Antibiotics are given to animals that are sick, in order to help relieve the pain and distress due to the illness, help the animal feel better, and recover. Antibiotics may also be given to animals that are in danger of becoming sick in order to prevent the illness or infection from happening in the first place. Just like in people, however, antibiotics do not have any effect on diseases of animals that are caused by viruses or parasites, or other germs besides bacteria. Some antibiotics, for reasons that aren’t totally understood, help cattle grow faster and get more out of the feed they eat. These medicines are used at lower concentrations than when they are used to treat illness, and typically are included in the food that cattle eat. The decision whether to use such products for this use (or any other reason) rests with the individual cattle raiser. Not all of them choose to use antibiotics in this manner.
Features of Water Soluble Antibiotics For Cattle
The most important advantages of water delivery of antibiotics, relative to delivery by injection or in feed, are related to convenience/ease of administration (saving time and labor), response time, and the fact that water delivery is stress-free (requires no restraint, no needles and no tissue damage/irritation at injection site). Administering antibiotics via water to an entire barn full of pigs typically requires only a few minutes of one person’s time to add the appropriate amount of a soluble powder or suspended formulation to a proportioner (typically used in large facilities constructed more recently) or an overhead tank system (often used on small farms). This saves labor, but could also save considerable time, when the alternative is injection of individual animals throughout the barn. Though a veterinary client patient relationship (VCPR) and prescription for the medication are required, water delivery typically follows on-farm/internal standard operating procedures (SOPs) that obviate the step of obtaining medicated material from a feed mill. This could save important time in the case of a rapidly moving outbreak. In this manner, use of water soluble medication can stabilize or even prevent disease outbreaks.
Specification/direction
| Antibiotic | Brand Name Example | Indications |
| Oxytetracycline | Terramycin-343 SolublePowder Ò. | Bacterial enteritis caused by E. coli and Salmonella choleraesuis;Bacterial pneumonia caused by Pasteurella multocida; Leptosporosis caused by Leptospira pomona |
| Chlortetracycline | Aureomycin Soluble Powder ConcentrateÒ. | Bacterial enteritis (scours) (E. coli & Salmonella spp); bacterial pneumonia (Pasteurella spp, Hemophilus spp, Klebsiella spp) |
| Tetracycline | Tetracycline Soluble PowderÒ,Tetra-324Ò. | An aid in the prevention and treatment of bacterial enteritis and bacterial pneumonia in swine. Bacterial enteritis (scours) (E. coli); bacterial pneumonia associated with Pasteurella spp, Hemophilus spp, Klebsiella spp susceptible to tetracycline. |
| Tiamulin | Denegard Soluble AntibioticÒ | Actinobacillus pleuropneumonia (APP) (10.5 mg/lb), swine dysentery (3.5 mg/lb) |
| Gentocin | GaracinÒ | E. coli in weanling swine, swine dysentery |
| Lincomycin | Lincomix Soluble PowderÒ | Treatment of swine dysentery. |
| Neomycin | Neo 128Ò, Neo 325Ò, Neovet 325Ò | Treatment and control of colibacillois caused by E. coli susceptible to neomycin sulfate. |
| Spectomycin | Spectam Water SolubleÒ | Labeled only for poultryThe oral solution (Spectam Scour-HaltÒ) is intended for E. coli scours |
| Sulfamethazine | SulmetÒ | Porcine colibacillosis and bacterial pneumonia (Pasteurella spp) |
| Lincomycin/Spectomycin | L-S 50 Soluble PowderÒ | Labeled only for poultry |
| Chlorotetracycline/sulfamethazine | Aureomycin Sulmet Soluble PowderÒ | Bacterial enteritis; aid in the maintenance of weight gains in the presence of atrophic rhinitis; reduce the incidence of cervical abscesses. |
| Tylosin | Tylan SolubleÒ | Treatment and control of swine dysentery or other pathogens sensitive to tylosin. |
| Penicillin G Potassium | Labeled for turkeys |
Prices of Water Soluble Antibiotics For Cattle
$10.50 – $513.69