Why do vets disagree on doxycycline for young kittens with URI?

Question

I keep hearing from many vets on here that doxycycline shouldnt be given to kittens, especially young ones a month or younger. I find this concerning as the shelter vet at our shelter has our URI protocol for all kittens to recurve doxycycline liquid for ten days. Can someone better explain to me why doxycycline isnt good for kittens? I'm just confused as our shelters vet gives doxy yo all our URI cats but many vets say doxy is a big no for young kittens. Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Mediumhair | Female | unspayed | 28 days old | 0.5 lbs

Makenzie Kurth, DVM · Accepted Answer

This is a great question. Doxycycline falls into the category of antibiotics called tetracyclines. Other tetracyclines- namely oxytetracycline- are shown to disturb bone and teeth developement in fetal skeletons or in young growing animals. Doxycycline is MUCH less likely to do this than other tetracyclines. Even so, the formulary recommends considering the risks and benefits before prescribing. Though I don’t routinely give this to kittens (I prefer clavamox) I do often give it to puppies. I have not yet seen or heard of a case of abnormal bone developement with doxycycline in kittens or puppies - but it could theoretically happen. In my opinion, doxycycline is a great drug for upper respiratory infections in cats- especially in a shelter situation which may not have the labor, funding, or storage abilities of my suburban clinic. I also feel that - especially in a shelter situation - the benefits far outweigh the risks. I am far more worried about a kitten in a shelter dying from complications from a URI than I am about the minuscule chance of affecting bone development. Of course, if your shelter had plenty of liquid clavamox and people to administer it, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to switch the young ones to something like that. Hope this helped clarify some things! Thank you for all you do!

Why do vets disagree on doxycycline for young kittens with URI?

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