Ceftiofur
Ceftiofur is a beta-lactam antibacterial. Formulation, species and infection site determine its clinical use.
Group
Third-generation cephalosporin
Mechanism of Action
Binds penicillin-binding proteins and disrupts bacterial cell-wall synthesis.
Dose Rates
Dogs
| Use / stage | Dose | Route | Schedule | Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urinary tract infection | 2.2–4.4 mg/kg | SC | Every 24 h | Ceftiofur sodium only; evidence for other canine infection sites is not established. |
| Urinary tract infection | 2.2 mg/kg | SC | Every 24 h | Up to 14 days; Ceftiofur sodium; described course 5–14 days. |
| Systemic or soft-tissue infection | 2.2 mg/kg | SC | Every 12 h | Up to 14 days; Ceftiofur sodium; historical course 5–14 days, with clinical and CBC monitoring. |
| Systemic or soft-tissue infection | 4.4 mg/kg | SC | Every 24 h | Up to 14 days; Ceftiofur sodium; distinct once-daily alternative. |
| Sepsis or bacteremia | 4.4 mg/kg | SC | Every 12 h | Up to 5 days; Ceftiofur sodium; historical 2–5-day course. Monitor CBC because higher exposure increases marrow risk. |
| Neonatal septicemia | 2.5 mg/kg | SC | Every 12 h | Up to 5 days; Puppies; ceftiofur sodium. Neonatal patients need close reassessment. |
Cats
| Use / stage | Dose | Route | Schedule | Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bacterial infections | Reference only | PO | No established feline dose; canine dosing has been extrapolated but is not encoded as a validated feline regimen. | |
| Urinary tract infection | 2.2 mg/kg | SC | Every 24 h | Up to 14 days; Ceftiofur sodium; described course 5–14 days. |
| Systemic or soft-tissue infection | 2.2 mg/kg | SC | Every 12 h | Up to 14 days; Ceftiofur sodium; historical course 5–14 days, with clinical and CBC monitoring. |
| Systemic or soft-tissue infection | 4.4 mg/kg | SC | Every 24 h | Up to 14 days; Ceftiofur sodium; distinct once-daily alternative. |
| Sepsis or bacteremia | 4.4 mg/kg | SC | Every 12 h | Up to 5 days; Ceftiofur sodium; historical 2–5-day course. Monitor CBC because higher exposure increases marrow risk. |
Horses
| Use / stage | Dose | Route | Schedule | Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bacterial infections | 4.4 mg/kg | IM | Every 24 h | Up to 10 days; Ceftiofur sodium only. |
| Bacterial infections | 2.2 mg/kg | IM | Every 12 h | Up to 10 days; Ceftiofur sodium only. |
| Higher-dose gram-negative treatment | Reference only | IM | Up to 11 mg/kg per day IM ceftiofur sodium has been described; the divided schedule is not specified. | |
| Ceftiofur sodium infusion | Reference only | IV | Loading dose 2.4 mg/kg followed by 0.2 mg/kg/hour to target 4 mcg/mL. The dosage bullet does not explicitly state the loading route; the complete infusion instruction is retained without an inferred route. | |
| Bacterial infections | 5 mg/kg | IV | Every 12 h | Foals only. Ceftiofur sodium. |
| Antibacterial infusion | 1 mg/kg/hour | IV | Continuous | Foals only. Ceftiofur sodium. |
| Bacterial infections | 2.2–4.4 mg/kg | IM | Every 24 h | Up to 10 days; Ceftiofur sodium; maximum 10 mL per injection site, continuing 48 hours beyond clinical recovery. |
| Alternative bacterial infection treatment | 1–2 mg/kg | IV, IM | Every 12–24 h | Ceftiofur sodium, not an injectable suspension. |
| Lyme disease | 2.2–4.4 mg/kg | IV | Every 12 h | Ceftiofur sodium via a managed long-term catheter; diagnosis and response require reassessment. |
| Foal bacterial infection | 2.2–4.4 mg/kg | IV, IM | Every 12–24 h | Foals; ceftiofur sodium. |
| Foal bacterial infection | 2.2–5 mg/kg | IM | Every 12 h | Foals; ceftiofur sodium. |
| Strangles | 2.2 mg/kg | IM | Every 12–24 h | Ceftiofur sodium. The cited approach treats early systemic disease or severe illness with lymphadenopathy, but avoids routine antibiotics for an otherwise bright horse with established uncomplicated abscessation. |
Cattle
| Use / stage | Dose | Route | Schedule | Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bovine respiratory disease | 1.1–2.2 mg/kg | IM, SC | Every 24 h | Up to 5 days; Ceftiofur sodium. Initial course 3 days; days 4–5 may be added if needed. |
| Salmonellosis | 5 mg/kg | IM | Every 24 h | Calves only. Ceftiofur sodium reduced fever and diarrhea but did not eradicate infection in the described study. |
| Neonatal salmonellosis with hydrochloride | Reference only | IM | Calves: ceftiofur hydrochloride 5 mg/kg IM daily for five days is described. Keep separate from sodium-formulation calf data and from routine licensed livestock regimens. |
Pigs
| Use / stage | Dose | Route | Schedule | Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Respiratory infection | 3–5 mg/kg | IM | Every 24 h | Up to 3 days; Ceftiofur sodium. |
Sheep
| Use / stage | Dose | Route | Schedule | Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bacterial infections | 1.1–2.2 mg/kg | IM, SC | Every 24 h | Up to 5 days; Ceftiofur sodium. Initial course 3 days; days 4–5 may be added if needed. |
Goats
| Use / stage | Dose | Route | Schedule | Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bacterial infections | 1.1–2.2 mg/kg | IM, SC | Every 24 h | Up to 5 days; Ceftiofur sodium. Initial course 3 days; days 4–5 may be added if needed. |
Turkeys
| Use / stage | Dose | Route | Schedule | Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day-old poult bacterial infection | 0.17–0.5 mg/animal | SC | Day-old poults only; sodium formulation into the neck region using appropriate hatchery asepsis. |
