poor diets, “toxins”, or the current position of Jupiter in relation to the Earth. She is allergic because she is a purebred (read: highly INBRED) manmade creation we like to call a Labrador Retriever. Allergies, hip/elbow dysplasia, myopathies, PRA, cataracts, cancer, bloat, chronic otitis, OCD (shall I go on?) are only a few of the diseases this lovely but disgustingly inbred breed is prone to.
2) Garlic is TOXIC to dogs. Seriously. Don’t be an idiot.
3) And yes, while there are some studies that show benefits of cranberry extracts in preventing bacterial adhesion and inhibiting colonization of the bladder (thereby preventing UTIs), if your dog already has a full-blown UTI, she really needs antibiotics. Which you also refuse to give.
4) Really, your dog isn’t suffering for lack of holistic, feel-good remedies. She’s suffering because you refuse to follow sound, SCIENCE-BASED medical advice and treat her appropriately. Poor dog.
1) All the research I did indicated that grains, not being a natural food for dogs, DO in fact cause the majority of allergies, especially corn. You don’t see prehistoric pictures of wolves grazing in corn fields, do you?
2) While I don’t approve of purebred breeding, the fact of the matter is the dog was born and is living – that judgement is long past and now is time to work with the patient.
3)This is a site where, for the most part, people are coming for information and sympathy. The insults DO NOT BELONG.
I spent many, MANY hours doing the research I did. I didn’t just go to forums and anecdotal sites; I investigated research all the way from Italian schools and taught myself some rudimentary Italian to READ that site. I looked at case studies, medical studies, pharmaceutical comparison studies.
So the implication that my sources were not science-based and medically based is preposterous.
AND the main suspect in these cases is Cephalexin. That’s what we’re talking about here. And if you have read this entire thread, you then know that what we’re trying to do here is WARN people since Big Pharma will not listen and nor do the majority of veterinarians.
Please take the insults elsewhere.
I am SO SO happy you answered on this ”commensense squad” person. He or she (too cowered to name itself) is so insulting. I sure hope that person don’t own a dog. Thanks Kimberlee for all you do. BTW, I have set a complaint here in Canada (Health Canada – veterinary section) for CEPHALEXIN. I will keep you posted. Continue your good work. J.I.
More information on serious problems from cephalexin (keflex) is found at
More information on serious problems from cephalexin (keflex) is found on another web page. On that web page, taking time to read through previous posts will offer a lot of insight. This blog won’t allow URL. To get to the webpage, add the designated SLASH / or DOT . where noted. Page is: www (DOT) topix (DOT) com (SLASH) forum (SLASH) drug (SLASH) cephalexin (SLASH) TRCM52O0T8OLFVPQ5 (SLASH) p16#lastPost
Thanki you for that. I went there and posted so they can read here for more info.
I really need to contact the FDA or someone to link them to our discussions and experiences.
I just can’t understand why the majority of vets are in denial about this drug.
Pet owners do need to notify the FDA about their experiences with cephalexin. The serious side-effects show definite pattern. At this time, veterinarians are not reporting it, so the FDA does not know what is happening in our pets.
The FDA has a separate ‘Animal and Veterinary’ department. Reports on adverse reactions to medications should be made on their FDA 1932a form, which is found at the following URL. Add / (FORWARD SLASH) and/or . (DOT) where indicated.
More information and options at:
Tips on what information to include in the report:
Thank you so much for that! I’ll be informing them this afternoon and will pass on this info to every dog and cat owner I know, as well as to my new vet. (yes, I Finally found one who takes these concerns seriously! Thank God!)
Great Job – Thank You again!
Pet owners do need to notify the FDA about their experiences with cephalexin. The serious side-effects show definite pattern. At this time, veterinarians are not reporting it, so the FDA does not know what is happening in our pets.
The FDA has a separate ‘Animal and Veterinary’ department. Reports on adverse reactions to medications should be made on their FDA 1932a form, which is found at the following URL. Add / (FORWARD SLASH) and/or . (DOT) where indicated.
www (DOT) fda (DOT) gov (FORWARD SLASH) downloads (FORWARD SLASH) AboutFDA (FORWARD SLASH) ReportsManualsForms (FORWARD SLASH) Forms (FORWARD SLASH) AnimalDrugForms (FORWARD SLASH) ucm048817 (DOT) pdf
More information and options at:
www (DOT) fda (DOT) gov (FORWARD SLASH) AnimalVeterinary (FORWARD SLASH) SafetyHealth (FORWARD SLASH) ReportaProblem (FORWARD SLASH) ucm055305 (DOT) htm
Tips on what information to include in the report:
www (DOT) fda (DOT) gov (FORWARD SLASH) AnimalVeterinary (FORWARD SLASH) SafetyHealth (FORWARD SLASH) ReportaProblem (FORWARD SLASH) ucm212663 (DOT) htm
Perhaps I’ll have to wait until the Government re-opens – – –
But I won’t forget. I have this on my To-Do list at the top now.
I am truly sorry for all the people on here that have suffered loses or problems with their dogs due to this drug. However bashing the vets and the drug is not going to help anything. This drug is commonly prescribed for hunting dogs who incur bites (from other critters) or cuts due to grasses, etc..in the field. We have labs and Pointers and this drug has never had any adverse side effects. What I’m trying to say is that it is no different than giving a human a drug for the first time to find out they are allergic to it, or getting stung by a bee to find out that you are allergic.Allergic is allergic and unfortunately no one knows it’s affect on the individual until it has been administered.
Now as for the people treating hot spots and ear infections (which are commonly yeast infections in hunting dogs). Change your dogs diet. We had a few labs that suffered terribly from both! Anything the vets gave us did not work! Your dog likely has a grain allergy. So I agree with the people saying don’t skimp on your dogs diet. There are numerous “grain free” dry dog foods on the market. We feed a more expensive one due to the activity level of our dogs. If you are worried about cost, Diamond Dog Food (commonly found at Menards or Fleet Farms) are a good less expensive solution. but grain free is the important thing! No wheat, corns, etc…our hot spots have completely cleared and have been gone for years. When purchasing dog food, find the ingredient list! Ingredients are listed in order according to the amount used just like human food. Cheap dog foods always list grains first. Now ear problems also common in hunting dogs (especially those hunting water fowl) due to high moisture will also benefit from a grain free diet. After years of ear cleaning solutions from the vet that failed, I found myself searching for a new solution. I found one that has worked and has had no side effects! Vagisil topical solution! Obvious answer for a yeast infection! And it works, when they dogs are starting to show signs, I clean inside the ears with a anti-bacterial soap water solution and cotton balls to get the gunk out. Then just use a small amount of vagisil cream inside the ear (obviously do not insert your fingers into the ear canal). Cheap and effective.
Appreciate the imput.
Valuable advice. But I’m given to thinking you haven’t read the entire thread as towards the end, I’m not “bashing” vets or even the drug anymore. Like said before, it’s apparently safe for up to 95% of dogs out there. But it’s the 5% we’re concerned with. That’s the reason for the call-out to vets to offer that advice when prescribing it since most people simply accept their vet’s recommendations without question and would continue treatment.
My problem is with veternarians who REFUSE to accept that ANY animal is possibly allergic to it. My own vet, at the time it happened to me, told me unequivocably that the Keflex could not have harmed my dog or his kidneys.
My argument was that he’d seen my dog every month for 2 yrs. (at the time, I didn’t know why my dog was having so many ear infections until I changed his food too), so why didn’t he detect any kidney problems in all that time until he started him on that drug?
I just couldn’t believe him.
So I say again to everyone and to vets in particular – When this drug is prescribed, tell patients that if, after 3-4 days, the dog is not eating, being extremely lethargic and especially if pain is shown in the rear haunches (sp?), Discontinue this drug! These are the signs of an extreme allergic reaction.
I can agree with most of what you said here at the beginning but, unfortunately, I NEVER saw “Weakness in hind quarters” listed anywhere as a side effect or allergic reaction for dogs taking Cephalexin. Vomiting and Diarrhea, yes. My dog never vomited nor had diarrhea but has become crippled in her hind quarters, unable to stand after several days on the Cephalexin. When I reported this to the Vet, she said it was not related to the Rx. It was prescribed for 21 days for a rash and fever she had. The fever and rash disappeared within 3 days of taking the Rx but her lameness and loss of appetite continued. I took my dog off the Rx on day 12 since she wasn’t improving. I just hope I’m not too late. She still has very little appetite and her back legs continue to give out from under her, despite the little bit of exercise I try to give her daily. We’re going on Day 4 without the drug.
I should have added to this that this is not a cure all for ever dog out there! However it is a large step in the right direction!
I did read the whole thread and wasn’t saying that “you” in particular were the one bashing. I understand the concern, however like I said, it is no different as a person reacting to a drug. Our vet gives us a drug fact sheet just as a pharmacist would a person. If you read these it list the side effects and when to stop drug immediately. If your vet isn’t giving you one of these, ask for one or when you get home punch the drug name up on the computer, you will find the drug facts somewhere:)
I do get that some of these vets are not admitting to the drug causing the issues in these dogs and that is unfortunate. In your case (or others for that matter) I can’t help but wondering if these dogs have some form of kidney and liver issues that are very minute and the drug is speeding them up or causing failure??? Don’t know..
At any rate wasn’t trying to fight, just wanted to point out that when people are looking this drug up, that this comes up and may cause some un-neccesary panic in other pet owners. NOT saying they shouldn’t watch for these symptoms but if they are looking it up, their dog obviously needs to be treated for something, wouldn’t want someone who’s dog is fine on it to not be treated and have more problems.
IMPORTANT !!!! My 7month old rotty was put on this drug , she automatically look depressed and restless the next night she started vommiting and got diareah (or how ever you spell it) she wasn’t eating at all but drank Alot of water , her back end completely collapsed and she couldn’t walk at all , today I was at work and I had come home … My baby rotty had been put down and all they had to say is she had Pavo …. They didnt even look into it ! Didnt even think that it was the meds !! She was completely fine until she got put on the meds … My baby puppy is gone now and I will do my best to stop this drug from being used !!!!! I don’t want anyone else’s precious dogs to be in pain .
Sammie – I’m so sorry; my baby just hit the 7-mo. mark and I can’t imagine losing him. Your grief is duly noted. I know you are in pain right now and going through his medical vaccinations is probably not even on your mind right now.
When you are up to it, do check the record. See if he had, in fact, had the Parvo vaccine and When. Two decades ago, I had a Peke and after we had her Parvo vac. given, within 12 hrs., her face blew up swollen. Turned out she was allergic to the shot, but an animal ER convinced me to bring her right in at one in the morn. She got the antidote and was fine after that. But Parvo will kill a dog very quickly and you do want to make sure it was the Keflex and not Parvo. From the symptoms you described, it definitely sounds like your baby was allergic to the drug and your vet simply doesn’t want to believe it.
THIS is WHY I try to talk to Veternarians about WARNING their patients’ parents!! If you had been warned to look for these Specific symptoms, you would have known to STOP the drug IMMEDIATELY!
Again Sammie – we’re so sorry for your loss. Do not use that vet again.
your write up has really helped my dogue de Bordeaux (French mastiff) is exactly like this
Glad it was helpful. Just trying to get the word out there. It’s such a common go-to drug for vets.
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I have to disagree on it not happening to mixed breeds. I have a pit mix and she had a terrible reaction to the keflex. She already had spondylosis and when giving her this antibiotic, she went into severe pain. i took her off of it..she got better. gave her the kelfex again..she went back down again. I have since discovered that dogs with arthritis conditions may be sensitive to certain antibiotics including sulfa drugs as well.
Not sure anyone mentioned this NOT happening to mixed breeds; just that it seems to happen to larger dogs more often than smaller. So sorry about what happened to your sweetie. At this point, it may make sense to have her kidney values checked to see if permanent damage was done so you could alter her diet appropriately.
Again, so sorry this happened to you and yours.
I started writing here to warn others as the vast majority of veterinarians REFUSE to acknowledge that this drug could even Possibly hurt an animal. That, and as vindication to others that they’re not crazy when their beloved pets suffer from being dosed and their pet’s doctor tells them such.
Need to know if my dog can have a problem gaining weight after taking cephalexin she eats drinks but does not gain anyweight
My boy started off at 63 lbs. which I considered a tad high. At his worst point, he was down to 51 lbs. which was when I took him off the vet’s diet. After 6 weeks on my homemade diet (listed earlier in this thread), he got back up to 58-60 and stayed there.
I don’t know anything about whether or not this drug permanently affects weight loss. I know my boy lost some muscle tone, but he was, after all, 9 when he had his reaction.
Hope this helps and take it easy on your baby’s kidneys. Good luck.
Our dog, a shepherd and some other kind of unknown dog mix (aka mutt) was diagnosed with severe arthritis in his lower spine and hips, and we knew was have having a lot of trouble walking. He was also suffering from cancer, so we were not surprised when he lost the use of his hind legs. We had given him the drug in question only a few times. Then he refused to take it any longer and there was no way we could trick him into taking more. Imagine how surprise we were when my wife discovered your story. We can only wonder if he would have lasted a few more days, with the freedom to walk, if we had not given him that medicine. Thanks for posting your story.
Please do not think you had anything to do with it. We all do the best we can by our “friends”. If it’s of any help, my dog’s lameness stopped a couple days after the drug was removed. I would tend to think it was more your dog’s arthritis, illness and age that kept him from walking around.
