Clinical success of clarithromycin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, enrofloxacin and doxycycline in dogs with infectious tracheobronchitis

Abstract

Canine infectious tracheobronchitis (ITB) is a highly contagious disease of dogs expressed with remarkable respiratory signs. Therapy with antibiotics in canine ITB still remains questionable. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical success of clarithromycin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, enrofloxacin and doxycycline in the treatment of canine ITB. Client-owned dogs with canine ITB signs (n=60) were enrolled in this prospective, controlled, and randomized blinded clinical trial. A computer-generated list randomization was employed to assign the dogs equally into the Group CLA: clarithromycin (25 mg/kg, PO), the Group AMX: amoxicillin and clavulanic acid (25 mg/kg, PO), the Group ENR: enrofloxacin (2.5 mg/kg, PO), and the Group DOX: doxycycline (5 mg/kg, PO). The administration of CLA alleviated the cough sign earlier than DOX. The recovery time of oculonasal discharge in group CLA were also earlier compared to the other groups. The tracheal sensitivity also disappeared earlier in the Groups CLA and AMX. In conclusion although there is no always statistically significance between groups, clarithromycin appears to be superior to other antibiotics suggesting that it can be the first antibiotic choice to alleviate the ITB signs in dogs.