Pennicillian Dosage

What would be the correct penn dosage to give a small pony ... I don't know exact weight, it's only approx 40 inches tall at withers and I would say approx 400lbs. Maybe.

Anyway, she got to close to a porcupine and got the quills in her back leg. We got them pulled out, and sprayed some ointment on to prevent infection. Now I'd like to give her some Pennicillian to help with infection prevention, but am uncertain how much to give, and for some ODD reason the bottle doesn't say. So what do ya'll think ? And how long do I do the shots ? Is it 4 days ? I can't remember.

You reallly need to have a good estimate of her weight to dose any medications so you don't under-dose or over-dose. And dosing antibiotics shouldn't be done without a vet's recommendation as that is how we are ending up with so many "super bugs" that are resistant to the antibiotics we have---under-dosing, dosing for too short a period of time, etc.

Generally, antibiotics don't need to be given for every little injury.

Call your vet and discuss the situation and see what he recommends.

I have a lot of animals running through my place all the time, and Penicillin is a pretty mild drug that helps with a common cold, and generally gets all the infection out of their bodies. J, I would make sure to call a vet and tell him the name of that penicillin because there is a couple types that are slightly different.

My vet recommends not to use one type because it isn't suited for horses. Anyways, make sure you have the correct type, then I would give your mare 1cc per 100lb of bodyweight. Usually with my yearlings, I do a 10cc injection for three days, and on the fourth morning, if they aren't better, take 'em to the vet! With your pony, I would give her 3-4cc's in the hindquarters. If you don't know what your doing in the neck, you can kill them.

Make sure you stick the needle at the top of the hindquarters, a couple inches behind the hip. Also, these shots don't bother some horses, but others get pretty mad and try to kick, so stand by their side, away from the hind legs.

If you ever have a big horse that needs more than 5cc's split the number and inject it in two different spots. Idk why, but that's what an old horse guy told me to do, and I've been doing it ever since. It probably absorbs faster, or maybe keeps them from getting sore.

Any new horse/animal that comes to my place gets a shot and gets wormed coming right off the trailer so I don't get cross - contamination. Its worked for me so far! Remember to call a vet about the penicillin because if it isn't the right kind, it will probably do more harm than good. Let us know how she does!

Penicillin won't treat "colds" which are caused by a virus. It is only effective against bacterial infections--and only certain bacteria. It is also not "fairly mild"--it is simply another antibiotic.

As for dosing, with most Penicillin products on the market for horses dosing at 1cc per 100 lbs is under-dosing.

I always dose my horses that come home that get Travel Fever with penicillin, and they clear up in 3-4 days. I was told that Travel Fever was just a bad cold, could be wrong though. It makes sense that it is viral since I've gotten a couple from a horse trader, who buys at auctions and such. And what would you suggest for the dosage since 1 cc per 100lb weight isn't enough? Its always worked for me, but I haven't had a horse that was about to die either.

Unless you've had a vet exam, you can't know that it's shipping fever--which is a very specific condition--so you don't really know if the penicillin is helping what is going on or if your horse's body is just dealing with it. http://www.teke.ca/2007/06/19/pleuropneumonia/
http://www.tufts.edu/vet/sports/transport.html

The runny nose, fever, lethargy, etc seen after shipping could be any number of things from Equine Herpes Virus or Influenza to a simple reaction to the dust/debris that was blowing in it's face while being hauled. You can't tell what is going on without a vet exam and even some diagnostic tests to determine what organism is causing the problem because there are too many things that can present pretty much just the same.

As far as dosing goes, you need to discuss it with your vet and read the label on the product you have because all products on the market aren't exactly the same. There is an acceptable range for dosing and where in that range you dose is dependant on what is going on and what you are likely dealing with.

Thank you. Lol, I guess you could say that where I come from, anytime a horse is sick after its been hauled, it has Shipping Fever, lol. I think they believe that regardless of whats going on. Whew, at least I still have a while to learn. Thanks for the input! I plan on striving to be a vet soon as I get some time at a vet's office and get the basics done in college. Would you mind if I asked you ?? Every now and then?