It sounds like your friend was fairly old and not in the best of health and I remember when our Bobo was just a few days from his end – he didn’t want to walk at all either. I had to hold up his back legs outside so he could eliminate and not fall over. By the last 2 days, he couldn’t stand at all. By then, we gave him his “dignity” (a phrase I don’t care much for but can’t think of another at this time) and went into mourning.
But do not take blame on yourselves. And you’re very welcome.
Like I said, my story is a warning of What to Watch for. For 93% or so of animals, it is a good antibiotic. I offer free advice (whether or not it’s wanted, LOL) to friends with pets and vets about this drug.
Friends appreciate it; vets? Not so much. No doctor of any sort wants to be given any advice from a “civilian”. But that is the best we can do.
My prayers go with you in this time of grief.
Glad I found this, my dog is on a higher dose of cephalexin (Rilexine) because he has deep pyoderma which is getting slightly better in some places and much worse in others. Three weeks in and I have found this site, and I’m glad I did because I was reassured by the vet even though I said that my dog’s bones were showing through his skin and he has lesions that are wide open now and he is dizzy etc. Since doing further research I have found that my dog has about ten side effects of this drug. He keeps falling over, drools more than ever and can’t seem to focus all the time, he goes into a really deep sleep, and the only thing he hasn’t done is vomit and get the runs. He has an appetite but can’t seem to eat much at one sitting so I’m feeding him all day long in an effort to put weight back on.
I’m off to the vet this morning armed with the actual clinical study of this drug. I am aware that it may be a small minority of dogs that affected in this way but my dog seems to be one of them. Also he is on 200mg per day more than is recommended so I don’t think that has helped.
Fingers crossed he will be ok.
Click to access UCM318614.pdf
I might ad to the above that finally after three weeks the reason for my dog being so unwell is clear… the stupid vets who I’ve been fighting for so long were giving him antibiotics in an effort to cure cancer!!! So not only were they dosing him far too high they were giving him something he didn’t bloody need!!
We are distraught today as we wait to find out what we can do next… this is the second time that a local vet has messed up but never so badly as this. My advice is… if you disagree with the vet and especially if he just fobs you off as mine did over and over (told me even if my dog got sick from the antibiotics that I should just keep forcing them in him anyway) if this happens to you, CHANGE VETS!!
I’m so sorry. Cancer and our pups. Always sends us sad.
All I can say is to look at many various therapies and I’d run from a vet who says there is NO good that can come from any holistic therapies. I’ve come to believe in vets who like to integrate therapies.
The newest is not Necessarily the best every time. Feed that pup as healthy as you can and do your own corresponding research.
My prayers go with you and yours.
thank goodness for this post…I took my 13 year old schnauzer to the vet for a cyst on her head and was given cephalexin for the infection….she threw up violently so I did not give her another dose…instead I searched cephalexin and dogs and found this thread….I am so thankful that I discontinued use.
I’m so sorry for your loss. I didn’t even know they had an injectable for dogs. (it was offered to my cat for a flea infection, but I declined and asked for an older, oral antibiotic instead).
I’d be curious to how your vet justifies this to you. I’m really getting fed up with vets defending this drug so vigorously. Most won’t even concede the idea that it “might” be allergenic.
I don’t know if the push comes from the vets’ collective egos, the Pharma industry, the schools they come out of, or whatever it is, but there IS enough evidence that this needs to be looked at again.
I Do know that Eli Lily, just like all the other big pharma companies, will not and DOES NOT HAVE TO show All of their study evidence to the FDA for approval.
And the FDA staff is basically a revolving door between Our government and the very industries it is tasked with the oversight of.
That’s why I started doing my own internet studies and searches – It was European med school studies that showed me the smoking gun on this drug.
Again, I’m so, so sorry.
I’m concerned how much water my lab is drinking on this med (only had one dose so far)
thanks for this post. i took my roxie to vet for her allergies and vet gave a shot of cephalexin , well a minute later she was foaming , her legs were shaking, and had no bowel control , Vet had no idea what happened, kept her for a couple of hrs, we took her home, and she getting a little better but she won’t drink or eat. still vomits, and her bowels movements are reddish and fluid like. today is the second day, she doesn’t look like she is in pain, but more like she had a stroke. i don’t know if she is going to get better, i don’t know what to do. I’m waiting until Mon. to take her back to the Vet.
too late!!! my Roxie pass on during the night. It breaks my heart that i took her to the Vet. I could have lived with her scratching.
Took my boy Rocco (pit bull mix) to the vet last week. Vet diagnosed with acral lick granuloma on rear paw. Prescribed Cephalexin 500mg 2x daily and Synotic topical corticosteroid. It’s been about 5 days and Rocco is shaking and weak in his hind legs. He is also very lethargic. Stopping this medication immediately!
On June 5, 2015, about a year after this medicine was given, we had to put Our sweet boy down. He was 14 however he was never the same after the Cephalexin. Of course there is no way to prove it was the medication, but I know my dog and I know that the cephalexin started the ball rolling with health issues. Be aware and do your research before giving your older pets medications.
Cephaxelin, 500 mg was administered to our nearly 14 year old Samoyed. She rapidly and drasticly declined. She was unable to eat. I poured water from my hands into her mouth as she lay on her side, attempting to keep her hydrated. Paralysis set in. At the outset, I assumed nausea due to the antibiotic was knocking off her appetite.. I chalked up her clenched-jaw refusal to swallow the pill to her just not feeling well. No. I think the pills were killing her and she knew.
By the time I connected the dots, it was too late. She died within about four days of beginning that med.
RIP Bianca 9/11/00 – 6/25/14
She was sweet, sensitive and lovely. She is missed.
This just breaks my heart. I wish I had the words for anyone that could help, but it’s for naught. And anyone reading this blog knows that I have a special spot in my heart for Sammies, having lost our boy last year. (I see to it that his nephew, who is our boy now, will never even try this drug since it killed his uncle)
All I can say is to Pass The Word!! Tell anyone who has a dog or is planning on getting one.
One last caveat – Keflex (cephalexin) in and of itself is actually a very good antibiotic. It’s just that vets keep refusing to believe that it, like any good drug, can still be toxic to individuals.
VETS OUT THERE – PLEASE, Please, please – warn your patients to look out for the signs – increased thirst, reduced or eliminated appetite and the dreaded rear haunch pain and sensitivity. These signs are SPECIFIC and to date, have occurred in every fatality. Please realize your patients trust you and your opinions and if they are not warned, they may continue to dose their loved pets, in spite of the symptoms. Please tell them to STOP the drug Immediately and call you! And please pass this on to other vets.
If the FDA and manufacturer won’t help us, you NEED to.
I’m not sure where you are getting your info, but great topic.
I needs to spend some time learning much more or understanding more.
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Our 4.5 month old Doberman recently suffered an ear infection due having his ears posted. He was prescribed 500 mg Cephalexin twice a day, every 12 hours. Because I can be very skeptical about medicine, and because only the left ear was slightly infected, I gave him a single pill a day for two days straight. We immediately noticed he was limping on his front right paw which became worse after the second dose. We stopped the meds immediately. He is recovering after three days of no meds, he has almost stopped limping, completely, and his appetite is normal. We bought an over the counter earwash safe for dogs and it seemed to remove most of the debris from his ears. The smell and redness are gone, and my puppy is playing again tough as nails. I would never give him Cephalexin again under any circumstances.
My 1yr and 1/2 old German Shepherd has an infected pad on his left hind leg that I took him to the vet for last week on Saturday; August 16th, 2014. He was prescribed 500mg of Cephalexin 2x a day for 10 days. I started giving it to him regularly noticed that 3-4 days after giving him Cephalexin his front right leg he was not putting any weight on. When I felt around his leg and touched the upper part of it he cried out in pain. So I thought that may be he had pulled a muscle and continued giving him Cephalexin the rest of the week. When I saw the limping was getting no better in his front right leg and the infection in his back left paw was not really improving I started researching Cehalexin and the side of effects of it. and came across this blog. He also stopped eating; wouldn’t stand to eat and dropped almost 10lbs. I can not tell you how angry I am with myself for giving my dog this and not researching about the drug. I am so terrified that he will not recover from this and that I may lose him.. I will NEVER EVER give any dog I own this again. I am going to take him to another vet and see what can be done to help my poor baby
Amber,
Any update on your Shepard?
Hello Candy. I took him to a specialist today and as I thought. They refused to believe that this drug caused his lameness. However the vet did feel swelling in his right elbow. They prescribed me another antibiotic called Simplicef. I have not used it and told them to hold it for me until next week. I want to see if he improves on his own. So far since I stopped giving him Cephalexin on the 22nd of August he started eating again and has way more energy than he did when we was on the drug prescribed by the other vet. He is still limping on his right front leg but not as bad as before. Hopefully he improves.
Also be aware that quite a few dogs who do survive an allergic episode may have sustained some wicked kidney damage. Ask for the shorter blood test to find out what his values are (I’ve forgotten a lot of this terminology & knowledge, sorry). They may try to insist that your dog needs Prescriptives food. I did the research on this food and the company are also back to veterinary medicine of the research done Pre-1990. The foods for kidney damage they carry don’t have nearly enough protein which is why dogs die on these diets; they “waste” away.
Tell him to keep it and read up the posts. I developed a recipe specifically for this condition and posted it earlier on this blog (11/14/2011). Your vet will tell you it will kill your baby, but I proved my vet Very Wrong. My dog ended up outliving him and his diagnosis by 2 1/2 yrs.
He gave my boy only 2 weeks to live.
(By the way, what I meant by low-quality protein would be something like very fattier ground beef or dark meat chicken or turkey. Fatty – not so good for us, but great for the dog.)
My beautiful husky/wolf mix is on pain medication for his arthritis in his back legs though he can still get up on his own and do his business. However, he does not have the stamina to stand more than about one minute once back inside. How can I give him a complete real bath when he cannot stand for a minute or less in a shower ( where I used to be able to do it.) Now he slides in the soapy shower, cannot get a grip to get himself up even with my help. I have tried bath mats, but he still cannot get a grip on the mats to get up? Dry shampoos do not get though to his skin because of his double coat of fur and they do not give a thorough bath. He really needs a thorough bath. Any suggestions? He does weigh 90 lbs’ but he has a very large frame according to our vet.
uhm, this may sound a bit elaborate, but if I were going through that, I’d go to some hardware outlet and pick up some PVC pipe. I’d get it fairly large-sized (for comfort’s sake) and also some elbows and connectors. Then I’d make an open cage of sorts that could support my dog’s mid-section and back hips. I’d probably also Velcro attach some sort of thick material to cushion where the dog’s weight would rest on the support piece. The open framework would allow a person access to wash his nether-regions and rinse him with a shower-sprayer.
Thinking the dog could stand up with his waist being supported and with legs inside the cage, he could also lean back? I don’t know. I tend to think out of the box and I’m sure someone may have a better idea.
Definitely want to get a shower fixture with a sprayer though.
I missed my dogs muscle while injecting the last cc of antibiotic, it created a small lump on his hind leg muscle i really want to know if theres a danger to this????
Julian,
Please call your vet immediately!!!!!! Not sure why you would be injecting your dog and not your vet anyway. Hope all goes well.
As said, call the vet. I only know about Keflex.
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I have read the whole thread and now I am fearful our 12 yr old gentle German Shepherd is dying from the effects of Cephalexin for a few hot spots. 600 mg twice a day for a week and now she has been vomiting and her back legs have gone. She is just lying in her bed and she looks so sad. I fed her little pieces of chicken by hand tonight as she refused to eat.
Polly, please discontinue the cephalexin immediately and call your vet. Thankfully I stopped the meds in time for my dog. He recovered. Keep us posted.
UGH I was just was looking up this apo-cephalex online needed to know side effects for dogs,couldn’t find anything than I ran into your site. Wish I read this before giving my shepherd his pills tonight. I gave him 2 1/2 pills and couple hours later he is not drinking or eating his dinner, he seems so out there I call his name and he doesn’t even look at me. He got up to to move he walked around the coffee table and my husband said take him off the pills he’s messed up was limping (but that’s not really unusual for him as he is almost 14 yrs old) but watching him he is not himself at all. Can you please let me know how long his first dose is going to leave his system. My dog was on this drug about 3 weeks ago maybe even 4 weeks ago and within a couple days of taking this drug he was also not himself was not eating or drinking I thought he was dying, dying of old age, But than now I give him it again and its royally messed him up. He has only had 2 1/2 pills hasn’t had it for about 3-4 weeks how long is it going to take to get out of his body. I’d like to know why vets are prescribing this. 😦
So if I understand you, (sorry, a tad confused here about the frequency) the vet dosed your dog about a month ago (you don’t say for what) for what I assume was the standard 5 days. Now, this vet has prescribed for your dog again and last night you gave the first dose?
If that’s right, the first thing is to not allow your vet to administer this drug any more in ANY form, including injectable. Don’t give him any more at all. Your dog is part of the 8% or so of companion animals who is Highly sensitive to this drug. And don’t be surprised if your vet argues with you. As far as I’m concerned with the amount of research I’ve done on this, you could print out this column and I’d debate any SOB who claims this drug is Always Benign!
Unfortunately, at 14 and you say he hasn’t been the same since the last time, your baby may have sustained some kidney damage. At this age and his size, the best I can suggest is the diet I detailed early when I first entered this thread. And yes, your vet will argue that with you too, to take the Prescriptive diet which, if you read me, you’ll see will debilitate your friend further.
So sorry this happened.
