Pet Safety / Compounds / Tylosin

Is Tylosin safe for dogs and cats?

Low risk for pets

Widely used for chronic diarrhea (tylosin-responsive diarrhea). Bitter taste but effective.

What is tylosin?

CAS number
1401-69-0
Molecular formula
C46H77NO17
Molecular weight
916.1 g/mol
SMILES
CCC1C(CC(=O)C(C(C(CC(=CC=CC=CC(CC(OC(=O)C(C(C1OC2CC(C(C(O2)C)OC3CC(C(C(O3)C)N(C)C)O)OC)C)OC)C)C)OC)C)O)(C)O
PubChem CID
5280440

Risk for dogs

Low risk

Widely used for chronic diarrhea (tylosin-responsive diarrhea). Bitter taste but effective.

Risk for cats

Low risk

Used off-label for chronic GI issues. Generally well-tolerated.

Regulatory consensus

2 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Tylosin. The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
FDA1966Approved veterinary drug (multiple NADAs)
WHO2018Critically important antimicrobial — macrolide class

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where pets encounter tylosin

  • Veterinary Medicine

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Tylosin:

  • Metronidazole (for GI use)
    Trade-offs: Removes 95-99% of dissolved contaminants including metals, PFAS, nitrates; wastes 2-4 gallons per gallon produced (improving with newer systems); removes beneficial minerals; $0.05-0.25/gallon; requires pre-treatment for longevity.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×
  • Tulathromycin (for respiratory)
    Trade-offs: Non-halogenated; no toxic combustion gases (HCl, dioxins); requires higher loading (40-65% by weight vs 5-15% for halogenated FRs); affects material properties (density, flexibility, processability); cost-effective at scale.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

Is tylosin safe for pets?

Widely used for chronic diarrhea (tylosin-responsive diarrhea). Bitter taste but effective.

See Tylosin in the pets app

Look up products containing tylosin, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

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Sources (1)
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Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →