Is Cefotaxime a controlled substance?

Cefotaxime is not federally scheduled in the US. Controlled-drug status differs by country — verify your local rules.

What are the side effects of Cefotaxime?

Reported side effects, adverse reactions, and contraindications for Cefotaxime: Good CNS penetration for meningitis. May cause pain at injection site. Adjust dose in renal failure.

Cefotaxime

US brand names:Claforan

Calculate dosage

Sourced from published veterinary references. Awaiting credentialed clinical reviewer — our editorial process.

Cefotaxime is dosed at 25–50 mg/kg IM q8h in rabbits, per Pichardo C, Docobo-Pérez F, Pachón-Ibáñez ME, et al. Efficacy of beta-lactam against experimental pneumococcal endocarditis caused by strains with different susceptibilities to penicillin. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2005;56:732-737. — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 10.1 (Antimicrobial Agents Used in Rabbits.a). Verify against current literature before clinical use.

Drug Class

Antibiotic

Routes

IVIM

Indications

Bacterial infection Bacterial infection (may use with an aminoglycoside)Bacterial infection - third-generation cephalosporinbroad-spectrumGram-positive and gram-negative bacterial infectionmeningitisSevere infectionsSusceptible bacterial infection

Mechanism of Action

Third-generation cephalosporin with broad gram-negative activity including CNS penetration. Active metabolite (desacetylcefotaxime) provides additional activity.

Side effects & warnings

Good CNS penetration for meningitis. May cause pain at injection site. Adjust dose in renal failure.

Species with Cefotaxime dosing data (15 dose rules)

African Grey Parrot Ball Python Bearded Dragon Blue-tongue Skink Cat (Domestic)Corn Snake Crested Gecko Dog (Domestic)Domestic Pigeon Eastern Box Turtle Lovebird Rabbit (Domestic)Russian Tortoise Sulcata Tortoise Umbrella Cockatoo

Evidence levels across 15 dose rules

Weak×9Moderate×6

Each ExoticRx dose rule is graded by the strength of its primary evidence — see the editorial process.

Sample dosing (2 of 15 cited rules)

A dog/cat sample is shown here. Cited dosing for all 15 species — reptiles, birds, pocket pets, livestock, and equine — is free on the per-species pages above. Pro adds the weight-based calculator for every species.

Species	Route	Dose	Frequency	Evidence	Source
Dog (Domestic)	IV	25–50 mg/kg	q6-8h	Moderate	Plumb's 10th ed printed p.206, Cefotaxime monograph spanning p.206-207.Compilation only — we have not located an independent source that prints this figure.
Cat (Domestic)	IV	20–40 mg/kg	q6-8h	Moderate	Plumb's 10th ed printed p.207, Cefotaxime monograph spanning p.206-207.Compilation only — we have not located an independent source that prints this figure.

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Backed by 10 published sourcesShow

· 243. Klaphake E, Gibbons PM, Sladky KK, et al. Reptiles. In: Carpenter JW, eds. Exotic Animal Formulary, 5th ed., Elsevier, St. Louis, MO; 2018:81-166. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.213 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.1 (Antimicrobial Agents Used in Reptiles.a,b).
· 376. Harlin RW. Pigeons. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract. 1994;24:157-173. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.408 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 5.1 (Antimicrobial Agents Used in Birds.a).
· 391. Hawkins MG, Barron H, Speer BL, et al. Birds. In: Carpenter JW, eds. Exotic Animal Formulary, 4th ed., Elsevier Saunders, St. Louis, MO; 2013:183-437. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.407
· 99. Gibbons PM, Klaphake E, Carpenter JW. Reptiles. In: Carpenter JW, ed. Exotic Animal Formulary. 4th ed. St. Louis: Elsevier; 2013:83-182. — Source: Mader's Reptile and Amphibian Medicine and Surgery, 3rd Ed, p.1401 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.1 (Antimicrobial Agents Used in Reptiles.a,b).

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