And yes, it is a widely promoted drug from a non-responsive pharmaceutical company. And 92% of dogs do well on it as a broad spectrum antibiotic. But for our 8%, it is a painful, lingering death if the drug is not stopped immediately. If stopped, some recovery can happen. Get what are called the kidney values run; that should cut the bill a bit. It’s a fairly simple blood test. Most offices can run those numbers in their lab.
When vets ask me what I expect them to do when I confront them with this, – and it has happened a few times and voices Were Raised, – I tell them when they first meet the pet, they should ask if it’s the first time for the animal with this drug, and then inform the pet parents of side effects to look for and call the vet, report it and then return the drug for an older style of antibiotic. Tell other pet parents what happened to you. It’s quite probably the best we can do.
Namaste.
Sorry for my confusion. About a month ago the vet prescribed Cephalexin 500 mg 2 1/2 pills every 12 hours. Within a week or so my 13 yr old shepherd was not eating or drinking or moving and if he did get up he was almost falling down. His ear cleared up and we stopped his medication and he was back to normal. Than now after 3 weeks his infection came back yesterday and I gave him 2 1/2 pills and right away he got the same symptoms. After reading this blog and this drug I will not be giving him this drug obviously its killing him and making him have these symptoms. I will be seeing the vet and will be passing this info to him so he is aware i also posted this info about Cephalexin on my facebook to all pet owners. If I just gave him 2 1/2 pills last night obviously this drug got right into his system right away I’m wondering how long does it take to leave his system. Although he was on it before about 3 weeks ago for a week, and now again last night. Ugh many regrets and thank you so much for this info & my heart goes out to everyone who has lost their best friend because of this horrible drug thoughts are with you all 😦
My baby was mid-aged for a Samoyed (9) and, except for all the ear infections which I discovered came from giving him a commercial dog food, grain-based food (the huge WHY to feed a companion Top-grade foods), he was in good health. After I started my kidney recovery diet, his health started to return within 5 days and he was acting like his old self within 2 weeks.
If you read back to when I first entered this thread, there are more details. It’s been a few years now and my memory isn’t what it used to be.
For the economics sake, I have discovered that it costs approx. 20% less on an annual basis to feed a dog the best diet on the market vs feeding commercial (Alpo and the like) and paying for the inevitable vet bills for the allergies that come with trying to feed a dog corn in that fashion.
My reward for upping the grade of food was that for the past 5 yrs., I haven’t spent one penny on vet bills for any kind of allergic reaction.
Polly is better now and back to her old self again thank goodness. I discontinued the medication ( Cephalexin & Prednisolone for hot spots )
We are improving her diet now with fresh meat and vegetables and she is looking really well and happy.
Thanks for the forum and happy pet loving/pampering.
Glad to hear the good news. For your own convenience’s sake, you should try dropping by a good pet-specialty store. They now have refrigerated sections with fresh mixes for when you don’t have the time. (But healthy table foods can work too) I find the owner/operator ones have the best selections.
And please do look up the diet I wrote about earlier. If Polly did sustain any kidney damage, you want to limit sources of sulfur particularly. I knew about egg yolks, but had no idea about the oatmeal. It will help guide you as to what ingredients to avoid. My finest regards to you and Polly.
I’m sorry for everyone’s losses. We lost our beagle a couple of years ago and I feel the pains reading about the unfortunate outcomes for some of you.
Our 9 year old pitbull mix Baylee has come down with many of the symptoms that have been listed here while taking Cephalexin – lethargic, weak hind legs, shaking, excessive water drinking, roaching, non responsiveness and loss of appetite. We initially took her in on a weekend, so our normal vet was not available and of course he did not brief us on the side effects at all. Shouldn’t be normal business practice to have to ask what the side effects are and we shouldn’t have to run to the internet to find out. Learning experience I suppose.
Baylee (50 lbs) went in for a cyst that became infected, swelled and burst. The vet prescribed 500mg twice a day for 2 weeks for her but I couldn’t stand to see her condition worsen after only a week or so on the meds. It’s incredibly heartbreaking to see her go from running around playing ball to pretty much lying in bed all day not wanting to do anything. Including her favorite things – car rides and her nightly night cap treat. The past couple nights she has eaten about half of her food (cooked chicken and rice) and tonight she actually ate most of it. She has also stopped shaking for the most part, but I know she’s still in pain. She has issues with getting into a squat position to urinate and some times cries while doing so. It’s sad. Our master bedroom is upstairs so every few hours I carry her up and down to take her outside. Otherwise, she attempts to go downstairs herself and it’s not pretty.
I reread this entire blog to see if there’s anything that I missed from a few days ago. Going to make a call to the vet in the morning and see if we can get her in. Hopefully try out an older antibiotic, something for her hind leg pain (cortisone?) and blood test.
Thanks to all that shared your information and stories. I’ll post an update soon.
Attention Dog Owners . After hours of research . I believe I found the root of the cause that my dog had to be put down . He had a skin infection in April. After licking it for a few days it became a ballon. I went to the vet and he prescribed a ointment and apo cephalex 5 % of dogs are allergic to Cephalex . Symptoms are loss of appetite , lethargy, losing their back legs , develop ulcer ,etc…. But the time I realized he wasn’t eating I brought him back to the vet to fix this but it was too late the damage was done, no other pills and meds brought him back. Maybe because he was older and his body couldn’t come back from it . So to all pet owners , always do your research if you have an older dog. He took this medication when he was younger and was fine , but different symptoms when he was older. If for whatever reason your pet has to take apo cephalex , please keep an daily eye on him. If you notice anything out of the norm , stop using it right away.
Cocontinuation of thread above. He lost 33 pounds in 6 weeks after that dumb drug and I couldn’t see him suffer no more , so I put him down. Also the last 6 weeks , i had to carry him to poop and pee. Cause he could not get up on his own and after a few minutes on his feet , he would just fall on his bum. He was a 10 year old black lab in very good health . But the pills destroyed him . I hope if this thread can save 1 dog life then we did well. I miss my friend very much
Oh, Anth, I’m so sorry for your loss. I guess Kimberlee and Sage58 no longer monitor this blog but I hope I saw it in time for my own little 6 yr old rescue dog. How long had you administered the Rx to your sweet dog? Mine was supposed to take the Rx for 21 days. I took her off it after 12 but wish I had done so much sooner. She’s been off it for 3 days without any improvement. I had called the Vet twice about the hind end weakness but she said it wasn’t related to the Keflex. (Of course.)
Quinolone antibiotics are poisons to humans and dogs alike. They destroy cartilage and tendons at minimum. Add a steroid to the treatment and you exponentially raise the side effects. Avoid like the plague. Causes problems at the DNA level that will continue long after the med was taken.
One more thing. The effects are these drugs are cumulative. Meaning you might tolerate it one time or even twice. But once you cross your threshold, it’s like an explosion in your body. Please avoid these drugs. They are poison.
Hi guys,
I believe I have the same situation with my seven year old OES. He had very bad case of MRSP (staph infection) and after culture test dermatologist decided to treat it with chloramphenicol. This is very strong antibiotics that was discontinued in human due to the cases of aplastic (irreversible) anemia. In dogs it has not been reported yet. My dog has been under this drug for seven weeks. After three weeks his gum and eyes got pale but doctor said we need to continue with that. Then his rear legs became very weak, he started having trouble of climbing the stairs. He was also panting heavily while walking. I believe he started developing anemia. However, his appetite had been perfect and his behavior did not change much, and no diarrhea was observed . In the course of seven weeks his back legs got weaker and finally today I discontinued this antibiotics despite the protests from his dermatologist. Most of his wounds are scarred now, but there are still some spots that are in the healing process. I started cleaning them daily with H2O2 and washing with chlorhexidine, and applying manuka honey…Dermatologist does not believe in the above-mentioned treatment but I am tired of her and the way how she treats my dog. We will see whether his back legs will get better. Bottomline, these doctors love those antibiotics so much that they almost use it a treat for dogs….As if they do that deliberately to cause further harm to dog and then treat those side-effects. It is all about getting money from dog owners….
Our 2 year old Great Pyrenees developed a bladder infection this week. The night before her vet appt I started giving her organic apple cider vinegar. By the next morning she appeared more comfortable but I wanted our vet to see her anyway. The vet diagnosed the UTI from urine sample, gave her an injection of an antispasmodic and prescribed 2 capsules of 500 mg of Keflex 3 times daily. We were compliant for almost 2 days. Last night while grooming her I noticed hives and my husband noticed that her gait was off. We have discontinued the Keflex and returned to the apple cider vinegar.
The vet did encourage me to keep her on the vinegar for life as that makes her bladder slightly acidic. He mentioned that the ph of the specimen had already shifted to slightly acidic. He also endorsed my use of a small amount of the whey left over after I make my yogurt.
When I rescued our first set of Great Pyrs, they were severely malnourished. A vet from a high end dog food company helped me create a supplement to add to their food. It was a mash of carrots, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, parsley, green beans and apples. When in season I could add beets and even bananas as a treat. I just purchased the produce to start this again for Elle, mostly to disguise the taste of the vinegar. I guess I will be shopping for a new vet too.
Our daughter had/has severe allergies. I loved that her doctor always told me that I was a good mom and to trust my instincts. He listened to every nuance I told him about her health. Together, yes it was a team, we kept her out of the hospital no matter what illness came down the pike. Wish I could find a vet that believes in this type of pet owner – vet teamwork. It creates such an empowering win-win situation.Ultimately our pets will die. Their life spans are shorter than ours. I, like so many of those who have posted before, just don’ t want to be left to deal with remorse and grief.
Thank you for all the hours of research and for continuing this thread.
We have been giving our dogs Cephalexin (at a relatively low dose) for a variety of issues for the last decade without issue. However, our vet passed away last year and our new vet tends to prescribe higher doses. Earlier this year one of our dogs was prescribed a high dose of Cephalexin for an anal gland infection and developed extreme soreness in his back and hind end, along with the back roaching and a noticeable limp. Another one of our dogs was prescribed a high dose of Cephalexin for a different issue and developed tremors and extreme restlessness. We won’t stop giving Cephalexin in general, but we’re not likely to give it to those two dogs again and we definitely won’t be giving such a relatively high dose again.
Really glad I found this blog. I’m dealing with my dog’s allergic reactions to Cephalexin currently. She’s a bulldog/boxer mix and went to the vet for treatment of a possible URI. She only took two doses, vomited after both. But the worst was this morning when her entire face was swollen – it looked like she’d been stung by a bee. Went back to vet this morning, they gave her a steroid shot and different antibiotic. But although her facial swelling is down, she now has hives all over and can’t seem to settle down to rest. It’s been well over 24 hours since the last dose of Cephalexin and I would have thought it would be out of her system by now.
I have a Lab/husky of 9 years old, in pretty good shape and in oct. 2015 had an infection of anal gland. Was put on CEPHALEXIN 500mg/twice a day for 14 days. Didn’t notice any thing wrong with Jessie. Then, 3 weeks later, the infection re appeard. Wet back to the vet, gave her another set of CEPHALEXIN (same dosage) but for 3 weeks this time. On the first week being on this secound round of Antibiotics, we noticed that she would not take the med (same thing as the first round…I had to force the med down her throat poor (baby..) Then, we noticed that she would not eat (she would hardly touch her food, once every second day). I started to cook (grass fed beef, organic chicken) ect…but no improvement. She still didn’t want to eat (or just a bit). Called the vet and told him I would stop for a week and see if she would start to eat again, which after 2 days off the meds, got back eating (but not like before) she would eat half her plate. Got her back on the meds for another 2 weeks and she was still the same (loss of appetit) (sorry for my English, I am French…), any way we finished the 3 weeks as prescribed and she still had her gland infection (less that originally but still had some infection). Got back to the vet, he gave her another 7 days on the same antibiotic. He was concerned about the weight loss (she had lost 8 pounds in 2 months) and still not eating. Since I have 2 dogs of the same breed (they are brother & sister), I thought it was a problem between the 2 dogs (sort of a behaviour problem). He said maybe but we need to check further. So I took the 7 day antibiotic home but At this point I was not too positive to give her back the same med, but still went for another 2 days and call the vet and told him that I am stopping this medication. Brought her back to see the vet who told me to stop for 10 days and see if she will regain appetite (and regain the weight), We went back to the vet, he took a blood work and DESASTER….her liver enzymes were so high!!! ALT: 413 (normal: 0-75), ALP : 2251 (normal: 5-175) I am going CRAZY!!! and on top of that, she as anemia (we don’t know the cause). Going tomorrow for an abdominal scan and depending of what they find, probably will do a liver biopsy. I am SO SO SO SO mad at myself for not reseaching this stupid drug BEFORE….I JUST HOPE IT’S NOT TOO LATE FOR MY JESSIE BABY!
Keeping your Jessie in my thoughts and prayers! I really wish more veterinarians were aware of the harmful effects of this medicine, especially in older pets.
Thank you Candy for your warm thoughts and prayers! It is really appreciated. So we got the results from the abdominal ultrasound and there is a very big tumor on her liver. We just don’t know at this point if it’s benin or malignant. I will talk with the vet specialist tomorrow and see what they propose. Probably an operation to remove the tumor and see if its malignant….my goodness, I am so sad…and she still doesn’t want to eat. I give her Ginger capsules to reduce the nausea but still, she refuses to eat. This antibiotik didn’t probably cause the tumor but it certainly aggravaited her situation. Still, she was in PERFECT health before taking this stupid drug. Hopefully we’ll take the best decision for HER.
