Is Ceftiofur a controlled substance?

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

Ceftiofur

US brand names:Excenel, Excede, Naxcel

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

Ceftiofur is dosed at 5 mg/kg IM q24h in bearded dragons, per Carpenter's 6th ed. p.214 (ceftiofur sodium, lizards/bearded dragons); Mader's Table 127.1 corpus p.1402 '5 mg/kg SC, IM q24h - Lizards/PK; ceftiofur sodium'; Plumb's Ceftiofur REPTILES, corpus p.256, '5 mg/kg, IM or SC, every 24 hours' (green iguana PK) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2009.05.003. Verify against current literature before clinical use.

Drug Class

Antibiotic

Routes

IMSC

Indications

Bacterial infections Bovine respiratory diseasechronic abscessResistant Gram-negativeRespiratory diseaseRespiratory infectionsRespiratory/urinary infectionsSusceptible bacterial infectionsSwine respiratory diseaseUrinary tract infections

Mechanism of Action

Veterinary third-generation cephalosporin. Metabolized to desfuroylceftiofur which retains antimicrobial activity. Broad gram-negative coverage.

Side effects & warnings

Veterinary-labeled product. Excede formulation provides extended duration. Do not use in animals producing milk for human consumption during withdrawal.

Species with Ceftiofur dosing data (14 dose rules)

African Pygmy Hedgehog Bearded Dragon Cat (Domestic)Cattle (Beef/Dairy)Dog (Domestic)Goat (Caprine)Green Iguana Horse (Equine)Russian Tortoise Sheep (Ovine)Swine (Pig)

Species references:All African Pygmy Hedgehog drugs All Bearded Dragon drugs All Cat (Domestic) drugs All Cattle (Beef/Dairy) drugs

Evidence levels across 14 dose rules

Strong×3Moderate×7Weak×4

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

Backed by 11 published sources

· Benson KG, Tell LA, Young LA, et al. Pharmacokinetics of ceftiofur sodium after intramuscular or subcutaneous administration in green iguanas (Iguana iguana). Am J Vet Res. 2003;64:1278-1282. doi:10.2460/ajvr.2003.64.1278 — Verified against Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.214 (2026-08-01).
· Carpenter 6e
· Carpenter's 6th ed. p.214 (ceftiofur sodium, lizards/bearded dragons); Mader's Table 127.1 corpus p.1402 '5 mg/kg SC, IM q24h - Lizards/PK; ceftiofur sodium'; Plumb's Ceftiofur REPTILES, corpus p.256, '5 mg/kg, IM or SC, every 24 hours' (green iguana PK) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2009.05.003
· EXCENEL RTU EZ - ceftiofur hydrochloride injection, suspension [US product label]. Kalamazoo, MI: Zoetis Inc.; 2019. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=3357af32-f91b-4663-8f86-a2bcee7855ea; CEFENIL RTU - ceftiofur hydrochloride suspension [package insert]. Liberty, MO: Aspen Veterinary Resources; 2020. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=5626b9a9-df77-48c0-83fc-710a41f64b44 — Verified against Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th Ed, p.253 (2026-08-01).

Sample dosing (2 of 14 cited rules)

A dog/cat sample is shown here. Cited dosing for all 11 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)	SC	2.2 mg/kg	q12-24h	Strong	NAXCEL (ceftiofur sodium) sterile powder [US product label], Zoetis. — Verified against Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th Ed, p.255 (2026-08-01).
Cat (Domestic)	SC	2 mg/kg	q12-24h	Moderate	Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th ed (2023), Ceftiofur Sodium, p.255, CATS row; superscript 13 = Weese JS, Blondeau JM, Boothe D, et al. Antimicrobial use guidelines for treatment of urinary tract disease in dogs and cats: ISCAID working group. Vet Med Int. 2011;2011:263768

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