Burn woundsburnsBurns and wound infectionsscale rotskin ulcersskin wounds
Thermal burns
thermal injuries
Wound management
Mechanism of Action
Silver ions disrupt bacterial cell wall and membrane. Sulfadiazine inhibits folate synthesis. Broad antimicrobial activity against bacteria and some fungi.
Side effects & warnings
For external use on wounds and burns only. May cause transient leukopenia with extensive application. Avoid in sulfonamide-allergic animals. Not for ophthalmic use.
Species with Silver Sulfadiazine dosing data (12 dose rules)
Each ExoticRx dose rule is graded by the strength of its primary evidence — see the editorial process.
Sample dosing (2 of 12 cited rules)
A dog/cat sample is shown here. Cited dosing for all 7 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.
Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook 10th ed, Topical Dermatologic Agents, 'Silver Sulfadiazine, Topical', printed p.1433-1434Compilation only — we have not located an independent source that prints this figure.
Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th ed, Silver Sulfadiazine, Topical monograph, printed p.1433-1434, Suggested Dosages/Uses. The book's index reads "Silver Sulfadiazine, Topical, 1433"; the monograph has no running head of its own, so the running heads on those pages read "Nitrofurazone, Topical" and "Clotrimazole, Topical".Compilation only — we have not located an independent source that prints this figure.
· BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th Ed, Part B: Exotic Pets, p.268
· Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 10.1 (Antimicrobial Agents Used in Rabbits.a).
· Ferrell ST, Graham JE, Swaim SF. Avian wound healing and management. Proc Annu Conf Assoc Avian Vet, 2002:337-347. - Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 5.1 (Antimicrobial Agents Used in Birds): 'Silver sulfadiazine | Topical q12-24h270 | Most species/topical sulfonamide, specifically for burn wounds, ulcers, Amazon foot necrosis, bandage application preferred'. NOTE: Ferrell is carpenter avian ref 272, while the served row's own superscript is 270 (Fallon JA et al., lead poisoning of wild raptors) - which of the two is Carpenter's error and which the extractor's cannot be decided from the page. THE SPURIOUS 'PMID: 27541182' IS DELETED.
· Mader DR. Thermal burns. In: Mader DR, eds. Reptile Medicine and Surgery, 2nd ed., Saunders/Elsevier, St. Louis, MO; 2006:916-923. — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.1 (Antimicrobial Agents Used in Reptiles.a,b).
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· Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th ed, Silver Sulfadiazine, Topical monograph, printed p.1433-1434, Suggested Dosages/Uses. The book's index reads "Silver Sulfadiazine, Topical, 1433"; the monograph has no running head of its own, so the running heads on those pages read "Nitrofurazone, Topical" and "Clotrimazole, Topical".
· Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th ed, Silver Sulfadiazine, Topical monograph, printed p.1433-1434, Suggested Dosages/Uses. The book's index reads "Silver Sulfadiazine, Topical, 1433"; the monograph has no running head of its own, so the running heads on those pages read "Nitrofurazone, Topical" and "Clotrimazole, Topical". — Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th ed, Silver Sulfadiazine, Topical monograph, printed p.1433-1434, Precautions/Adverse Effects: "Because SSD can impair granulation, avoid use in non-granulated wounds." Corroborated: Muller & Kirk's Small Animal Dermatology, 7th ed, printed p.863, Table 21-6: "Topical antibiotic cream (such as silver sulfadiazine) is applied once granulation tissue forms and […]" Application wording: BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed, Part A, printed p.376, DOSES: "Dogs, Cats: Localized skin infections: Apply a thin film twice daily after cleaning area with antiseptic."