Awwww, poor baby. I will continue to keep her in my thoughts and prayers. Hang in there!
Candy
We buried our 15 year old border collie “Sparkey” 2 days ago. This amazing creature was never sick a day in his life. 3 weeks ago he developed an ear infection. We tried treating it with rinses made for this problem, white vinegar and anti fungal cream. It eased his problem but didn’t completely cure it. We started him on 250 mg of cephalexin every 12 hours and within 4 days he was gone! He appeared to have nausea which we thought was the drug side affect. He lost use of his hind legs and was gone before we could understand what happened. I am in shock as I write this as I have been a dog owner for 45 years! This sweet boy had a healthy appetite and would run up and down our 15 stairs in his home. He was by my side when I lost my Mom and he watched over our son since he was 6 years old! He was there for me when I found out I had MS. He always knew when I was sad or down. Now I get to live with the fact that I signed his death sentence when I gave him the first pill!! Why is there no warning on this drug? When a death is confirmed from a pet food it is recalled!! Why is there no reaction from companies about this medication? I am willing to do anything necessary to warn dog owners about this horrible drug. So hard to get used to him being gone! I don’t think I will ever get over it. I have 8 more dogs. They will never be forced to take a medication like cephalexin because it would be more humane to euthanize them! He died in my arms after 15 years of trusting me with his every need!!!!! So hard to deal with this truth. Rest in peace, Sparkey! I love you forever and hope you realized I just wanted to help you. Thanks for listening. Jennifer
I am so sorry for your loss, Jennifer. I have been following this thread for quite some time now and it breaks my heart each time someone posts they lost their beloved dog due the effects of this drug. We put my Rocco down June 6, 2015 and I truly believe that cephalexin was the start of his decline.
-Candy
Candy, so very sorry for the loss of your baby! Thank you for replying to my post. It has just about killed me knowing Sparkey would still be here if not for me giving him that junk! Something I will have to live with the rest of my life. He was such a happy dog and loved us so much! There has to be something done about a warning on that drug! He was so healthy at 15! Just the ear infection. My heart is broken. God Bless you for your kindness and care. Jennifer
We took our precious Kody to the vet because he was limping and lethargic. Vet drew blood/did X-rays/did a body check and said that something had bitten Kody and so started him on Cephalexin. First dose…he threw up. This morning after second dose he threw up again. Started searching the web and found this site. I’m taking him back to the vet and I will look very carefully at what he gives as a replacement antibiotic before giving it. He is my husbands Service Dog and he loves and needs him.
Julie, So glad you found this sight!!!! We have to keep getting the word out to dog owners about this drug. I am trying to post this on other sights as well. The one thing I can do for my Sparkey’s legacy is to make sure that what happened to him will never happen to another innocent animal. Knowledge is key. I truly hope your Kody will recover. He sounds like a wonderful companion. God Bless! Jennifer
We had to let go our precious Jessie on february 5th because she had leukemia, stage V. We are devestated. I am CONVINCED that the CEPHALEXIN did this to her. As I mentionned on my previous post, she was a healty dog, full of energy even at 9 years old. We had her liver tumor removed and everything was fine, except that she had severe anemia. After bone marrow, the verdict came down: Leukemia, stage V, 1 to 2 months to live. If she would have eat, I would have brought her back home but she didn’t want to eat nothing…..I am so sad…. I live in Canada (Québec) and I don’t know where to go with this. I will probably start with Santé Canada (same as FDA in the states) and see where this will bring me. All the vets that treated her are aware now of this stupid drug, nevertheless, the word has to go out. CEPHALEXIN IS POISON!!! Period!
J.I.,
So sorry about Jessie. Believe me when I say I know what you are going through because I miss my Sparkey so much!! He was so healthy except for that ear infection until the cephalexin!!!!!!!!! That drug needs to have a warning to pet owners!!! If it had my dog would be here now. 17 years of health and a stupid drug I gave him killed him!!!!! Maybe we can at least warn other dog owners before they end up hurting like the rest of us on this site. God Bless. Jennifer
You are right Jennifer, we need to let everybody know about that Drug. I am so mad about this, you have no idea!!! I hurt for your loss too. These babies gives us to much joy and so much affection, when they leave, it brakes our heart. And especially the way they leave. If they pass away because they are sick or too old, I can accept that but when the death is caused by a stupid drug…sorry I can’t. Anyway, I wll see what I will do with this and will keep you posted! Take care and God Bless you and everybody who loves their babies! Joanne
If I have ONE ADVISE to give to everybody is this:
BEFORE giving ANY medication (unless your pet is in REAL danger and needs a medication right away otherwise he will die), have a blood test run on them, this way, you can compare BEFORE and AFTER the drug. If the blood test is normal without any sign of real health problem and you need to give pharmaceutical medication, then go ahead but start slowly, giving the med one at a time. This way, you can see if there is any change in your pet. If you see that your pet doesn’t feel well, has symptoms like: diarrhea, vomiting, anorexia, lethargic, ect..STOP the med right away and have another blood test run on them. If unfortunately the second blood test turns out abnormal (like anemia, abnormal liver & kidney values or any other abnormal values), then you’ll know for sure that the pharmaceutical medication caused this damage. You can then proceed and take action!!! ALWAYS – ALWAYS – ALWAYS try to treat holistically BEFORE and if you have NO OTHER CHOICE, give pharmaceutical medication but remember; There are ALWAYS side effects to drugs – ALWAYS!!!
This is kind of an eerie coincidence… We had a male rottweiler puppy some months ago from a litter who had this exact condition come up. The vet was diagnosing him first with distemper and I believe prescribed antibiotics. He was tested for numerous things, but the long and short of it, is he did receive antibiotics and had the exact same symptoms. Thank you for sharing 🙂 unfortunately our puppy had to be put down, he didn’t really respond to anything even natural treatment. And it wound up in the end that he was a dog that looked like he has “no bones” and just was a frumpy ragdoll. The amazing thing was his lack of pain, it really stumped all the veterinarians that saw him
This drug should be removed from the market and its use in dogs completely prohibited. There has been NO testing on older dogs. Mine died from the condition you described. It was horrible and the vets (specialists) denied that there is any danger despite numerous Internet accounts.
Our Boxer is 9.5 and while traveling our baby had fluid removed from his plural space around his lungs..While he’s on borrowed time too long of a story the emergency vet prescribed cephalexin . I waited to talk with our regular vet who wasn’t thrilled but said go ahead . We noticed immediately the heavy breathing and moaning every time he moved. His food intake was getting less and less but we chalked it up to the fluid removal procedure. While driving back home our baby was in fetal position and didn’t move much for 9 hours nor did he eat.I managed to get him to drink. We arrived home at 3:30 and managed to see the vet at 4 ..while he had no fluid in his lungs the on call vet didn’t think anything was wrong..once we got home our baby was frozen like a statue and not listening . I told my husband we were stopping the cephalexin after 7 days of a 14 day supply …he ate very small amounts of food for the days following and finally today 4 days later he has eaten a little more but is very selective in food choice. While he runs a little more, doesn’t moan,he seems more alert but does not lift his leg when he pees. He lost 4 lbs after just 1 week on the medication. Our regular vet is back Tuesday and I will ask him about kidney function read. Our baby has senior panels run quite often so if anything has changed it will be caught
I agree that the cephalexin is a bad drug in some dogs and I personally read about everything and wish I would have read this thread. I am hoping our baby bounces back from this .
Randee,
Really hope your baby makes a full recovery from the effects of this medication. Like you, I wish I had been able to see this post before I ever gave my sweet boy that first lethal dose. I have no doubt he would be with me today. The hardest thing beside losing my dog is knowing he died by my hand! The only thing I can do in his honor is get the word out so that other dogs and their families might not have to endure this suffering. God Bless. Jennifer
I have been reading this thread now for an hour and let me tell you, everything that people have said is true about that horrible drug Cephalexin. I wish I would have read this before my Shih-Tsu had to start taking it. I finished the pills as prescribed by his vet. he had an ear infection to start and now that the pills are finished, he stopped eating his treats, meals and now is not drinking like he used. I don’t know if he’s too far gone to switch food, but he’s lost the use of his back legs. Do you just keep exercising them even if they don’t want to? I need some kind of guidance.
Please do NOT listen to your vet when he/she tells you your dog now needs Prescriptives diet for failing kidneys. I strongly believe that left my dog even weaker. Instead, look through this column for the diet I developed. That managed to keep my baby alive, Happy & healthy for an additional two and a half years. When he did pass, it was fairly quick.
We made our decision when he got to the point of not being able to stand to eliminate anymore. From the time he started to show signs of feeling bad until the end was only two weeks. He was 58 lbs (healthy) & 12 yrs of age.
Reta, So sorry about your baby!!! If it were me I would get him back to the vet to have liver and kidney functions tested. I would also make a copy of this column to show the vet because I have the feeling that lots of them do not understand or want to admit what cephalexin can do to certain dogs. I would also do it as quickly as possible. Please keep us updated!! God Bless! Jennifer
I am so glad that I saw this thread. My pug had some colds, cough and fever. It’s my first time taking him to a vet and they also prescribed Cephalexin. Of course, I was expecting that he would be fine after a few intakes cause vets knows better than me. Today is his fourth day of taking the prescribed medication but instead of slowly getting better he is getting worse. He lost his appetite, he cannot pee, he is not pooping since that day, he is having some heavy breathing, he drinks a lot of water which I think isn’t normal because he cannot pee (I mean he is having some attempts to pee but only a few drops comes out. Sometimes he would stand for like an hour hoping that he would successfully urinate but nah.) And his back legs seems to be useless. I don’t know how I would describe it but it seems like his muscles are so stiff. On the first two days I thought that it was just the side effects of the drug but while I look at him something tells me that something is wrong. I know that he is having so much pain that he cannot express. I have so much regret taking him to a vet because he was much more active before that day. And today while reading this, I have decided to stop using the Cephalexin. And honestly, I am having some doubts taking him to a vet again. I am hoping that you guys could give me some reccomendations. I don’t want to lose him and I will never give up on him.
Xena, So sorry for your baby! I can only tell you what I would have done had I known what was going on with my dog after going through the ordeal. I would take him to a vet to have his kidney and liver functions checked ASAP. I would make sure I had access to this blog because I feel like most vets aren’t aware of this condition. At least you will have written proof from the rest of the posters who have suffered the horrible effects of this drug to back up your point. I would do this as so as I possibly could. Please keep us updated. God Bless! Jennifer
Today is the seventh day when I decided to stop my dogs medication and I couldn’t be any happier to share that finally he is doing better. He is now recovering. My cute little boy is back. He now eats a lot, he is slowly gaining his weight back, he is now active, he starts to bark again and licks me. He can sleep peacefully every night. His colds, cough and fever are completely gone. Everything starts to get back on the right track. The only problem I have left is that his muscles are still stiff and he still couldn’t walk properly and couldn’t position himself to bed on his own and he also couldn’t stand up without needing assistance. I think it is also the reason why he still couldn’t pee normally but unlike before he now pees a little more than those little drops. I have a suspicion that the reason why his muscles are like that is because when I brought him to the vet he was injected with Cephalexin on both of his back legs. Anyways, I know that it’ll take some time for him to completely feel great and better. I thank this vlog for helping me a lot. If I haven’t found out about this any sooner, I might’ve lost him already. And I don’t think I could accept that. Thank you so much! God bless everyone and I’ll do my best to become a hero in small little ways to save our heaven sent dogs. They are all adorable and worthy to be loved so much.
Thank you for your passion and love. My mixed breed,boxer/lab, has been having a horrible bout of yeast infection,hot spots , . After taking him to vet, he was given prednisone, lamisil tabs and cephlix. He didn’t tolerate prednisone very well. Had pee problems severely. So took him off and did second round of antibiotics and lamisil. This went on for 6 weeks. He got better, but did notice the symptoms of squatting and some lameness. Once he was finished with CEO lic he stopped squatting. Then severe itching returned. I had changed his diet to all human grade food cooked to now mostly raw. He is suffering still. Took him back and they put him on apaquel. Was a miracle but over 2 bucks a pill. After 6 weeks of that he is starting to be worse again. Wakes me up, itching out of his mind. I have to give him 2 a day now. He smells like corn chips but is more horrified of water and bathing now. I just don’t know what is happening to my dog. I am really scared but can’t afford any more vet bills. I don’t know what I can do at this point but keep him as comfortable as possible. It’s a nightmare .
Hi Jackie,
My OES had the same symptoms: his entire body was covered by yeast. It happened after antibiotic treatment. I stopped all medications, and started with raw food( raw chicken). I bathed him everyday with Himsn grade Selsin Blue. Selenium sulfide cleared all yeast within a week. Last but not least i started treatment with Chinese medicine, forsythia 18( Seven forests) . This herbal medicine contains many medicinal plants that act as phyto antibiotics. He has been on this for the past three years and we nevet had any case of yeast anymore
My 3 year old Labrador had severe spasms in his left side head muscle after taking 500mg cephalexin for 3 days for a skin rash. First few days he started drinking water and peeing very frequently than usual,on the 3 rd day he yelled out in pain while twisting his head to the left, this is when I noticed these spasms were happening. I immediately called the vet but they didn’t agree it was because of the antibiotic. I stopped it anyway, he had spasms about 5 time during that evening, but since the next morning he was ok. Just putting this information out there hoping it would one day help someone.
