Draxxin is a long-acting injectable antibiotic used in cattle and swine to treat and control bacterial respiratory disease. It also carries label approval for treating pinkeye and foot rot in cattle. Made by Zoetis, Draxxin contains the active ingredient tulathromycin and is designed as a single-dose treatment, meaning one injection provides therapeutic drug levels for days.
Approved Uses in Cattle
Draxxin’s primary use in cattle is treating bovine respiratory disease, commonly called “shipping fever.” This is one of the most economically significant illnesses in the beef industry, typically striking calves after the stress of transport, weaning, or commingling. Draxxin targets the major bacteria behind these lung infections, including several species of Pasteurella, Mannheimia, Histophilus, and Mycoplasma. Beyond treating active cases, it can also be used to control respiratory disease in groups of cattle where the illness has already been diagnosed.
Draxxin is also approved for two other cattle conditions. The first is infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis, better known as pinkeye. In two field studies of 200 naturally infected calves, Draxxin-treated animals had significantly higher cure rates at every time point compared to untreated calves, and their eyes improved faster. The second is foot rot (interdigital necrobacillosis), a painful bacterial infection between the toes. Field studies showed treatment success rates of 60% to 83% in Draxxin-treated cattle, compared to just 8% to 50% in untreated controls.
Approved Uses in Swine
In pigs, Draxxin treats swine respiratory disease caused by five different bacterial species, including Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, Pasteurella multocida, Bordetella bronchiseptica, Haemophilus parasuis, and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae. Like in cattle, it can be used both for treating individual sick animals and for controlling respiratory disease across a group where illness is already present.
How Draxxin Works
Tulathromycin belongs to the macrolide class of antibiotics. It kills bacteria by binding to their ribosomes, the tiny cellular machines that build proteins. Once tulathromycin latches on, bacteria can no longer assemble the proteins they need to survive and multiply.
What makes Draxxin particularly useful in livestock is how long it stays active in the body. Tulathromycin concentrates heavily in lung tissue and the immune cells within the airways, with detectable levels persisting for at least 8 days after a single injection. The drug’s elimination half-life is about 65 hours in calves and 69 hours in young pigs. That extended presence is why a single shot can do the work that shorter-acting antibiotics need multiple doses to accomplish.
Dosage and Administration
Both cattle and swine receive the same dose: 2.5 mg per kilogram of body weight, which works out to 1 mL for every 22 pounds. However, the injection route differs by species. In cattle, Draxxin is given subcutaneously (under the skin) in the neck, with no more than 11.5 mL at a single injection site. In swine, it’s given intramuscularly (into the muscle) in the neck, with a maximum of 4 mL per site. Either way, only one injection is needed.
Side Effects and Reactions
The most common side effect is a temporary reaction at the injection site. In cattle, this can include swelling, tissue discoloration under the skin, and brief signs of pain like head shaking or pawing at the ground. In pigs, restlessness and vocalization right after injection are typical, along with swelling and discoloration at the site. These reactions resolve over time but can cause trim loss of edible tissue at slaughter if the injection site hasn’t fully healed.
Less common reactions include temporary drooling, which has been observed in both species and typically resolves within hours. In post-approval monitoring of cattle, anaphylactic reactions have been reported, though injection site reactions remain far more frequent.
Restrictions and Withdrawal Periods
Draxxin carries several important restrictions. It is not approved for use in chickens or turkeys. It cannot be used in female dairy cattle 20 months of age or older, and it should never be given to animals with a known hypersensitivity to the drug.
To ensure no drug residues end up in meat, strict withdrawal periods apply. Cattle must not be slaughtered for human consumption within 18 days of their last treatment. For swine, the withdrawal period is shorter: 5 days from the last injection. These timelines are set by the FDA and are not flexible. Producers who send animals to slaughter before the withdrawal period has passed risk regulatory action and contamination of the food supply.
Why Producers Choose a Single-Dose Antibiotic
Handling livestock for repeated injections is stressful for both the animals and the people doing it. Every pass through a chute increases the risk of injury, and stress itself can worsen respiratory disease in cattle and swine. A single-dose antibiotic that maintains effective drug levels for over a week reduces that burden significantly. For operations managing hundreds or thousands of animals during high-risk periods like arrival at a feedlot, the practical advantage of treating once and monitoring from a distance is substantial.