Description:
Pfizer Animal Health
(sulfadimethoxine)
For the treatment
of sulfadimethoxine-sensitive bacterial infections in dogs and cats and
bacterial enteritis associated with coccidiosis in dogs.
CAUTION:
Federal law restricts this drug to
use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian.
INDICATIONS FOR
USE: Albon is indicated for
the treatment of respiratory, genitourinary tract, enteric, and soft tissue
infections in dogs and cats:
|
tonsillitis |
cystitis |
pustular
dermatitis |
bacterial
enteritis |
|
pharyngitis |
nephritis |
anal gland
infections |
canine
salmonellosis |
|
bronchitis |
metritis |
abscesses |
bacterial
enteritis associated
with coccidiosis in dogs |
|
pneumonia |
pyometra |
wound
infections |
when caused by
streptococci, staphylococci, escherichia, salmonella, klebsiella, proteus or
shigella organisms sensitive to sulfadimethoxine.
LIMITATIONS:
Sulfadimethoxine is not effective in viral or rickettsial infections, and as
with any antibacterial agent, occasional failures in therapy may occur due
to resistant microorganisms. The usual precautions in sulfonamide therapy
should be observed.
WARNING:
Not for human use.
DESCRIPTION:
Albon is a low-dosage, rapidly absorbed, long-acting sulfonamide, effective
for the treatment of a wide range of bacterial infections commonly
encountered in dogs and cats.
Sulfadimethoxine
is a white, almost tasteless and odorless compound. Chemically, it is N-(2,6-dimethoxy-4-pyrimidinyl)
sulfanilamide. The structural formula is:
ACTIONS:
Sulfadimethoxine has been demonstrated clinically or in the laboratory to be
effective against a variety of organisms, such as streptococci, klebsiella,
proteus, shigella, staphylococci, escherichia, and salmonella.
These organisms have been demonstrated in respiratory, genitourinary,
enteric, and soft tissue infections of dogs and cats.
The systemic
sulfonamides which include sulfadimethoxine are bacteriostatic agents.
Sulfonamides competitively inhibit bacterial synthesis of folic acid (pterolyglutamic
acid) from para-aminobenzoic acid. Mammalian cells are capable of utilizing
folic acid in the presence of sulfonamides.
The tissue
distribution of sulfadimethoxine, as with all sulfonamides, is a function of
plasma levels, degree of plasma protein binding, and subsequent passive
distribution in the tissues of the lipid-soluble un-ionized form. The
relative amounts are determined by both its pKa and by the pH of each
tissue. Therefore, levels tend to be higher in less acid tissue and body
fluids or those diseased tissues having high concentrations of leucocytes.
In the dog,
sulfadimethoxine is not acetylated as in most other animals, and it is
excreted predominantly as the unchanged drug. Sulfadimethoxine
has a relatively high solubility at the pH normally occurring in the kidney,
precluding the possibility of precipitation and crystalluria. Slow renal
excretion results from a high degree of tubular reabsorption,
and plasma protein binding is very high, providing a blood reservoir of the
drug. Thus, sulfadimethoxine maintains higher blood levels than most other
long-acting sulfonamides. Single, comparatively low doses of Albon give
rapid and sustained therapeutic blood levels.
To assure
successful sulfonamide therapy (1) the drug must be given early in the
course of the disease, and it must produce a high sulfonamide level in the
body rapidly after administration, (2) therapeutically effective sulfonamide
levels must be maintained in the body throughout the treatment period, (3)
treatment should continue for a short period of time after the clinical
signs have disappeared, and (4) the causative organisms must be sensitive to
this class of drugs.
TOXICITY AND
SAFETY: Data regarding acute
and chronic toxicities of sulfadimethoxine indicate the drug is very safe.
The LD in mice is greater than 2 g/kg of body weight when
administered intraperitoneally and greater than 16 g/kg when administered
orally. In dogs receiving massive single oral doses of 3.2 g/kg of body
weight, diarrhea was the only adverse effect observed. Dogs given 160 mg/kg
of body weight orally daily for 13 weeks showed no signs of toxicity.
PRECAUTION:
During treatment period,
make certain that animals maintain adequate water intake.
If animals show no
improvement within 2 or 3 days, reevaluate your diagnosis.
DOSAGE AND
ADMINISTRATION:
Initial Dose:
25 mg/lb (55 mg/kg) of animal body weight.
Subsequent
Daily Doses: 12.5 mg/lb
(27.5 mg/kg) of animal body weight.
Albon Tablets
For ease of
administration in animals of varying weights, 3 tablet sizes are provided.
The following table indicates how dosage may be adjusted depending on tablet
size and body weight. Subsequent doses should be given at 24-hour intervals.
|
Tablet
Size
|
Approximate
Animal Weight
|
Initial
Dose
25 mg/lb
(55 mg/kg) |
Subsequent Daily
Doses 12.5 mg/lb
(27.5 mg/kg) |
|
125 mg |
5 lb (2.2
kg) |
1 tablet |
1/2 tablet |
|
250 mg |
10 lb (4.5
kg) |
1 tablet |
1/2 tablet |
|
500 mg |
20 lb (9.1
kg) |
1 tablet |
1/2 tablet |
Albon Oral
Suspension 5%
Dogs and cats
should receive 1 teaspoonful of Albon Oral Suspension 5% per 10 lb of body
weight (25 mg/lb or 55 mg/kg) as an initial dose, followed by 1/2
teaspoonful per 10 lb of body weight (12.5 mg/lb or 27.5 mg/kg) every 24
hours thereafter. Representative weights and doses are indicated in the
following table:
|
Animal Weight
|
Initial
Dose
25 mg/lb
(55 mg/kg) |
Subsequent Daily
Doses 12.5 mg/lb
(27.5 mg/kg) |
|
5 lb (2.2
kg) |
1/2 tsp (2
1/2 mL) |
1/4 tsp (1
1/4 mL) |
|
10 lb (4.5
kg) |
1 tsp (5
mL) |
1/2 tsp (2
1/2 mL) |
|
20 lb (9.1
kg) |
2 tsp (10
mL) |
1 tsp (5
mL) |
|
40 lb
(18.2 kg) |
4 tsp (20
mL) |
2 tsp (10
mL) |
|
80 lb
(36.4 kg) |
8 tsp (40
mL) |
4 tsp (20
mL) |
Treatment may be
initiated with Albon Injection 40% to obtain effective blood levels almost
immediately or to facilitate treatment of the fractious animal.
Length of
treatment depends on the clinical response. In most cases treatment for 3–5
days is adequate. Treatment should be continued until the animal is
asymptomatic for 48 hours.
STORAGE:
Store at controlled room temperature 15°–30°C (59°–86°F).
HOW SUPPLIED:
Albon is available in the
following dosage forms for dogs and cats:
Albon Tablets: 125
mg, 250 mg, or 500 mg sulfadimethoxine per tablet.
Albon Oral
Suspension 5%: 2- and 16-oz bottles; each tsp (5 mL) contains 250 mg
sulfadimethoxine in a custard-flavored carrier.
|