Riley, Thank you for posting your story! We need for pet owners to keep reporting these unnecessary situations. We are the only hope for getting the word out about the dangerous side of this drug. So glad your boy is now doing fine!! God Bless! Jennifer
giving any animal drugs is bad for them its commen sense!
Took my happiest, healthiest boy to the vet for his lepto shot.. they said his irritated paw was staph and should be treated instead..
Shepard/collie mix 2.5yr 63lbs
They gave me…!!
750mg Cephalexin 2x day. Plus some Prednisone.
By dose 3 I was pretty sure I was seeing some side effects, including a pee accident, but gave him dose 4 before bed thinking I was paranoid since I was given no warnings by vet.
The next morning I was sure he would die within hours!
Curled spine, stiff/rigor legs, painful abdomen, gums pale gray.. a dying animal!
Searched for Cephalexin and stiffness.. found this forum, threw away the drugs immediately.
I canceled work for the week so I could be with him as he died, a promise I made my last dog.
For now it’s day2 no meds and is doing better, his lockjaw is loosening, his rear end still weak but he won’t admit it, gum color back, etc.. still staring off into space though and can only imagine the permanent damage done to his kidneys/liver from an OD like this!
I TOOK A PERFECT & MAGICAL DOG for his booster shots and get convinced to treat a minor skin rash…
He almost died and has permanent damage now!
Smiling and telling him how good he was as i fed him the POISON !!!! It’s all I can think about, how positive I was as i led him towards death!! How horrible I am, I don’t think I can erase that image and the pain it brings me!
He is my special dog that sits on my chest when I need to calm down…
No one said anything about dying from skin rash medicine!
I have dedicated the rest of his time with me to be ALL about him.. go, do, see ,, smell anything anytime.. it’s all you bubbies.. you saved me and I killed you 😦
Hshshdjdjfjreksnslwlelwmel
..
.how much more can a grown man cry?
I thought I was doing the right thing.
I really do hate myself…
No doctors or meds ever again!
I’m sooo sorry.
I love you.
. . . speechless . . .
Don’t – do Not blame yourself. If you read this entire thread, then you know that this drug does work on 94% of dogs. Ours were in the unlucky 6%.
It’s incredible how difficult it is to get a black box warning on drugs for animals.
I’m truly sorry for your loss too.
Oh, Allen, your post is so heartwrenching, yet you took the words right out of my mouth! I cry with you. I feel the exact same way; that I betrayed the loving trust my sweet 6 y/o has placed in me as I fed her that poison for 12 days!! (The Vet had prescribed it for 21 days!). I knew the loss of appetite was a side effect so I’ve had to find creative ways to get her to eat, and yes, human food like chicken and rice worked better than anything. She won’t drink so I use a dropper of diluted gatorade. The worst part is the loss of her hind legs. This was a side effect that I found NOTHING online about except for this blog. When I mentioned this to the Vet, she denied that the Rx was responsible. Our little 12-pound performer, always so full of energy, could stand up on her two back legs as if it was nothing, and could beg and charm even the grumpiest of people, now collapses when she tries to stand. It’s pathetic to watch her struggle, and I blame myself, as well. Yet we really did what we thought was the right thing. We put our trust in our Vet just as we do our Medical Doctor.
Allen, I want you to know that last February 2016 I lost my Border Collie to this horrible medicine. He had a minor ear infection that drops wouldn’t clear so I ended up giving him this poison. He was gone within a week. By the time I figured out what was going on it was to late. I slept on an air mattress with him for that last week. He managed to get up on my lap and I thought he might be feeling better but that is where he passed. He had been my side kick for 15 years. Never sick a day in his life except the ear infection!!! He could run and jump like a dog half his age. It just drove me crazy knowing I gave him the junk that killed him! He always trusted me so much. My heart has been broken for a year! The only thing I can now do in Sparkey’s honor is to try and get the word out so that other animals can be protected from suffering. From your letter it sounded like your buddy was getting a little better. I pray that he has a recovery and maybe something can be done for him. Please keep us posted. We just have to keep getting the truth about this med out so that others can take warning!!
I have read every post on here and wanted to say thank you for sharing your experience. Our 5 yr old golden was prescribed 500mg twice per day of cephalexin 5 days ago and he is having all the symptoms described above. We are taking him off this drug forever. I asked the vet if this drug could be causing his paralysis and they denied it. Thank you to all who wrote before me, hopefully he will come back to us as they playful pup we knew.
My dog Roxie wasnt as lucky as yours. She was prescrubed Keflex in Monday stopped eating in tuesday vomited blood on Sunday and died on Monday. Within week she was gone. When i took her to vet that last Monday her whole back end was paralyzed and she was in pain. The vet gave her paun medicine and she died on the way home. She dies December 26th, 2016. She was my love and my angel.
So very sorry, Amy. We are still hoping ours can recover. Did anyone out there witness their dog starting to get bumps and lumps on them during this time? Ours seems to have sprung up overnight. Any comments would be appreciated.
Sorry but all I can do is rule that out. In the 7 yrs. I’ve been onto this subject, have never heard of lumps from the Keflex. The one thing that’s been static (and therefore Very useful as info) is the progression of this allergy – stops eating, stops drinking, sore hindquarters & back, all within 2-4 days.
I’m thinking your dog’s symptom may have to do w/an unrelated illness/condition. Best of luck with it; will keep your pup in prayers.
Our 8 year old german shepherd had a bump/tumor on her tail that she would not leave alone. We took her to the vet and they did a biopsy but couldn’t tell conclusively if it was cancer or not. We decided to treat her with meds…..this terrible Cephalexin. My hubby and I were so diligent to not miss a dose and within a couple days she was drinking so much water and just laying on the ground and peeing all over herself even in her sleep. Then as the time went on she could hardly get up from ground without whining and barely getting her back legs up. She seems so depressed and distant. She is hardly eating every though she walks to her food dish then turns away. We called the vet and they said to stop her meds immediately (only one more dose left) and they were worried that she might be in kidney failure. I’m hoping and praying now that we’ve stopped this poison that she’ll be back to our spunky girl. She had a dose yesterday morning but nothing last night and nothing today. When I left for work this morning she seemed to be happy was up and chasing the reflection from my cell phone all round the garage. Fingers crossed this damage can be reversed and that there is no kidney damage 😦
Please keep us updated on your sweet girl!!! Praying for a full recovery. We have to keep getting the word out on this horrible drug!
It’s not so much the drug as certain dogs’ sensitivities to it. All the research I’ve done still indicates that at least 94% of animals do well on it. But it still needs a black box warning and for vets to be aware.
The biggest resistance for vets is when patients insist this drug be eliminated. What I’ve found much more receptive is to talk to vets about how most of us trust them. They’re not prescribing this with the idea they’re about to poison their patients.
I tell vets simply to inform their patients’ families to look for the signs of not eating, not drinking (or drinking too much) and the rear quarter pain. Most patients’ families will assume it’s a common side affect and continue to administer. If vets gave the verbal warning, then families could take it upon themselves to stop the dosing, make another app’t. and find another antibiotic.
I have been giving my 16 yr old Doberman mix some Primor for kidney infection. I came close to putting her down because of lameness in back legs. We were having to carry her out to go potty. I tried discontinuing Primor and it went away! Just a caution for people out there! Like your dog…she never lost her appetite but did become completely paralyzed in hind quarters. When I think how close I came to euthanizing my much loved pet..upsets me greatly!
Thao
My dog Weiss , 6 years old , 10 k has problem with skin and ear infection
and the vet gave him Cephalexin 5mg x 2 a day for 14 days. I gave him the first dose in evening and the next morning I saw him womit and lethargic I stopped immediately . I grinded parley ( 1 gr ) into his food and bath him 2 times a week with QV bath oil for two weeks and miracle he is not smell bad anymore.
I now still give him a half parley every meal and hope to control his problems !
I’ve posted above, in response to several others, but wanted to add my own experience here since mine is the most recent, evidently. I have owned a very healthy 6 y/o 12-lb chihuahua mix that we adopted from the pound after she was picked up in the street with a litter of puppies. She was very talented when we got her so I’m guessing she was trained somewhere. She pranced around and could stand on her hind feet, or sit up on her rear end and beg anything from anybody. We are all charmed by her antics. She’s also the most affectionate, cuddly dog I’ve ever owned! She is definitely a little mother. Very nurturing.
I thought she only had a heat rash when I took her to the Vet but there was fever present and she had been eating less so the Vet diagnosed her with Staph and put her on Cephalexin,150mg, twice a day for 21 days! The fever and rash were gone in 3 days but she continued to lose strength in her hind legs and would not drink nor eat much. I called the Vet about this but she said the weakness in her hind end had nothing to do with the Cephalexin and even suggested that she was probably just trying to get more attention by “faking” it. What nerve! My little dog continued to decline. She would collapse when trying to stand. It was painful to watch. I called the Vet again this week to ask if I could d/c the antibiotic. She never called me back. I stopped it anyway, 3 days ago, after reading this blog. My little girl is still no better. I hope I’m not too late. I had fed her this poison for 11 days. I have so much regret.
I’m sorry if I haven’t been here in a while; haven’t been monitoring my email of late.
I’m so sorry Jackie, for your baby. Have you had the kidneys checked yet? I’m guessing after that much time w/those symptoms that’s where the damage will be, perhaps also liver.
I wish I could offer something other than the diet I detailed earlier on the site. My boy did end up outliving the vet.
Thank you Sage58 for caring. I am happy to report that we finally have our little mother back! I took her to a better-known Vet in our area who did bloodwork and put her on prednisone for 3 weeks. He called me himself the next day with the test results (which were good) and had his staff follow up each day after that, checking on her temperature and wanting to know if she was eating or drinking yet. (I was having to use a syringe for a month to get some liquid in her!) This new Veterinarian is a Keeper!!! I also had a number of friends praying for her. (Thank you, God!)
I’m so grateful for this blog because I’m sure our little girl would had died, otherwise. My husband and I stopped the antibiotic ten days before the other Vet wanted us to, thanks to the advice on here. Our dog was not eating/drinking nor able to stand at that point. We didn’t see much improvement even after d/c the antibiotic so I took her to that second Vet three days later. I wasn’t sure she would recover at that point but the prednisone finally started making a difference after she had been on it for a week, The previous (inexperienced) Veterinarian we were going to just took over the Emergency 24-hour clinic in our area also. Heaven help us all!
So glad all is working out. I’m starting to think of this reaction in ways, like when some folks can’t take penicillin. Bad reaction. Use a different antibiotic. WHY can’t the company that makes Keflex and generic Cephalexin just admit that some dogs have a fatal allergy? WHY do they INSIST to vets that their medication is 100%SAFE for ALL dogs?
There is a new vet who just started at my dog’s clinic. When we met, he tried to talk me into Keflex for a minor ear infection. When I refused and said we’d go with an older, more frequently dosed, antibiotic, he laughed at me. I mentioned this blog. He had absolutely no interest since no one here is a veterinarian and we have NO idea what we’re talking about.
At that point I told him that we would no longer employ his services and that I’d like to see one of the other vets who knows me and this blog. He sniffed with the arrogance of a newly graduated animal doctor.
They really don’t know and insist that we can’t either. But we do. Anyone who’s ever read here Knows the pain, the confusion, the guilt and the sorrow. They know to warn their other friends and acquaintances when they go to the vet.
And for the vets out there, I will repeat to whoever reads this – This is a fairly Rare allergy that affects between 4-7% of dogs and the occasional feline. The side effects seen in all the dogs are Too Similar to be ignored. We Only ask for vets to be aware and simply give the warning, and if you are called, take the concerns Seriously.
We pet parents are tired of mourning our babies and feeling horrible because in a sense, we feel we’ve killed our pets. Allergies happen and with Keflex, that allergy is almost always fatal when our vets don’t listen to us. Big Pharma Does Not Give A Crap about our kids! We count on you!
Hi Sage58, thank you for your post. You are totally right. I lost my Jessy in 2016 because of this stupid drug and believe me, this is not getting back into my house again (I have 2 dogs & 4 cats). I live in Québec (Canada) and have been in touch with Health Canada – Pharmacovigilance Team, Veterinary Drugs Directorate
Health Products and Food Branch
Health Canada / Government of Canada
pharmacovigilance-vet@hc-sc.gc.ca / tel: 1-877-838-7322 / fax: 613-946-1125
since 2016, trying to get this stupid drug out of the market, contacted TEVA PHARMACEUTICAL, the one who makes the drug and NO SUCCESS !!! TEVA wont take responsability because they say it is a drug that is for human consomption but veterinary have been using this drug to treat minor skin infections. So basically this drug is out there to stay!!! I have contacted AGAIN Health Canada, spoke with a wonderful veterinary and she told me that she will contact the ACMV (l’Association canadienne des médecins vétérinaires) and see how they can advise ALL Canadian Veterinarian with handing them a WARNING DOCUMENT when they prescribe CEPHALEXIN (just typing the word makes me vomit). I would like to go further with this, by making a PETITION to get the supid drug OUT OF THE MARKET for animal treatment, but just don’t know how to proceed. If anyone out there who reads the post and knows how to do a petition (USA: KEFLEX // CANADA: CEPHALEXIN) I would be SO HAPPY. It won’t bring my Jessy back but if ONE animal could be save, this will be worthed!
