Sourced from published veterinary references. Awaiting credentialed clinical reviewer — our editorial process.
Tetracycline is dosed at 50–100 mg/kg PO q8-12h in rabbits, per Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th ed (2023) — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.845 — Plumb's 10th ed printed p.1219, Tetracycline monograph spanning p.1217-1219. — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 10.1 (Antimicrobial Agents Used in Rabbits.a). Verify against current literature before clinical use.
Inhibits protein synthesis by binding 30S ribosomal subunit. Broad-spectrum bacteriostatic.
Side effects & warnings
Chelation with Ca, Mg, Fe reduces absorption — give on empty stomach. Tooth discoloration in young animals. Photosensitivity. Esophageal irritation in cats.
Species with Tetracycline 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 12 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.
· 2. Adamcak A, Otten B. Rodent therapeutics. Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract. 2000;3:221-237. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.774 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 9.1 (Antimicrobial and Antifungal Agents Used in Rodents.a).
· 767. Ritchie BW, Harrison GJ. Formulary. In: Ritchie BW, Harrison GJ, Harrison LR, eds. Avian Medicine: Principles and Application; Wingers Publishing, Lake Worth, FL; 1994:457-478. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.421 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 5.1 (Antimicrobial Agents Used in Birds.a). — SOURCE ROW: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed — "Tetracycline 200-250 mg/kg PO q12-24h(767) — Most species/gavage". The row's qualifier is an ADMINISTRATION METHOD, not an indication: the figure is printed for delivery by gavage (crop tube), and the source names no disease for it. The indication served here is the formulary's own attribution, not the book's.
· Adamcak A, Otten B. Rodent therapeutics. Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract. 2000;3:221-237. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.774 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 9.1 (Antimicrobial and Antifungal Agents Used in Rodents.a).
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· Besch-Williford CL. Biology and medicine of the ferret. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract. 1987;17:1155-1183. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.933 PMID: 41926234 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 11.1 (Antimicrobial Agents Used in Ferrets).
· Dorrestein GM. Passerine and softbill therapeutics. Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract. 2000;3:35-57. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.421 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 5.1 (Antimicrobial Agents Used in Birds.a).
· Invertebrate Medicine, 3rd ed (Lewbart, 2022), Table 9.6 "Cephalopod formulary". Published 2026-08-06.
· Morrisey JK, Carpenter JW. Appendix: Formulary. In: Quesenberry KE, Carpenter JW, eds. Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery, 4th ed. St. Louis: Elsevier; 2021:620-630. Table A.1 "Antimicrobial Agents Used in Small Mammals", Gerbils/Hamsters column — "Tetracycline. 10-20 mg/kg PO". Read from. — CLASS CAUTION: Carpenter's Table 9.1 footnote names hamsters among the species most susceptible to antibiotic-associated clostridial enterotoxaemia after ANY oral antibiotic. Tetracycline is not specifically implicated, but the class caution applies to the oral route.
· Morrisey JK, Carpenter JW. Formulary. In: Quesenberry KE, Carpenter JW, eds. Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery, 4th ed., Elsevier, St. Louis, MO; 2021:620-630. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.774 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 9.1 (Antimicrobial and Antifungal Agents Used in Rodents.a).
· Papich/Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, 4th Ed, p.770
· Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th ed (2023) — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.845 — Plumb's 10th ed printed p.1219, Tetracycline monograph spanning p.1217-1219. — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 10.1 (Antimicrobial Agents Used in Rabbits.a).
Tetracycline (Panmycin) Dosage for Rabbits, Mice | ExoticRx