With a few exceptions as noted below, one should
avoid using all medications in pregnant and
lactating (nursing) dogs. There may be instances in
which a medication not recommended for use during
pregnancy may need to be used to save the life of
the bitch, even though it may potentially harm the
fetuses.
NOTE: According to the
Merck Veterinary
Manual, this is only a partial listing of drugs that
should be avoided in pregnant or nursing dogs. A
listing of all such drugs is beyond the scope of
this article. If you have concerns regarding a
specific drug, make sure you do an internet search
for that particular drug or purchase a copy of the
Merck Vet Manual to have on-hand.
| Drug |
May Be Used |
Do Not Use |
Safety Studies in Dogs Not
Available; Consult Your Veterinarian |
| Acemannan |
|
x |
|
| Acepromazine |
|
x |
|
| Acetylcysteine |
Use as an antidote, only. |
|
|
| Activated Charcoal |
x |
|
|
| Albuterol |
|
x |
|
| Allopurinol |
|
x |
|
| Amikacin |
|
x |
|
| Aminopenicillins
(Amoxicillin, Ampicillin) |
|
|
x |
| Aminopentamide (Centrine) |
|
|
x |
|
Amitraz (Mitaban, Preventic
Collars, Paramite, Prolate) |
|
x |
|
| Amitriptyline (Elavil) |
|
x |
|
| Antacids (Maalox, Milk of
Magnesia) |
|
x |
|
| Artificial Tears |
x |
|
|
| Aspirin |
|
x |
|
| Atropine Eye Medication |
x |
|
|
| Azathioprine (Imuran) |
|
x |
|
| Bismuth Subsalicylate (Pepto
Bismol) |
|
x |
|
| Buspirone (Buspar) |
|
x |
|
| Butorphanol (Torbutrol,
Torbugesic) |
|
x |
|
| Carprofen (Rimadyl) |
|
x |
|
| Cephalosporins (Keflex, Cefa-drops) |
|
|
x |
| Chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton) |
|
x |
|
| Cimetidine (Tagamet) |
|
x |
|
| Cisapride (Propulsid) |
|
x |
|
| Clemastine (Tavist 1) |
|
x |
|
|
Clindamycin (Antirobe) |
|
|
Use with caution. |
|
Clomipramine (Clomicalm, Anafranil) |
|
x |
|
|
Cyclosporin (Optimmune) |
|
|
x |
|
Cyproheptadine |
|
x |
|
|
Dextromethorphan |
|
x |
|
|
Diazepam (Valium) |
|
x |
|
|
Digoxin (Cardoxin) |
|
|
Give only if clearly needed. |
|
Dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) |
|
x |
|
|
Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) |
|
x |
|
|
DMSO (Synotic) |
|
x |
|
|
DOCP |
|
x |
|
|
Enalapril (Enacard, Vasotec) |
|
x |
|
|
Enrofloxacin (Baytril) |
|
x |
|
|
Epsiprantel (Cestex) |
|
x |
|
|
Erythromycin |
|
x |
|
|
Erythropoietin (EPO, Epogen) |
|
x |
|
|
Estrogens (ECP, DES) |
|
x |
|
|
Etodolac (EtoGesic) |
|
x |
|
|
Extended Spectrum Penicillins (Carbenicillin) |
|
x |
|
|
Famotidine (Pepcid) |
|
x |
|
|
Fatty acids |
|
|
Not recommended for pregnant
humans. |
|
Fenbendazole (Safe-Guard, Panacur) |
x |
|
|
|
Fentanyl |
|
x |
|
Fipronil (Frontline)
Frontline Plus
Frontline Top Spot
Frontline Spray |
x
x
|
x |
|
|
Fludrocortisone (Florinef) |
|
x |
|
|
Fluoxetine (Prozac) |
|
x |
|
|
Furosemide (Lasix) |
|
x |
|
|
Gentamicin (Gentocin) |
|
x |
|
|
Glucocorticosteroids (Prednisone,
Dexamethasone, Hydrocortisone) |
|
x |
|
|
Glycosaminoglycans (Glucosamine,
Chondroitin) |
|
|
x |
|
Griseofulvin (Fulvicin) |
|
x |
|
|
Hydroxyzine (Atarax) |
|
x |
|
|
Imidacloprid (Advantage) |
|
x |
|
|
Insulin |
x |
|
Note: Diabetic dogs should
not be bred. |
|
Itraconazole (Sporanox) |
|
x |
|
|
Ivermectin (Heartgard) |
x |
|
|
|
Kanamycin (Amforal, Kantrim) |
|
x |
|
Kaolin (Kaopectate, Canine Pectate)
**See Note Below |
x |
|
|
|
Loperamide (Immodium) |
|
x |
|
|
Lufenuron (Program) |
x |
|
|
|
Mannitol |
|
x |
|
|
Marbofloxacin (Zeniquin) |
|
x |
|
|
Mebendazole (Telmintic) |
|
x |
|
|
Meclofenamic Acid (Arquel) |
|
x |
|
|
Melarsomine (Immiticide) |
|
x |
|
|
Methimazole (Tapazole) |
|
x |
|
|
Methionine (Methigel, Methio-Form) |
|
x |
|
|
Metoclopramide (Reglan) |
|
|
x |
|
Metronidazole (Flagyl) |
|
x |
|
|
Mibolerone (Cheque Drops) |
|
x |
|
|
Milbemycin (Interceptor, Sentinel) |
x |
|
|
|
Misoprostol (Cytotec) |
|
x |
|
|
Mitotane (o,p-DDD, Lysodren) |
|
x |
|
|
Natural Penicillins (Penicillin G, Crystiben,
Penicillin V) |
|
x |
|
|
Neomycin |
|
x |
|
|
Novobiocin (Albaplex) |
|
x |
|
|
Omeprazole (Prilosec) |
|
x |
|
|
Orbifloxacin (Orbax) |
|
x |
|
|
Oxytocin (Pitocin) |
At delivery. |
|
|
|
Pancreatic Enzymes (Pancrezyme, Viokase-K) |
x |
|
|
|
Penicillinase Resistant Penicillins (Cloxacillin)
|
|
x |
|
| Pentobarbital |
|
x |
|
| Permethrin (Bio Spot-Spot On
for Dogs, K9 Advantix) |
|
|
x |
|
Phenobarbital |
|
x |
|
| Phenylbutazone |
|
x |
|
| Phenylpropanolamine (Dexatrim) |
|
x |
|
| Phenytoin (Dilantin) |
|
x |
|
| Phytonadione (Vitamin K) |
|
x |
|
| Piperazine (Happy Jack Kennel
Wormer, Purina Liquid Wormer, Sergeants Worm
Away, Pipa Tabs, Piper Worm Wormer) |
Other wormers are preferred. |
|
|
| Polysulfated
Glycosaminoglycan (Adequan) |
|
x |
|
| Potassium |
Depends on type & reason for
use. |
|
|
| Potassium Bromide |
|
x |
|
| Potentiated Penicillins (Clavamox,
Augmentin) |
|
x |
|
| Praziquantel (Droncit,
Drontal, Tradewinds Tapeworm Tabs) |
|
x |
|
| Primidone |
|
x |
|
| Progestins (Megestrol
acetate, Ovaban) |
|
x |
|
| Psyllium (Metamucil, Vetasyl) |
x |
|
|
| Pyrantel Pamoate
(ProWormer-2, Nemex) |
Do not use wormers with
additional ingredients. |
|
|
| Ranitidine (Zantac) |
|
x |
|
| Rotenone (Goodwinol Ointment) |
x |
|
Caution: Do not use on
puppies, or expose puppies to this medication. |
| Selamectin (Revolution) |
x |
|
|
| Selegiline (Anipryl) |
|
x |
|
| Sucralfate |
|
|
x |
|
Sulfadimethoxine (Albon,
Bactrovet) |
|
x |
|
| Sulfadimethoxine &
Ormetroprim (Primor) |
|
x |
|
| Terbutaline |
|
x |
|
| Tetracyclines (Doxycycline,
Oxytetracycline) |
|
x |
|
| Theophylline (Theo-Dur) |
|
x |
|
| Thiacetarsamide (Caparsolate) |
|
|
Use with caution. |
| Thyroxine (Synthroid,
Soloxine) |
x |
|
Note: Hypothyroid dogs should
not be bred. |
| Trimeprazine (Temaril-P) |
|
x |
|
| Trimethoprim & Sulfadiazine (Tribrissen) |
|
x |
|
**CAUTION: Some Kaopectate includes bismuth salicylate as an
ingredient. Dogs that may have an allergy to
aspirin, or are taking aspirin, steroids, or another
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) such as
Rimadyl, EtoGesic, or Deramaxx should not be given
the formulation with bismuth salicylate unless
directed by a veterinarian.