Thank you again, Sage58, AND Joanne I, for all your work. I fear that I wrote too soon the wonderful update on my little Lena. She has relapsed slightly this week; weak again in her hind quarters, limping, loss of appetite. Ugh. It might be due to the rainy weather …arthritis? But I can’t help but wonder if it’s because the prednisone has worked its way out of her system. She never had these symptoms before taking that Keflex. The previous posts on here are never far from my mind, i.e. “My dog will never be the same again…” (or wording similar to that.) I’m not sure mine will either, but for God’s Grace.
Yes, you’re absolutley right. The Vet who wouldn’t listen to me had just graduated from school herself; Her partner at the office, only a year prior. The one who saved us with the prednisone was an older, middle-aged experienced Vet. Sadly, he too wouldn’t admit the problems with this drug but only told me that it wouldn’t had been his first choice if he had been the prescribing doctor. Yes, WARNINGS should be on the labels and going out to ALL VETS. I’m guessing that there haven’t been enough lawsuits to generate such action yet. I’ve told every Vet about this blog but NONE of them want to consider this. Even if just five percent are affected, that is still a huge number, considering how commonly this Rx is prescribed. My dog was NOT old, like many on here. She is six years old and was full of life, until now. Thank you for caring for us all.
I am so thankful for finding this thread…I have a 7 yr old pit that has a mole size growth on his stomach that is going to be removed on Monday but a couple of days ago I noticed spots of blood on my blanket & discovered he had scratched open the “mole” & everytime he licked it , it would start bleeding so I took him to the vet today & she gave me a script for cephalexin, with directions to give him 2 pills twice a day. I gave him his first dose when we got home & shortly thereafter he began to act a bit strange….I went to pet him & he yelped like he was in pain, which really took me by surprise because he had been perfectly fine earlier….he was less energetic, & yelped out a couple of times while lying down…I’ve checked him over & am unable to find any reason for him to be in pain..I did hear him eating while I was making dinner but by the looks of his food bowl he didnt eat very much & he didnt seem to want any water even tho he kept sticking his tongue out, for some reason it really made me think of how a person with a dry mouth would be acting. I immediately began to suspect the meds were the reason for the changes since that is the only thing that had changed in his diet & began googling for side effects of the drug. The first few websites claimed it was perfectly safe & that the side effects were mild & rarely occurred, but as I watched my dog become more lethargic, I knew with 100% the meds were to blame & that someone had to have had the experience with their dog so I kept searching & lo & behold I ended up here. Thank you so much for sharing all of your stories, its heartbreaking to know that the pills I gave my baby have made him feel even worse but had I not read all of your stories it could have been a lot worse since I probably would have assumed I was just overreacting & continued the meds.
I’m so glad you caught this in time. I expect your vet will STILL INSIST that the drug had Nothing to do with it. Never mind this; you probably still need antibiotics for your baby – ask for what was used BEFORE Keflex. You will probably have to dose 4X/day, but at least you’ll know you’re using a safer, proven product. And I don’t know your budget, but when you can afford it, have the kidney numbers run. That was where the majority of the damage happened to Boo, but w/proper diet, no reason not to expect a full life. Watch those labels for sulfur ridden foods if this is true.
My purebred 4 year old Labrador had the same issue after taking cephalaxine, thank you for posting this
I am glad I ran across this! My golden retriever/lab mix had this exact same reaction that Katherine talks about. Not only did she have it one time but twice. First time it was a long time ago and the VET said it probably was not the antibiotic & said my dog will be perfectly fine. I believed her & after being on it for 7 days she started out having the exact same symptoms Katherine talks about. I will never give this antibiotic to my dog again. When I tried to tell my VET my dog had a reaction to the antibiotic she totally ignored what I said and started suggesting more test. 4 days after stopping the antibiotic she is almost back to her old self.
I encounter vets all the time who deny that it’s even a possibility! They’re as bad as people doctors in their contempt that they may be wrong. I’ve changed vets many, many times over this. Eventually you Will find one who will take your directives.
My current veterinary office gets this but recently employed a new intern who told me “how very wrong I was”. I made it clear that this person is to never tend to my pets. He is annoyed by this. I DON’T CARE.
Unfortunately, sometimes you will have to be rude.
Unfortunately, veterinarians aren’t as highly educated as some believe they are. When they are in veterinary school they are told how important they are and how others around them should listen, without any questions asked. This is not a good precedent to set. Veterinarians are also scientists, who believe in data to support their reasons for believing in theories. I don’t believe veterinarians purposely go out of their way to hurt pets. I have to say, I’ve been in veterinarian medicine for over 50 years and I haven’t seen this reaction or heard of it. I’ve seen and treated adverse drug reactions that sound exactly like what is being described here. I am open to anything that pet parents see in the home environment that can help treat the pet better.
When veterinarians first graduate they go through a period of adjustment before they learn that they can’t do anything they want around the client. Veterinarians are used to treating animals a certain way and don’t realize they can’t do these things in front of the clients. Anyone who works at the clinic, whether you have told them they can’t touch your pet or not, will handle all pets in the hospital setting. More education is needed especially, charging the prices they do, for those who go to veterinary school.
Having come across this thread is a blessing for me. I am more able to invest time in researching problems, now, so I’m going to see what is out there and being done about this whole quagmire. If this is true about the antibiotic causing more than adverse reactions it’s a real tragedy. Make sure everybody watches their pets while giving any type of drug or supplement and immediately calls or goes to their veterinarian or Emergency Clinic if anything looks like it isn’t okay. Remember you know your pets better than anyone else. Don’t let them take that away from you. I hope to see all of you later in another thread getting to the bottom of this.
I’m so glad someone with veterinary knowledge showed up on this site & GETS IT!. Because that’s all I’ve ever prayed for.
The US FDA used to be where scientists and doctors made decisions for us. Over the years, it has become the domain of Business Leaders! I no longer trust them and have sought out other, more credible agencies for my information. Example; Where in this country we issue no warnings, I found that vet sciences in Italy had tested this drug to find that 4-7% of dogs reacted badly to Cephalexin (I thought the brand name was Keflex but see a link for a new form of it in the comments)
ALL I’ve been asking vets to do is warn clients of signs to look for and to Immediately Stop administering it and call them if they appear.
This IS a Good antibiotic for dogs in general. But like ANY drug, some will have reactions. The dogs can’t tell us. WE need to be vigilant and Vets NEED to give warning since we Cannot depend on the FDA to do it for us.
My deepest condolences to those here who have lost their fur babies. Spread the word to other puppy parents!
My cool engagement:
http://daniel.blogs.telrock.org
August 25, 2018
Keflex (cephalexin)serious side effects not just in pedigree dog breeds. My sweet fun loving 90 lb mix breed (rescue) being treated with Kelfex 500mg 2 tabs q 12 hours for 21 days for skin infection started showing side effects about a week into treatment (note normally see sides effects within 24-48 hours of starting the medicine). Day 9 notice hold up front right leg after activity and randomly, brief periods of excessive drooling and panting. Over next 5 days my husband and i started comparing notes what we observing by day 14 we stopped kefkex and called vet. Due to s/s of continous excessive drooling, & panting, drinking a lot of water, vomiting X 1, possible diarrhea (we have 2 dogs someone having diarrhea), unable to walk keeping his balance with hind legs going out from under him, tremor when sleeping, now rotating lifting of each leg when drinking, high anxiety not wanting go through the hallway without one of us there whinning when come through dog door. He was eating though this process. Stopping keflex next 24- 48 hours showed improvements. Due scheduling got him back into vet on day 16 (vet did rec. going to 24 hour pet ER, but noted improvement we made decision to wait). I had videos of walking issues which helped. What i want to also share is him lab work: from CBC Retic: low 1.3 K/uL (10.0-110.0), Retic-HGB: low 21.1 pg (22.3-29.6); from Chemistry Phos: high 8.3mg/dL (2.5-6.8), CA low 3.9mg/dL (7.9-12.0) and ALT: high 196 U/L (10-125) this is enyzme tells about liver, antibiotics are processed through the liver excreted by kidneys .at vet also dehydrated given fluids under skin, xrays did showed normal gut, questionable small heart size. On day 18 he continues to improve we are to go to emergency ER if he worsens if not we will follow with specialist tomorrow, monday with specialist Monday due to low Calcium. Blood also sent out to further anaylze calcium ($145.00). The skin infection worsen over course of treatment, very gradual. When i took him in for skin infection it was actually in process of healing, resolving. The vet did think leg issues and tremors due to keflex, atribyuting it to low calcium and a medibolic condition, hypo-parathyroidism I am not so sure but will follow up with specialist. I hope my experience is helpful information to others.
My dog is a male and 8 y.o.. he was also dx with ear infection at time i took him in for skin problems.
Thanks for your comment. It’s good that you are sharing your experience so that other pet owners are aware what can happen with this antibiotic. It happened twice to my dog,
My 9 yr old pure bred English cocker spaniel, Lola, just recovered from a frightening reaction to this antibiotic very similar to that described by everyone – listlessness, abdomen pain, loss of appetite, hind quarters were almost paralyzed. I thank god for this post you started Katherine and everyone that contributed. I took her in for a hot spot she had picked at and the vet prescribed
an injection of cephalexin without a single warning of any possible side effects. Thankfully Im so cheap that I declined the $140 shot for the $40 pills. She slowed down noticeably within 2 days and by the 3rd day wouldn’t walk further than a half block without me carrying her home. The day before I took her to the vet we walked a mile! I googled the medication, found this post and stopped the pills immediately – after a total of 4 days. My vet says she’s never heard of such a problem but whatever, I’ve seen it with my own two eyes and nearly lost Lola. 5 days after stopping the pills she’s finally improving and we had a long walk today and she’s eating fine. Still sore and limping a little and not able to jump up on things as usual but MUCH better. Many thanks to everyone that contributed their experience with this antibiotic.
Glad Lola is doing better!!!! We have to keep getting the word out about this drug. I wish there was a way for pet owners to know the potential consequences before allowing it to be prescribed to their dog.
I experience similar results last August with my precious 8 yr old 90+ lb happy gentle mix breed dog, Gizmo after being started on cephalexin 500 mg twice a day for 14 days for a skin condition. He developed similar symptoms but it was not until he started falling over i took him back to vet they did a chemistry blood panel to find his calcium level were critically low. Ended up at speciality clinic with hypoparathyroid dx. That vet said never seen dog with gizmo’s levels not hospitalized and on IV tx. Researching the dx skin issues can be a part of it. Then gizmo went oppossite direction and ended up with hyper-calcium condition losing 20 lb. To get gizmo CA level acceptable range we had to drop to 1/10 of original tx. After more research i am not totally convinced that cepphalexin might not have played a role on his dx. While gizmo is much better now we are still monitoring his levels, about $2000 later. It is horrible feeling to think i might have been killing my beloved Gizmo not only once but twice. If google dog and cephalexin you see countless similar stories. I did ask my vet to put in his record to not give it to him again.
With Bobo and others I’ve spoken with, it seems the creatinine levels would be the most affected if there is an allergy to the drug.
This drug needs a warning label to pet owners. Final conclusion.
Very sorry to hear your dog is suffering. Something very wrong going on here between the drug manufacturer and vets. My good news is my dog has fully recovered four weeks later, completely back to normal. Wishing you the same outcome.
Thank you, Jordan. I lost my Border Collie 3 yrs ago in February to this medication because no warning label was present. I don’t understand how all of the pet deaths and this common denominator fail to warrant an investigation prompting a warning label!! There are less harmful household products with warning labels for pets!!! Just rediculous!!!
We just lost our boxer to what we believe was a bad reaction to keflex . Our dog was running around like a 2 yr old puppy to almost full paralysis of her front legs after us treating her with this drug for an ear infection . I noticed changes in her on day 5 of a,10 day coarse , day 8 I stopped giving it to her , sje never recovered , we had to put her down 23 days after stopping treatment . I’m not saying this drug is bad for all dogs , if you see any weakness in the legs stop giving it immediately ! She went from a playful fI’ll of life happy dog to one that couldn’t walk , play , eat , have any quality of life within a few weeks. We KNOW this is what caused it .
Sorry to hear about your Boxer. This is happening more often. My dog (2 times) & husband both had bad reactions to this medication. Ended up at Emergency Vet with my dog both times. Tried to tell my vet I thought she had a bad reaction the first time she took Keflex but vet convinced me it was probably something else so I let her convince me to give it to my dog a second time and 3-4 days later she started acting strange and lethargic. My husband ended up at ER with severe vertigo and only thing they could determine the cause was Keflex the dermatologist had prescribed for skin rash.
My Newfoundland died Sunday after a course of cephalexin. Back leg lameness then internal haemorrhage and a bleed out.
This was horrific and has broken me.
At 6 pm Saturday night she lost use of her back legs, steadily got worse (I’ve broken my neck and back and couldn’t carry her). Called the pet ambulance and took her to the 24hr emergency vet by 3 that afternoon we got a call to say she wouldn’t make it and her blood platelets were low. I don’t know it cephalexin caused this but she was fine one minute and then this. Please be careful.
I’m SO sorry for your loss, Evanell. Our hearts are breaking for you. If I hadn’t changed Vets in the middle of my dog’s course of Cephalexin, she wouldn’t be alive today. We stopped the Rx after 11 days (it was a 21 day dose that our first Vet insisted we continue administering). The second Veterinarian immediately treated her with mega doses of prednisone and checked on her daily. Our dog still takes a half-tablet of the steroid every other day, 2.5 yrs later, and has periods of weakness. She will never be the same. The second Vet wouldn’t admit that it was the Cephalexin that caused this but there’s no doubt in my mind. The symtoms were the same as all others on here.. I think Veterinarians are afraid they will be called to testify in court against other Vets. Very tragic. Please know that you have a family here on this website who can relate to your pain. Newfoundlands are such beautiful dogs. I’m glad she had such a loving owner as you. Again, we are so sorry for your loss.
