Drug withdrawal-period calculator for livestock
Pick the drug you administered and the date — see when it's safe to ship the animal for slaughter or sell milk. Selling under cooldown means recalled product, regulatory fines, and a black mark on your buyer relationship. This calculator gets you the clean date in two clicks.
Why withdrawal periods matter
Every approved animal-health product has a withdrawal period — the minimum time between administration and the animal entering the food chain (slaughter for meat, milking for human-consumption milk). Shipping or selling under cooldown is illegal in the US (FDA), Canada (CFIA), the EU (EMA), and the UK (VMD). The consequences include carcass condemnation, recalled milk shipments, and producer-level fines.
Common livestock drug withdrawal periods (US label values)
| Drug | Species · Route | Meat (days) | Milk (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penicillin G procaine | Cattle — IM | 14 | 96 |
| Penicillin G procaine | Sheep — IM | 9 | — |
| Oxytetracycline (LA-200) | Cattle — IM/SQ | 28 | 96 |
| Oxytetracycline (LA-200) | Sheep — IM/SQ | 28 | — |
| Ivermectin | Cattle — Pour-on | 48 | — |
| Ivermectin | Cattle — Injectable | 35 | — |
| Ivermectin | Sheep — Oral drench | 11 | — |
| Flunixin (Banamine) | Cattle — IV | 4 | 36 |
| Flunixin (Banamine) | Swine — IM | 12 | — |
| Sulfadimethoxine | Cattle — Oral | 7 | 60 |
| Tulathromycin (Draxxin) | Cattle — SQ | 18 | — |
| Tulathromycin (Draxxin) | Swine — IM | 5 | — |
| Ceftiofur (Excede) | Cattle — SQ ear base | 13 | 0 |
| Ceftiofur (Naxcel) | Cattle — IM/SQ | 4 | 0 |
| Florfenicol (Nuflor) | Cattle — IM | 28 | — |
| Florfenicol (Nuflor) | Cattle — SQ | 38 | — |
| Tilmicosin (Micotil) | Cattle — SQ | 42 | — |
| Tilmicosin (Micotil) | Sheep — SQ | 28 | — |
What about extra-label drug use (ELDU / off-label)?
Any time a vet prescribes a drug differently from the label — different dose, different species, different route — the legal withdrawal period is whatever the vet specifies in writing, NOT the label number. Always keep a copy of the prescription on file. In the US, the AMDUCA framework governs this; FARAD (farad.org) provides species-specific extra-label withdrawal recommendations.
Track every treatment automatically
Farm Planner records each treatment with drug, route, dose, and the matching withdrawal — and surfaces an active-withdrawal alert on /today until the safe-after date passes. Vet export gives you a one-click CSV in vet-friendly format. Free 30-day trial.
Sources: FDA Approved Animal Drug Products (Green Book), drug labels, FARAD extra-label withdrawal guidance. Disclaimer: This is a planning tool, not a substitute for the actual product label or your veterinarian. Withdrawal periods vary by route, dose, formulation, and species — always defer to the label and your vet for case-specific advice.