Gentamicin aerosol therapy in 18 dogs: failure to induce detectable serum concentrations of the drug.

Gentamicin was administered as an aerosol to 18 dogs, using a pneumatic nebulizer attached to a face mask. Serum samples were assayed for gentamicin by radioimmunoassay. The antibiotic was not detected in the serum of any dog. It was concluded that the aerosol administration of gentamicin could be considered as topical therapy of the upper respiratory tract and would not induce therapeutic or toxic systemic drug concentrations.