(symptoms)
After having read many of the comments here I did a little searching online and I found that the FDA approved Cephalexin, for the first time, in 2012. The brand name for this drug is Rilexine and is a chewable product made for an easy way to administer cephalexin for pyoderma. While effective, the generic human form of cephalexin has a bitter, metallic taste and strong odor that can be difficult to mask, which complicates at-home dosing. For me, I’ve never had a problem dosing Cephalexin made for humans, to my dog, but that’s me. I use peanut butter, as many do. Here is the link to go and find out for yourself:
https://us.virbac.com/home/resources/news/pagecontent/latest-announcements/new-fda-approved-cephalexin.html
I think we should be looking into the corticosteroids being used since the symptoms described here are exactly what steroids cause. The frequent urination is a side effect of steroids. Which in turn causes thirst and more urination and so on… I’m so sorry for your loss and hope you find peace and comfort.
To micpark 9: My dog was not taking any steroids when she almost died from the cephalexin. My previous dog had been described this Rx without incident so I never suspected it to cause the reaction it did to my current dog. I’ve since learned that about 5% of dogs have an allergic reaction to this antibiotic. It was the steroids that SAVED my little dog, and God’s mercy and grace! The Veterinarian who prescribed the cephalexin was fresh out of school, having taken over the practice after our previous Vet retired. She prescribed a 3-wk course of the Rx. I called her office every few days to report how my dog was getting worse but she insisted that I finish the course and even implied that the dog was just acting spoiled. My husband and I decided to stop the pills after Day 11 anyway. By then, our dog was unable to move her back legs and not eating/drinking. I was keeping her alive with diluted gatorade administered through a medicine dropper. We changed Vets.
I’m so sorry this happened. Please check much earlier where I detailed the damage and my attempts to mitigate with my own recipe for food. It can tell you what tests to order to determine damages to the kidneys and live
The vet practice I use just hired a new vet, as you said, freshly minted out of school. When he saw my dog’s chart and asked about my problem with Keflex, I recalled what I’d gone through and this dog was the nephew of my boy who passed away. He actually threw his head back and LAUGHED at me and chided me that Keflex HAS NEVER caused ANY dog ANY problem and why didn’t I know that.
He will NEVER administer to my animals. Makes me wonder WTF they teach in Veterinary school!
Yes, I had read everything on this blog when I was going through that with my current dog. It was very helpful and is part of the reason my dog is still alive. I imagine you have saved more than one dog with this newsfeed. We can’t thank you enough, 58Sage!
I only ask that the word is spread neighbor to friend to family to casual meeting on the street or dog park – we CANNOT depend upon our gov’t agency. There’s FAR too much money at stake for them and too much love for our fur babies in us. But thank you.
I kinda needed that right now.
I’m so sorry for the experience your animal and you had to go through. It’s so disconcerting when our pets suffer from the medication that’s supposed to help them. There’s an article on PetPonder that you might find helpful if you haven’t already seen it. Here’s the name of it: Cephalexin is an antibiotic that is used for treating a number of bacterial infections. However, it may have some side effects, especially for dogs that are allergic to penicillin. This DogAppy article lists the cephalexin side effects for dogs. You can also get there through this link: https://petponder.com/side-effects-of-cephalexin-for-dogs. You should always stop any medication when an animal is having a reaction. Pet owners are the closest to their pets and know more than anyone what is not normal behavior for them. Since no one is really looking into this reaction no one knows how many of these reactions are occurring. It is FDA approved since 2012 for dogs though. I hope we can get to the bottom of this. I know we have all learned a lot. Like when taking other medications you should be aware of what we are taking and what might interfere with what.
I just saw this but glad for the confirmation. Yes, the school of “hard knocks” will be the ONLY way these new Veterinarians will gain any wisdom. Like any other profession, experience is the best teacher of them all. “Knowledge puffs up but Love builds up” (I Cor.8:1). Thanks again for saving our dogs!
One other thing is the hind legs becoming weak and non-functional. That is incredible and remarkable. This should be researched and followed up. If this drug is responsible for this response in these dogs it should be pulled from the market until it can be researched. And, if the FDA approved this drug in dogs, either the FDA was told about this possible side effect and decided not to care about it or it wasn’t told at all about it. The FDA should be told and asked to respond to why they approved the drug or didn’t put a label/warning on the drug for clients/pet parents. If anyone knows whether the FDA has been approached already I’d appreciate a reply back. Thanks.
Same this happened to me when my dog tx with Keflex for hot spots skin infection follow up vet visit we suddenly found he was hypocalcimic (paratyhriod quir working). For two years now i have to give him tums and calcitrate ($100/month) twice a day and blood work every few months.. I think it was related to the keflex but my vet says no .
Kidney problems can reek havoc on the parathyroid gland causing low calcium. If your kidneys work poorly, usable vitamin D may decline and calcium levels drop, causing parathyroid hormone levels to go up. You might have something there, the symptoms of hyperparathyroidism are similar to the symptoms posted here. Cephalexin, especially in older animals, can cause damage to the kidneys. It’s possible that the Keflex is responsible on some level.
I’m grateful for this thread!!!! Our 13 yr old 80 lbs. black lab Yuma was prescribed Cephalexin for an open sore on her front leg. Her script was for 1000mg twice a day. By the end of day 2 she was very restless, panting, drooling, wobbly in rear legs (like she was drunk), needed help to get up from prone position. We stopped the Cephalexin and thankful we did! I called the vet that prescribed it on Sunday’s emergency line. He told me all they would do would be to flush it our of her system. He told me give her a couple days and see how she’s doing. Today is mid-day of day 2 without Cephalexin. She’s slightly better. She’s eating and drinking water well. Her equilibrium is still off. She falls when she shakes her head and still has some difficulty walking. We’ve started using a short leash on our short walks which seems to help her. I’m hoping and praying that we didn’t cause her any permanent damage to liver or kidneys. Needless to say we’ll NEVER use this drug again!!!! Thank you Katherine Coble and everyone who’s posted on this thread!!!!
Good for you for catching it in time! My post is above but dates back to early 2018. Our dog was prescribed this Rx for 21 days. She was much younger than yours but we sadly didn’t stop the drug until Day 11. The prescribing Vet kept insisting we finish it so we changed Vets. The second Vet was an answer to our prayers and saved her life with massive doses of prednisone but he wanted her maintained on a higher dose so we switched Vets again. The Third time was the charm. She only takes 1.5 mg every other day for the past 2 years. (She weighs 12 pounds.) That, along with NaturVet’s Joint Health Level 3 Chewable Time-release Glucosamine Tablets, has brought our little girl back to us. I didn’t think she would still be here 3 years later, let alone act like a puppy again, jumping on and off furniture and beds like she always did. (Only now that she’s 10, we have stools in place to assist when she wants the help. 🙂
When I started researching the Cephalexin side effects I was looking for the severity and longevity of each side effect. Here’s an update on our girl Yuma. It’s been 108 hours since her last dose of Cephalexin. All the side effects mentioned above are gone except an equilibrium issue. It’s much improved but she still has a balance issue so I walk her on a leash at least three times per day. Also slightly holding her collar going up a couple steps seems to give her confidence.
I have a good friend that is a veterinarian. He’s telling me that he has never had a bad reaction from a patient on Cephalexin. He thought there may be something else going on with Yuma. He could be right as she is 13 yrs old and has elevated creatinine levels.
After all my many reading on Cephalexin, I feel Cephalexin is generally safe and that Yuma’s symptoms are rare and may have been caused by her age. I found WebMD helpful with their list of side effects and how they ranked them.
I’m not bitter towards her vet. I feel that he along with 99.99% of other veterinarians do so for the love of animals. It was unfortunate that she had bad reactions but we caught them in time. Based on this event I’ll be checking the side effects of any drugs given to Yuma, my wife and myself as we age.
My Samoyed had messed up creatinin levels afterwards which I detailed extensively on this site. I also studied this subject thoroughly for months and developed a diet I also detailed on this site. The incident happened when he was 9 and his health didn’t fall apart until he turned 12 1/2. The problem with the Prescriptives Diet was that it didn’t have enough low quality protein along with the fact that he would Not eat it. This leads to wasting which can be the secondary factor that kills our babies. By using fatty ground beef and dark meat poultry, I was able to keep up his energy without overloading his kidneys.
I’ve had vets criticize but the point is he was given less than 4-5 days to live. With careful diet, he outlived that vet.
Just now seeing this. While I would agree that 95-97% of dogs do NOT react negatively to Cephalexin, there will always be that 3-5% who do. My previous dog didn’t have an issue with it but my current one did, and she was NOT old at the time. Just keep your guard up, please.
Doug H, we gave Romeo 1000 mg 2x for 4 days. Now he is on Prednisone 20mg x2 day, hope he will recover? Atm poor guy not able to walk or stand without assistance. Eating and drinking with hand feed. They are suggesting to put him to sleep but I want to wait few weeks hoping he will recover of this. deadly antibiotics. thx
It’s a rare allergic reaction that is observed in 3-5% of the dogs taking it. My last dog (a jack russell) was prescribed it a couple of times without incident. There does seem to be a direct correlation to older, larger dogs but mine was small and only about 6 years old when she almost died from that drug. We on this forum just want more veterinarians to be aware of this fact and not ignore such symptoms if they start showing. Our first Vet sadly would not acknowledge this and would had killed our dog had I not stopped the treatment after 11 days. She had prescribed it for 21. (She was also fresh out of school and had just taken over our retired Vet’s practice.)
Yes, well put. The lethal side effects of this drug are real for some dogs, including my, at the time, ~7 year old very healthy cocker. Vets just need to be open to the understanding that just because they haven’t yet seen something in the course of their practice doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. I trusted my eyes and experience with my dog and thankfully in the nick of time stopped the medicine and she’s completely healthy 4 years later. We are very very lucky.
Can you tell me how long it took this to resolve or what your outcome was? Thinking my golden retriever currently is dealing with this.
Do you mean your retriever is Currently on this medication? If within 4 days, your dog is losing interest in food and drink and has pain when you touch his hind haunches, Yes, he is showing an allergic reaction and you should Stop the dosing immediately.
If you dog went through a full course of this drug and this is later, have your vet run kidney numbers to see if they were affected. It might be another ailment.
But most people on this site came here after losing their fur baby to see what happened and why. This drug is Not Known to be an allergen and almost Every vet in the US will tell you the damage was done from some other cause.
They are wrong but try to tell someone in that profession they’re wrong. Not a good outcome either.
Earlier on this thread, I left directions for feeding a dog with damaged kidneys. My dog was given Prescriptive dog food for failing kidneys and it almost continued to kill my dog.
I have developed a diet that still gives the dog enuf protein without any sulfur compounds (Bad for kidneys) to allow them to thrive. I think Prescriptive limits the protein too much which is old school veterinary science.
Since the 1990s, it’s been shown that a low-quality protein in limited amounts doesn’t burden the kidneys as much as was thought.
My boy fell Very ill, was almost near death before I Ignored my vet and did four long months of study of dog kidneys. He survived, thrived and had fun for another 3 yrs. He passed only a couple years early for his large breed.
The vet who told me I was Killing him ended up dying 2 yrs earlier.
I wish you the best with this information. If you need more, please don’t hesitate to ask
Thank you so much for your response. Yes, she’s on day 3 of the meds. When we tried to take her out to use the bathroom this evening, she could barely move, was drooling, and seemed disoriented. We called an emergency vet, who told us to go ahead and give a dose tonight and see our vet tomorrow. I am not planning to give her the meds tonight, but will call the vet in the morning.. She did perk up when we came home with barbecue for dinner (despite refusing treats earlier) and is drinking a lot.
We stopped the Cephalexin after two days and disposed of remaining amount of pills.
If you do a search of Cephalexin on webMD you’ll find this med also affects humans with very similar side affects.
I personally will not take this medication.
Here’s the webMD site that I’m speaking of:
https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-11757/cephalexin-oral/details/list-sideeffects
I’m Doug H. You can read my post starting on Dec 7 2020 on this comment section. There is a timeline within my comments.
How long to recover? Our girl Yuma, age 13 black lab, took roughly 4 weeks to recover. Recover meaning being able to use hind legs relatively well and not walking her on a leash. Her episode with Cephalexin definitely made her hip dysplasia worse. However all other side effects were gone.
I am Reasonably certain that 1 week of Cephalexin for a bacterial infection disabled my 14 year old Border Collie/Collie Mix. Blu did have arthritis but enjoyed daily walks and occasional play. We treated him for a bacteria infection and soon was not able to walk and could barely stand. At the end of his life he had to be carried to relieve himself and spent his time on pain medication and sleeping in tight spaces.
So very sorry to hear this for you. Cephalexin is 100% a deadly medication for some dogs and would have killed my cocker spaniel had I not found this thread in time. Veterinarians are in either denial or lazy about the potential side effects from this medication. No conspiracy theory, fact.
They are mostly in Denial from my experiences. I have met a couple who seem to listen, Especially when I point out that for 93% of dogs, this IS a good antibiotic. I ask them to ask their clients to LOOK for the symptoms which are clear and happen early in treatment(within 3-4 days) and TELL their clients to Stop the medication IMMEDIATELY and call them.