Chickens
| Use / stage | Dose | Route | Schedule | Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day-old chick bacterial infection | 0.08–0.2 mg/animal | SC | Day-old chicks only; sodium formulation into the neck region. |
Ratites
| Use / stage | Dose | Route | Schedule | Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bacterial infections | 10–20 mg/kg | IM | Every 12 h | Ceftiofur sodium. |
Chelonians
| Use / stage | Dose | Route | Schedule | Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Respiratory infection | 4 mg/kg | IM | Every 24 h | Up to 14 days; Ceftiofur sodium. |
Reptiles
| Use / stage | Dose | Route | Schedule | Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bacterial pneumonia | 2.2 mg/kg | IM | Every 24–48 h | Ceftiofur sodium; maintain the upper end of the appropriate species-specific thermal range. |
| Green iguana bacterial infection | 5 mg/kg | IM, SC | Every 24 h | Green iguanas only; source susceptibility inequality is unclear, so require a valid isolate-specific susceptibility interpretation. |
Elephants
| Use / stage | Dose | Route | Schedule | Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Susceptible infection | 1.1 mg/kg | IM | Every 8–12 h | Captive female Asian elephants; ceftiofur sodium, with interval selected by pathogen susceptibility. |
| Susceptible infection | 1.1 mg/kg | IV | Every 24 h | Captive female Asian elephants; ceftiofur sodium. |
Indications
- Respiratory infections, bovine foot rot, metritis and selected urinary infections
Contraindications
- Cephalosporin hypersensitivity; assess prior severe beta-lactam allergy.
Interactions
- Avoid mixing with other drugs in the same vial or syringe unless compatibility is established.
Adverse effects
- Hypersensitivity
- Gastrointestinal upset
- Injection-site reactions with parenteral products
Preparations
| Preparation | Form | Strength | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ceftiofur sodium solution 50 mg/mL Sodium solution expressed as ceftiofur equivalents. Do not substitute hydrochloride or crystalline-free acid suspensions. | Injection | 50 mg / mL | IM, SC, IV |
Monitoring and Administration
Choose treatment using organism identity, infection site and susceptibility testing. Reassess clinical response and renal function where impaired clearance may increase exposure.
Food-animal authorization and withdrawal periods depend on the exact formulation, species, regimen and jurisdiction; do not transfer foreign approvals or residue intervals to another product.
Ceftiofur sodium solution, hydrochloride suspension and crystalline-free acid suspension are distinct products with different dosing, routes and withdrawal periods. Suspensions must never be injected intravenously.
Crystalline-free acid: cattle 6.6 mg/kg once subcutaneously in the posterior ear; lactating cows use the base of the ear. Horses and foals receive 6.6 mg/kg IM in neck muscle, repeated after 4 days, no more than 20 mL at one site. Pigs receive 5 mg/kg once IM in the postauricular neck. Cattle suspension is 200 mg/mL and pig suspension 100 mg/mL; shake and protect from freezing; use within 12 weeks of first withdrawal.
Hydrochloride suspension: cattle 1.1–2.2 mg/kg IM or SC every 24 hours for 3 days, maximum 15 mL per site. An alternative BRD regimen is 2.2 mg/kg IM or SC on days 1 and 3. Postpartum metritis uses 2.2 mg/kg daily for 5 days IM or SC. Pigs receive 3–5 mg/kg IM daily for 3 days, maximum 15 mL per site.
Hydrochloride local procedures: 1 g diluted in 20 mL sterile water intrauterine once at 14–20 days postpartum is described for retained membranes. Dry-cow intramammary treatment uses 500 mg per quarter at drying off; lactating-cow treatment uses 125 mg per affected quarter every 24 hours for up to 8 days. These routes are not supported by the calculator.
Sodium solution after reconstitution: reported potency is 7 days refrigerated, 12 hours at room temperature or 8 weeks frozen. Replace CRI fluids every 24 hours and do not refreeze.
High ceftiofur doses can cause anemia and thrombocytopenia in dogs and diarrhea in horses. Monitor CBC when exposure is prolonged.
Crystalline-free acid ear administration must avoid ear arteries: accidental intra-arterial injection can cause sudden death. For the 100 mg/mL swine crystalline-free acid product, do not exceed 2 mL per injection site; pigs above 40 kg need multiple sites.
For the sodium formulation in horses, no more than 10 mL per IM site is described; treat for 48 hours beyond resolution without exceeding 10 days. Do not transfer this 10 mL limit to the distinct free-acid formulation.
A historical sodium-formulation regimen of 10 mg/kg SC once or twice daily in dogs is not promoted to routine calculation because the companion source reports anemia and thrombocytopenia at substantially lower repeated exposures. Retain this conflict for specialist review rather than general dose selection.
Weekly CBC has been recommended for small animals on prolonged ceftiofur, with intensified renal monitoring if kidney function is impaired.
An older equine intrauterine sodium-formulation procedure uses 1 g, often daily or every other day for 3–7 days, but diluent, volume and efficacy are poorly established. It is a local procedure outside the calculator.