Quote:
Originally Posted by Nancy1999  Antibiotics work by killing bacteria that cause the infection. The doctor or vet gives you enough antibiotics to kill all the bacteria, and then some. However, many people see a dramatic improvement within three days and stop the antibiotics. Antibiotics are not like a pain medication, that you stop when the pain goes away; you have to continue the full treatment until the bottle is empty. If you stop the antibiotics too soon, some bacteria will survive, not enough that there will be symptoms of infection right away, but enough to grow and multiply. The new bacteria will be stronger than the old bacteria, because they will be slightly immune to the antibiotics, and as they grow and multiply, a new strain or "super" bacteria can develop that another dose of the same type of antibiotic won't even kill. This is why it's always important to use the whole bottle. Many humans have been doing this, and they aren't only hurting themselves, but they are hurting everyone by helping to create these super bugs. Doctors have had to use stronger and stronger antibiotics because of this, and are very concerned about bacteria being created that they cannot destroy. I'm not sure why the vet gave the antibiotics to your dog in the first place, but he needs to be rechecked, and you need to tell him when you gave the last dose of antibiotics. |
I was told since the x-rays, blood work and exams couldn't find anything I was told that the next step would be an ultrasound (which would run anywhere from $500-1000). The Dr. suggested we try the antibiotics to see if it was something internal and since he had been previously diagnosed with a UTI (a few months before he started yelping). I gave him the medication for a week, and when he seemed a lot better I stopped, which is why I have extra medicince.