What routes can Florfenicol be administered by?

Available routes: PO, IM, SC, Topical.

Is Florfenicol a controlled substance?

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

What are the side effects of Florfenicol?

Reported side effects, adverse reactions, and contraindications for Florfenicol: Veterinary-labeled product. Injection site reactions common. Do not use in dairy cattle of breeding age. GI upset possible.

Florfenicol

US brand names:Nuflor, Aquaflor

Calculate dosage

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

Florfenicol is dosed at 30 mg/kg IM not stated in source in quails, per Koc F, Uney K, Ozturk M, et al. Pharmacokinetics of florfenicol in the plasma of Japanese quail. N Z Vet J. 2009;57(6):388-391. Verify against current literature before clinical use.

Drug Class

Antibiotic

Routes

POIMSCTopical

Indications

Bovine respiratory diseaseColumnaris disease associatedRespiratory diseaseRespiratory disease complex in kidsRespiratory infections Susceptible bacterial infectionsSwine respiratory disease

Mechanism of Action

Binds 50S ribosomal subunit inhibiting peptidyl transferase. Fluorinated analog of chloramphenicol without aplastic anemia risk. Bacteriostatic.

Side effects & warnings

Veterinary-labeled product. Injection site reactions common. Do not use in dairy cattle of breeding age. GI upset possible.

Species with Florfenicol dosing data (17 dose rules)

Betta (Siamese fighting fish)Cat (Domestic)Cattle (Beef/Dairy)Dog (Domestic)Goat (Caprine)Goldfish Koi Quail (Coturnix)Sheep (Ovine)Swine (Pig)

Species references:All Betta (Siamese fighting fish) drugs All Cat (Domestic) drugs All Cattle (Beef/Dairy) drugs All Dog (Domestic) drugs All Goat (Caprine) drugs

Evidence levels across 17 dose rules

Strong×3Moderate×12Weak×2

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

Sample dosing (2 of 17 cited rules)

A dog/cat sample is shown here. Cited dosing for all 10 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
Cat (Domestic)	IM or PO	22 mg/kg	q8h	Weak	Papich MG. Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, 4th ed (2016), Florfenicol, p.328, 'Small Animal Dosage — Cats'Compilation only — we have not located an independent source that prints this figure.
Dog (Domestic)	PO (or IM)	20 mg/kg	q6h	Weak	Papich MG. Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, 4th ed (2016), Florfenicol, p.328, 'Small Animal Dosage — Dogs'Compilation only — we have not located an independent source that prints this figure.

Report an error in this entry

Backed by 9 published sourcesShow

· AQUAFLOR (florfenicol) Type A Medicated Article, package insert. Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. For use in freshwater-reared finfish feeds only. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=03902b8d-4f0a-450c-9862-99576dd4ff67
· FARAD Withdrawal Guidelines — dose corroborated 2026-08-05 in Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook 10th ed, Florfenicol monograph, printed p.529. NOTE: FARAD publishes meat/milk WITHDRAWAL intervals for extralabel use; it is not the source of the dose itself, so the dose is cited to Plumb's and FARAD retained for the withdrawal guidance.
· Koc F, Uney K, Ozturk M, et al. Pharmacokinetics of florfenicol in the plasma of Japanese quail. N Z Vet J. 2009;57(6):388-391. doi:10.1080/00480169.2009.64734 https://europepmc.org/article/MED/19966901

Upgrade for Full Details

Upgrade to Pro or Student to unlock the full dose ranges and frequency for every species. The drug's mechanism, warnings, indications, and cited sources are free to read.

View Plans

Other formulations of Florfenicol

Florfenicol Otic

Calculate Dosage for Florfenicol