This is Reasonable.What I’ve discovered and alerted other vets to is the fact that a lot of meds have some side affects and people Will overlook this and Continue to dose their fur-baby, to detrimental to lethal effect.
That’s why it’s so important to alert clients to STOP the Keflex AS SOON AS they notice their baby’s losing their appetite and becomes sensitive to touches on their hind haunches.
My dog Yellow Lab Romeo, 10 years old very healthy had a bleeding lump. He was prescribed Cephalexin 500 mg 2 capsules twice daily. Romeo weighed 82 lbs when she prescribed. Right after 2 days we saw that he is limpness, unfortunately stopped at 4th day. Sadly he lost all his 4 legs today. We did X-rays and nothing much was seen, bloodwork all good. Romeo can’t walk at all or stand. Now they prescribed Prednisone 20 MG 1 pill twice a day. Do you think he will be able to stand and walk with Prednisone? Is the correct dose for prednisone?
My cocker spaniel lost use of her back legs before I stopped the Keflex and she fully recovered. I’m hopeful for your dog. 🙏
Thx Jordan for prayers! I am hopeful that Romeo will recover!
Jordan, how do I make him poop? He has been peeing on the pee pad a lot with prednisone. I hope he poops on it too!
I don’t know the answer to that, Manjeet. Please let us know how Romeo recovers. Again, my Lola is 12 now and very healthy, still thinks she’s a puppy at times. There is real hope! 🙏
Jordan, thx so much for the message of encouragement. I was able to assist him in standing position and he peeped and I was able to manually assist in poop which is a good sign! I see he has some strength in his hind legs, he almost got up to see my friend last night after 1st dose of prednisone but fall down. I am hoping in 1 week we shall see an improvement. Is it worth seeing a neurologist? I doubt because Romeo is a healthy dog and most tests are normal. Wondering how many weeks your dog stayed on Prednisone? I am happy for your Lola! Thank you!
I didn’t give any other medications to Lola, just took her off the Keflex when I discovered this thread. I’m more grateful than anyone can ever know to everyone that had contributed their experience with the antibiotic. They saved her life. It sounds like Romeo is on the rebound. It takes time and love.
Jordan, Romeo just started picking his neck to catch the treat, I think that is a very positive sign. I am making sure he is hydrated with lot of water. He looks very attentive and showing promise that one day I will take him to walk. As soon his front legs start working I thinking we will be fine. Thanks!
Romeo’s update: We tried assisted stand and sit exercises and Romeo did a great job. I am plannng to give him these exercises every day am and pm. Now he is looking at his mom for dinner. Did I tell you that Romeo drank water from his bowl today, we are so proud of him! I have been calling him my Iron Man, next halloween he will be iron man doggie! His front legs still not very responsive, but for sure we see some good response in his hind legs and neck movement! We are hoping best for our dear Romeo!
Fantastic news!
Fantastic news!
Jordan, still was able to take out some stool this evening. Sad he can’t himself poop. I will do my best to make him poop with assistance. Front legs still weak, still hoping with course of prednisone we will see improvements. I saw Coble wrote it can take from 3 days to 16 weeks recovery. Patiently and wiyth love will try to make our dear Romeo walk again,
Hi Kimberly, I have posted about my dog Romeo. Hoping you can read and reply? I just. started steriods and this will be our 3rd pill 20 mg prednisone at 7 pm today. I am praying that this should work for our dog. He can’t walk and can stand only when assisted. Appreciated if you can help reply your thoughts?
My boy lost his ability to walk but very gradually recovered from the Keflex toxicity. Actually, he recovered about 75%.
But the damage was extensive and he only lived to 12 which was 3 yrs past the event. He had definitely slowed down. His older sister had a heart attack at 15 and passed so we felt we gave him most of his remaining life left.
We were not prescribed pregnisone and what were dosing your dog for in the first place wasn’t clear; a bleeding lump?
Our current boy, the nephew of the one that passed, had one also but it was a boil that needed lancing. So I’m guessing your vet simply followed a protocol.
Did he/she ever figure out what caused the lump?
My concern would be if your dog is currently having an appetite. My Bobo just wouldn’t eat the Prescriptive diet that was recommended so I did a ton of research into dogs and their kidneys and came up with a diet that I posted earlier and he seemed to thrive on it for the rest of his life. That and lots of watermelon; he seemed to develop a craving for that afterwards.
The last month of his life he did start having lots of trouble walking and for the final two weeks, we had to hold his 65 lbs up for him to have a bowel movement.
We took him for his final vet visit when he motioned that he couldn’t stand anymore; could barely lift his head but still wagged his tail to be held and refused all foods. This was Not unexpected. Six months earlier we checked his kidney values and while the vet said I’d done a good job, he was in his last weeks. He was a good, compassionate man who told me what to expect so we’d know when to say goodbye.
So as to the lameness, I think I’d have your vet check his kidney values to see if that’s part of why he doesn’t seem able to walk. Otherwise, you and your Romeo may be looking at a different problem. The majority of dogs that recover walk again.
My prayers go out to you and your Romeo. It’s so obvious how much you love him.
Thanks Kimberly for replying. Jordan and Kimberly, Here is the time line for Romeo:
1. Friday Oct 29th, 2021: Took Romeo to Vet for a bleeding lump on his right front leg
She prescribed Keflex (cephalexin) 1000 mg x2 daily. Gave 1000 mg (2 capsules) on pm
2. Oct 30th- 1000mg am and 1000 mg pm (waked normal)
3. Oct 31st- 1000mg am and 1000 mg pm (saw some lethargy walking, thought he is getting old)
4. Nov 1st- 1000 mg and 1000 mg pm (walk was seeing affected, neck down)
5. Nov 2nd- 1000 mg and I searched Internet that this antibiotic can cause kidney damage or motor control issues. Stopped and called vet and ask for another appointment.
6. Nov 3rd went for appointment, Romeo could still walk but saw that his hind legs are swaying, they did blood tests: Superchem/CBC; T4; Urinanalysis, T4 EQUIL / Dialysis. I said no for Keflex and she gave Mometavet 15 GR cream to apply on the wounded lump on leg
7. Nov 4th: The vet called in am and said all his liver and organs are ok. She thinks some Nuero disorder or lump on leg pinching some nerve..she advised to continue applying Mometavet on the would with neck collar. He could still walk stand and walk bit and pee & poop. But I could see Right front leg knuckling once in a while
8. Nov 5th: Friday he could still able to stand and walk bit. Had Rice & chicken cooked by mom. Still could pee and poop, but saw front right paw knuclke . She prescribed Gabapentine 100 mg caps 2 capsules every 12 hrs.
9. Nov 6th: Saturday: While trying to pee he fell down with front right knuckle. Tried pooping though with some effort but not able to as he fell down with both front paws knuckle. Talked to the vet and she suggested new antibiotic: CEFPODOXIME 200 mg for the wound/lump on leg
10. Nov 7th: Sunday- eating hand feeding ok, not able to walk or stand without assistance. Could not poop, both front and rear paws knuckling
11. Nov 8th: Monday- Called Vet and no appointment till 3 pm. She examine lump, legs..not able to stand or walk. She said lump is on skin but more worried about his ability not to stand or walk. Did bunch of x-rays but no major problem except it showed mass on the spleen. She still said the mobility issues not because of mass on spleen. She suggested give Prednisone 20 mg x2 day. Gave 1 pill of Prednisone 20 mg on evening, stopped all meds except steroids. She suggested that he was neurological issue, I said Keflex caused but she said that is rare. She said Romeo walking and starting situation looks really bad, and may be within one week we may need to put him to sleep. That devastated us.
12. Nov 9th: 1 Prednisone 20 mg am and 1 Prednisone 20 mg pm. Romeo still not able to walk. Eating and drinking still ok, but don’t pick up neck much. One time he did when mommy give her treat. Very attentive but not able to stand or walk. Using Help em up to carry him arounds to assist. He can do pee-pee with harness assistance. But won’t poop. Used Ice cube on anus and finger (which poor guys hates it) to manage him to take out some stool.
13. Nov 10: 1 Prednisone 20 mg am, he peed with harness assistance and whined and stressed when I tried helping him poop. So I did not try again to not stress him. I hope he goes by himself on the bed. He still ate his food in am (chicken, rice, pumpkin mashed, and scrambled eggs) and some water melon. Still seems thirsty and I am feeding him water.
Sadly still not able to stand or walk. When I use harness to make him stand I see him knuckling front paws. Seem tired.
Thinking to take him to another vet for second option, but with above incidents it clearly shows our healthy boy got crippled due to this Keflex!
if you read above timelines, are there any hopes for Romeo. If Keflex caused this toxicity, how much time will I have to wait? Vet says put him to sleep by Friday but I don’t trust her. He is atm laying on carpet, and mom is playing with him and I see him respond to her. He can move his body and try to get up but can’t stand or walk.
Will he be ok after 1 or 2 weeks? Are there hopes? Kimberly, also, it is stressing me out that he is not pooping. Do you mind emailing me at melphul3@yahoo.com and I can give you my phone number. If my wife and I can talk to you probably it will give us some help and encouragement.
You said something in there about a pinched nerve And a mass on the spleen. And she Doesn’t think that would affect his ability to walk?
When I was in a car accident, I was kept Two days because they said spleen injuries weren’t especially painful or symptomatic but could be deadly and they didn’t want to release me right away for that reason.
What does she think that mass is – cancer, tumor, growth, benign or malignant?
Without knowing anything else, I’d Definitely get a 2nd opinion, preferably by someone well-respected/regarded.recommended from a un-associated practice.
By any chance did she mention testing for Lyme (since that test revealed why my current boy developed a partial lameness in his front leg)?
And did she say anything about canine chiropractic, P/T or acupuncture?
These are all practices for dogs now. At least someone practiced in that sort of thing would be more likely to understand muscular/skeletal system better.
If his mood is still high, attentive and he isn’t in constant obvious pain, I’d be prepared for the possibility but would still have someone else take a look.
Hard to believe that much Keflex and no kidney damage reflected. Because of that, I would think either it wasn’t the drug or the kidney numbers were misread.
From what I’ve seen, researched and read the past 8 yrs, the toxicity of this drug seems to negatively affect approx 2.9 -3.7% of dogs and the symptoms appear to follow a definite pattern. Romeo is slightly off that pattern in that he took 2 extra doses before he lost walking ability. That’s what’s leading me to believe he may have a co-morbidity with the sensitivity to the Keflex.
Also, from my experience, prescribing an antibiotic is like the 1st protocol for most disorders. And vets are pretty much ALL told that Keflex CANNOT be toxic. Wish more of those vets would come here to read and reflect on that.
If 3.7% of humans had a Toxic allergy to a drug, there’d be a Black Box Warning!
Whatever you decide together, it’s obvious to anyone that your actions will be taken in love and devotion. Bless you.
We found that spleen had cancer that spread to liver for Romeo. He passed away on Thursday night 8:30 pm, now he has no pain. The doctors don’t know for sure why his legs & neck totally gave up. Not 100% it was keflex or spleen cancer?
I am so sorry to hear of your loss of Romeo. You and your family did everything and beyond to care for him. You are lovely people. 🙏
Thanks Jordan, we did whatever was in our reach. But I still think that Keflex made him crippled not cancer. How do we prevent them not prescribing this or at least aware of people that their pets can have neorogical demage with this medicine? So that others won’t go to into this ordeal
I’ve implored vets to simply add the caveat to their prescription instructions that it’s rare, but if within 48-72 hrs, your dog is refusing food and showing pain in the haunches, Stop the med At Once and call for another antibiotic.
I’ve explained how many pet parents simply believe the side effects are unavoidable & continue to dose – They NEED to be told; it saves the animal.
I’ve encountered over 20 vets since I joined this thread – only 2 have listened to me. The other 18 did not just write me off, they said it was Dangerous for me to spread such nonsense.
I think everyone who has found this site knows much better.
And I’m so sorry for your loss. Please heal – you did everything you could.
I hope one day past the grief, you’ll find another love puppy; he/she will be blessed with you
Kimberlee, thank you for your note and doing what you can to prevent senseless deaths of beloved dogs. At least now there are TWO more vets in our community that understand the real life risks of cephalexin. You have really done something and I’m certain saved dogs lives and countless heartbreak. I had the same experience with the vet that very nearly killed Lola, as you did with the other 18 you tried to alert and inform – complete denial and a genuine lack of interest. I consider it malpractice to ignore the conversation about a deadly side effect of a drug for which there are countless effective alternatives. I’m absolutely interested in joining any group dedicated to bringing these side effects to light and holding any vet accountable that chooses to ignore the conversation.
Thank you, again!
Let me assure you, it’s not “dangerous” for you to spread as they said such “nonsense.” It is your duty, and the CDC agrees with you. That’s why they have on their website a place for reactions to be placed. Veterinarians aren’t trained in vet school on how to take owners or clients seriously; even today in webinars given by vets to vets/vet techs they are constantly laughing at how stupid pet parents are. They always blame the failure to succeed to the pet parent. They blame it on pet parents’ failure to fully give all medications. This is routine in veterinary medicine. It even occurs in the vet schools. I would imagine that’s where it all began. Veterinarians are not the brightest bulbs in the box. Many wanted to go to med school but couldn’t get in. The real vets are the ones who were pushed out because of these people who wanted to go to med school. I’m not saying, though, that there aren’t good vets out there because there are. Many of them I myself admire.
I’m very grateful for this web site! It help me understand why my lab was stressed to say the least. I’d suggest forming a Facebook Page on this issue.
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