The label says, word for word:
Dogs: Skin and soft tissue infections such as wounds, abscesses, cellulitis, superficial/juvenile and deep pyoderma due to susceptible strains of the following organisms: β-lactamase-producing Staphylococcus aureus, non-β-lactamase-producing Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., and E. coli. Periodontal infections due to susceptible strains of both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria.
The use of this drug is contraindicated in animals with a history of allergic reaction to any of the penicillins or cephalosporins.
Store CLAVAMOX CHEWABLE out of reach of dogs, cats, and other pets in a secured location in order to prevent accidental ingestion or overdose.
Not for human use. Keep this and all drugs out of reach of children.
Antimicrobial drugs, including penicillins and cephalosporins, can cause allergic reactions in sensitized individuals.
Safety of use in pregnant or breeding animals has not been determined.
Prescribing antibacterial drugs in the absence of a proven or strongly suspected bacterial infection is unlikely to provide benefit to treated animals and may increase the risk of the development of drug-resistant animal pathogens.
Every approved medicine has a field study behind it, and the label prints what happened:
CLAVAMOX CHEWABLE contains a semisynthetic penicillin (amoxicillin) and has the potential for producing allergic reactions. Post-Approval Experience (July, 2017): The following adverse events reported for dogs and cats are listed in decreasing order of reporting frequency for CLAVAMOX: Anorexia, lethargy, vomiting and diarrhea.
The label gives no field-study adverse-reaction percentages; only the allergic-reaction statement and the post-approval list above. Cat indication (verbatim from the CLAVAMOX CHEWABLE label): "Skin and soft tissue infections such as wounds, abscesses, and cellulitis/dermatitis due to susceptible strains of the following organisms: β-lactamase-producing Staphylococcus aureus, non-β-lactamase-producing Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., E. coli, and Pasteurella spp. Urinary tract infections (cystitis) due to susceptible strains of E. coli."
The emergency page sorts the signs by how long you have, and the symptom checker asks what you are seeing. Reactions to a medicine can also be reported to the FDA yourself: how to report a problem.
These answers come from the approved label on DailyMed, read on 2 October 2026. Where the label does not say, the answer says so, and the vet or the pharmacist is the one to ask.
The approved use is quoted at the top of this page. It is given to dogs and cats for bacterial infections of the skin and soft tissue, such as wounds and abscesses. In dogs it is also approved for periodontal infections, which are infections around the teeth, and in cats for urinary tract infections. The label read for these answers is the one for Clavamox Chewable tablets. Clavamox Drops, the liquid, has a label of its own.
The label gives no time for when the animal should look better. It does say that if a dog shows no response after five days of treatment, or a cat after three days, the vet should stop the treatment and look at the case again. Call the vet at that point.
It is a chewable tablet given by mouth twice a day. The label says to leave each tablet in its foil strip until you are ready to give it, and that the whole tablet should be eaten even if it has broken. It does not say whether to give it with food. In the label's taste study, dogs ate 83% of the doses by themselves within five minutes, from an empty bowl or from the owner's hand. For skin and soft tissue infections the label's course is five to seven days, or 48 hours after all signs have gone. It says no course should run longer than 30 days, and the vet sets the length for your animal. The label advises people who handle the tablets to keep the product off their skin and out of their mouth, nose and eyes, because penicillins can cause allergic reactions in people who are sensitized to them.
The label does not say what to do about a missed dose. Call the clinic or the pharmacy before you give the next one.
The studies and the warnings are quoted above. The label has no line telling owners when to call the vet. It says the tablets contain a penicillin and can cause allergic reactions. It says the events reported most often after approval were loss of appetite, lethargy, vomiting and diarrhea. Call the vet about any of these, and straight away about signs of an allergic reaction.
The label says to store the tablets in a dry, cool place at no more than 77°F and to leave them in the foil strip until use. It says to keep them in a secured place out of reach of dogs, cats and other pets, so that none of them can eat them by accident, and out of reach of children.
The FDA says the best way to get rid of most unused or expired medicines is a take-back option: a drug take-back location, which can be at a pharmacy or a police station, or a prepaid mail-back envelope. If you cannot use one and the medicine is not on the FDA's flush list, the FDA says to mix it, uncrushed, with something unappealing such as dirt, cat litter or used coffee grounds and to seal the mixture in a plastic bag before throwing it away. Flushing is only for medicines on that list, such as opioids. Do not give leftovers to another pet.
Write the dose, the times and the stop date here, then print this page for the fridge.
Dose and times: _____________________________________________
Stop date: _____________________________________________