The use of veterinary drugs during pregnancy of the dog

To point out which antibiotics and NSAIDs are safe to use during pregnancy of the dog and which are not, a simple system for classification has been developed for veterinarians. To find out more information about what drugs and during what stage of pregnancy veterinarians prescribe, a random survey was carried out among veterinarians who work primarily with companion animals. To develop this system for classification, literature concerning the teratogenicity of veterinary drugs was evaluated. The results of the survey indicate that the possibility of a pregnancy is rarely taken into account when prescribing medications and that many drugs that have not been proven safe, are prescribed. From the evaluation of literature follows that benzylpenicillin, amoxicillin with or without clavulanic acid, cefadroxil, cefalexin and lincomycin are the safests and therefore the agents of choice during pregnancy. It would be better if NSAIDs were not to be used during the last stage of pregnancy, because they might cause delay of the delivery. Drugs that might be teratogenic should be avoided unless there is no alternative and the possible benefits for the bitch outweigh the risks for the foetus.