fluconazole

It depends whether fluconazole is appropriate and necessary to treat your dog’s ear infection. If your pet has a fungal ear infection, it’s possible that your vet might prescribe fluconazole. Typically, medications like fluconazole are used when the ear infection doesn’t improve with topical medications first. Keep in mind that antifungal medications like fluconazole won’t treat and heal ear infections that are caused by bacteria or viruses; your dog will need other treatment for these types of ear infections. Talk to your vet about treatment options for your dog’s ear infection and how to prevent future ear infections.

It depends. Your veterinarian will tell you how long to give your dog fluconazole based on what type of fungal infection your pet has and how severe it is. Some infections need only a few days of medication to treat them, while others require weeks or months. You should follow your veterinarian’s directions and make sure your dog completes the entire prescribed course of medication.

Most dogs can take fluconazole safely, although no medication is 100% safe. Common side effects for dogs are vomiting, low appetite, and diarrhea. But liver damage can be a rare but serious side effect of fluconazole, so the medication should be used cautiously in dogs with liver problems. You should also use fluconazole cautiously in dogs with kidney problems because they can’t get rid of the medication from their body as well. This can cause the medication to stay in the body longer and build up. When dogs have too much fluconazole in their body, they’re at higher risk for serious side effects of the medication. Talk with your vet if you’re concerned about whether fluconazole is safe for your dog.

In general, fluconazole is safe for most cats, although there's a possibility for mild side effects like vomiting, diarrhea, and poor appetite. But the medication can sometimes cause more serious side effects like liver irritation. For this reason, it should be used cautiously in cats with liver problems because of the risk that the liver damage might get worse. In addition, you should use fluconazole cautiously in cats with kidney problems. When the kidneys don’t work as well, fluconazole can stay in the body longer and build up. This can make them more likely to have serious side effects from the medication. Speak with your vet if you have concerns about whether fluconazole is safe for your cat.

Fluconazole is a medication that’s FDA approved for people, but it’s also commonly prescribed off-label by vets for treating certain fungal infections in dogs. This is because there aren't any commercially available forms of fluconazole that are specifically approved for dogs. Follow your vet’s directions to give the right amount of this medication to your pet. Don’t rely on dosing information for people because it could be too big of a dose for your dog. Your vet might recommend you to give your dog more than 1 tablet per dose, prescribe the liquid form of the antifungal, or have the medication compounded so your dog gets the dose they need. Ask your vet if you have any questions about giving fluconazole to your dog.

It depends on what other medications your pet is taking. Fluconazole can interact with many medications like cyclosporine and certain pain medications called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Interactions that fluconazole can have with other medications can raise the risk of side effects from both medications. Taking interacting medications could also cause fluconazole to not work as well, which could make their fungal infection last longer. Tell your veterinarian and pharmacist about all your pet's medications, supplements, and herbal remedies so they can decide if these medications are safe for your pet to take together.