# Can triple antibiotic ointment be used on animals?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-triple-antibiotic-ointment-be-used-on-animals/467467>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 11, 2008, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-triple-antibiotic-ointment-be-used-on-animals/467467 "2008-10-11T14:05:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-triple-antibiotic-ointment-be-used-on-animals/467467/1 "2008-10-11T14:05:46Z")

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Are any domestic animals harmed by the use of ointments such as Neosporin?

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**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-triple-antibiotic-ointment-be-used-on-animals/467467/2 "2008-10-11T15:15:40Z")

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My vet told me to use Neosporin or any of its clones on minor cuts or scrapes on our dog. I don’t know about cats.

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**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-triple-antibiotic-ointment-be-used-on-animals/467467/3 "2008-10-11T15:20:59Z")

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Triple antibiotic ointment is fine for horses. Most people find it expensive compared to livestock-approved alternatives (you can buy a pound of nitrofurazone for $7 or $8, compared to an ounce of neosporin for $3), but there’s no medical reason not to use it.

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**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-triple-antibiotic-ointment-be-used-on-animals/467467/4 "2008-10-11T15:34:14Z")

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My brother’s vet told him to put Neosporin on his 40-lb dog’s skin rash.

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**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-triple-antibiotic-ointment-be-used-on-animals/467467/5 "2008-10-11T15:57:54Z")

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When my girlfriend’s housemate’s cat got into a scrape while the housemate was out of town, we cleaned it up with hydrogen peroxide and put some Neosporin-type stuff on it to no apparent ill effect.

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**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-triple-antibiotic-ointment-be-used-on-animals/467467/6 "2008-10-11T16:14:09Z")

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The main problem with using topicals on animals is that they tend to lick it off and it wouldn’t be much help. As long as the animal is not allergic to any of the ingredients it’s not likely to cause a problem. If they decide to eat the entire tube it might have a bit of a laxative effect.

It also depends on what you are using it for, if an animal has a bad skin infection and you put neosporin on it it may be as effective as pissing on a forest fire. Sometimes a systemic antibiotic or other medication (like an antihistamine or antiinflamatory) is going to be more effective.