Do antibiotics shorten my pet's life or cause serious side effects?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Male | unneutered | 1 year and 4 months old
Is it true eating antibiotics for treatments will gonna make life span shorter than it's usual ? I heard it can fail various organs of the body and has severe side effects ? So is it true antibiotics shortens the life span ?
3 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on April 8th, 2017
Antibiotics are a life saving treatment in many cases but should only be used where necessary and under direction from a vet. All medications and treatments carry some risk of side effects and overuse, prolonged use and high doses can be dangerous both for the individual patient and for antibiotic resistance in bacteria which can cause untreatable infections where antibiotics no longer work. If a patient is suffering from a severe bacterial infection then they should receive an appropriate antibiotic at the correct dosage for the prescribed amount of time only
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on April 8th, 2017
Antibiotics are typically safe drugs, and the vet would only prescribe the necessary course to treat whatever illness he has. Being on courses of antibiotics for three days to up to two weeks is not very long, and this will not shorten his life span or cause body organ failure. Even if he was on very long term antibiotics, it would not cause those problems either.
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on May 27th, 2019
I believe we have repeatedly answered this question for you. There only a tiny, remote chance for those medications to cause liver damage or shorten the lifespan unless the dog already had an underlying liver problem. Your are worrying about this unnecessarily.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Bruno life time in 365 days till now has eaten many antibiotics if we look into past once he had course for urine infection once he also had course for stomach infection once he had course for ulcer in mouth once he had antibiotics course for yeast i
Im against medicine as medicine has side effects and heard medicine decrease lifespan..he must be around 1.5yrs since then like in April2017 he had skin infection where he had prednisone injection and lasix injection then after few months say July20
medicine like antibiotics pills & other pills for infection really has adverse affect on organ such as kidney or liver &can damage them? My friend GSD is 1.5yrs old & my is 3.5 yrs when my dog was of his age since then he is having issues related to
Bruno is 1 yr 5 months almost around 515 days and in 515 days he had first when he was 40 days old stachbinfection then he grows he had urine infection he again after few months had yeastbinfection in leg and again after few months he had stomach inf
Hi but my dog had eaten a lot of antibiotics since young as she has various of infections and small injuries. Is it really okay for her body to take more antibiotics? Are there other ways? Cause I rly hope she doesnt have to take so much medicine.. s
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He's been 3 yrs old now and since when he was 6 months and when he was 1 yr ,2md he and now 3rd yr wvwryyear he had some or other antibiotic for some or other infection some time augmentin for skin infection then clindamycin for tick fever then cepha
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My 16 yr. old cat has a creat of 4.2 and elevated white blood cells, including neutrophils. I've been given 2 oral antibiotics for her to be given for 4 wks. I'm concerned about the downside of taking antibiotics for 4 wks. although I do give her p
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