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Last Updated on December 28, 2023 by Thee Puppypreneur
WHAT IS NEOSPORIN FOR DOGS
Neosporin® is also called triple antibiotic ointment. It is made of three different medicines, bacitracin, neomycin, and polymyxin B. 1Neosporin topical Uses, Side Effects & Warnings – Drugs.com It is used to treat minor cuts, scrapes and abrasions.
So, is Neosporin safe for dogs? Well, we will get to that later on in this article as well as provide you with some alternatives to Neosporin for dogs.
Yes, Neomycin is used in veterinary medicine. Most notably in a product called Animax® that is only available under veterinary prescription.
This product is used to treat interdigital cysts in dogs and cats and also anal gland infections. 2Animax Ointment for Animal Use – Drugs.com
CAN YOU PUT NEOSPORIN ON A DOG
There are mixed emotions about if can you put Neosporin on a dog and whether it is safe to use on them.
When you ask yourself, can you put triple antibiotic ointment on a dog, you must first ask yourself, what is the reason for the use and then where on your furbaby are you going to be using it?
I use triple antibiotic ointment on my fur kids for various reasons (the generic kind because it’s cheaper.) For me, there have been no side effects or issues due to its use and I have used it for decades on my fur kids for this reason or that. I do not use Neosporin or triple antibiotic ointment in my fur kids’ ears though.
Again, that is not to say that there can’t be complications if you use it on your fur kid or that it might affect your fur kids differently and the reasons you use it could be entirely different as well.
IS NEOSPORIN SAFE FOR DOGS
There is a study about neomycin, which is one of the active ingredients in Neosporin® and how with neomycin certain sensitivities could occur such as delayed-onset of deafness. 3Effects of neomycin on the waveform of auditory-evoked brain stem potentials in dogs – PubMed (nih.gov)
There was also a study done about 12 dogs who were injected at a very high dose of neomycin and weeks later all the dogs died. 4National Center for Biotechnology Information. “PubChem Compound Summary for CID 8378, Neomycin” PubChem, https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Neomycin.
Again, you are not injecting this into your dog (I hope), this is meant to be applied topically but you should always consult a vet beforehand anyways, especially if your dog has sustained some sort of abrasion.
ALTERNATIVES TO NEOSPORIN FOR DOGS
There are plenty of alternatives to Neosporin for dogs. Some of these products listed could be considered controversial because you may see words like tea tree oil or neem oil in the ingredients.
I am going to provide you with some supplementary info to educate you a little better on those ingredients.
The first product is
and this is for dogs and to be applied topically and contains tea tree oil.
Tea tree oil has amazing anti-fungal and antibacterial properties. There are mixed reviews about tea tree oil and some vets might say yes and other vets might say no to using this on dogs.
Tea tree, if not used correctly could result in toxicity.
Remember a dog’s sense of smell is infinitely stronger than a human so a little goes a long way.
In a study done on dogs that had pyoderma, certain types of skin lesions, and dermatitis were given tea tree oil and the results of that study were that it;
“appears to be a fast-acting safe alternative to conventional therapy”. 5Reichling, J., Fitzi, J., Hellmann, K., Wegener, T., Bucher, S., & Saller, R. (2004). Topical tea tree oil effective in canine localised pruritic dermatitis–a multi-centre randomised double-blind controlled clinical trial in the veterinary practice. DTW. Deutsche tierarztliche Wochenschrift, 111(10), 408–414. Topical tea tree oil effective in canine localised pruritic dermatitis–a multi-centre randomised double-blind controlled clinical trial in the veterinary practice – PubMed (nih.gov)
Another alternative to Neosporin® for dogs which is
which has a list of fantastic herbs to aid in the healing process of your pet’s skin such as echinacea, frankincense and vitamin E.
It also contains Neem Oil, which also gets mixed reviews from some people.
“Neem oil is not listed as a toxic plant product for cats or dogs as per the ASPCA Poison Control Center or Pet Poison Helpline…” 6Neem Oil for Pets: Is It Safe? | PetMD
Lastly, this product is veterinarian recommended for cuts, scrapes, sores, rashes and wounds.
This product is non-toxic and can be used around the nose, ears and mouth. It can even be used on yourself too.
Some of the ingredients include Thyme Oil, Chamomile extract, Yarrow extract, Shea Butter and Allantoin and it’s made in the USA.
If you are still interested in learning more about other alternatives to wound healing then check out our other articles
