Whether it’s fluffy backyard bantams, devoted corgis or lop-eared rabbits, pet health often depends on antibiotic drugs to fight bacterial infection. But when microbes become resistant, there’s a danger that relatively straightforward sicknesses will become life-threatening.
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We’ve seen a real awakening of consciousness about antibiotics: when you should or shouldn’t use them, how long for and which ones.
Australian veterinary practice has evolved dramatically during the past decade in response to the challenge of anti-microbial resistance (AMR). New antibiotic treatment protocols and guidelines represent “significant improvements and major refinements” in companion animal care, according to Professor Jacqui Norris of the University of Sydney’s School of Veterinary Science.
The developments not only reduce the risk of drugs becoming ineffective, or the need to develop new drugs to take their place, but also contribute to better care. Prof Norris says it’s due to dedicated antimicrobial stewardship – scientific research and re-examination of traditional therapeutic approaches to optimise the use of antibiotics.
But reducing the risk of AMR in pet care is not only the responsibility of vets.
Here’s what owners need to know to keep their animals healthy while also supporting efforts to safeguard essential antibiotics for the future.
Veterinary care is adapting to the threat of antimicrobial resistance
Studies have explored the impact of reducing the duration of therapy and the type of antibiotic when treating bladder infections in dogs. They have found that shortening the antibiotic treatment duration and using a simple, but effective, treatment such as amoxicillin still produces excellent results in most instances, cutting drug use by 70-80% in some cases.
“We’ve seen a real awakening of consciousness about antibiotics: when you should or shouldn’t use them, how long for and which ones,” Prof Norris explains. She is the co-founder of the AMR Vet Collective, which focuses on translating research into practical support for clinicians in their daily practice.
Vets have an evolving role as antimicrobial stewards, working to optimise antibiotic use, to carefully target drugs to specific infections and only prescribe when necessary.
Prof Norris says that while some experienced pet owners might be surprised, or even concerned, that treatment doses are reduced or a clinician might not prescribe antibiotics at all, they should have confidence in their vet’s training and expertise. Shorter, targeted treatment is now considered best practice for humans and animals.
Antibiotics are not the only answer
Many pet owners are old hands at dealing with the messy bacterial infection known as ‘cat fight abscess’. But where antibiotics were once the go-to treatment, they’re now reserved for the few sickest animals, where infection has spread beyond the wound site.
Instead, vets focus on eliminating infection by cleaning the abscess and allowing it to drain through surgery. Vets have always provided drainage, but the use of antibiotics is now not required in many cases if cleaning of the wound is adequate.
For a range of surgeries like desexing (castration and spey) and surgeries that do not involve the use of an implant (such as lump removals), antibiotics are no longer needed and, in fact, not considered best practice in most cases.
More medicine does not mean best practice: the case for less
The parallel between paediatrics and pet care is strong, says Prof Norris. Owners want the best for their sick feathered or fur babies, but that does not mean more antibiotics.
“This mindset has changed rapidly across the profession, but it needs to change for owners too to recognise that a longer treatment isn’t a better treatment,” she says.
The focus is now on carefully targeted doses over a shorter timeframe, which reduce side effects but are still effective against the bacteria. Standard treatment for kidney infection that once took four weeks now takes just two.
‘Taking the full course’ of an antibiotic has long been the mantra for treatment of people and animals, but Prof Norris says a carefully considered prescription might be stopped early without ill effect. Vets will be prescribing short courses now, she says, so following instructions and checking in mid-way through a treatment course is valuable.
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Giving pets leftover medicine is unlikely to help them, and instead it’s far more likely to create the conditions in which AMR thrives.
Hoarding isn’t helpful
Stockpiling leftover medication like antibiotics to use in the future – and without a clinician’s advice – is a significant problem in both human and animal care.
“Owners say, ‘This looks like what my dog had last time, I’ll just give them a couple of days of this drug’. They’re well-intentioned and just want their animal better,” says Prof Norris. “The dose and the drug used might be different for the same animal or aimed at a different organ in the body, such as kidney versus bladder.”
Giving pets leftover medicine is unlikely to help them, and instead it’s far more likely to create the conditions in which AMR thrives. By giving too little, or failing to match the medication to the infection, owners unknowingly create an environment that promotes resistance.
Vaccines head off the need for antibiotics
Good vaccines are readily available for viruses like upper respiratory infections in cats and canine parvovirus, for example. Staying on top of the recommended vaccine schedule for your pet helps prevent illness and any bacterial secondary infections and the need for antibiotics.
A home is an ecosystem
Bacteria, and even some viruses, don’t discriminate. Not only do they infect pets and people, but some microbes can also cross from one to another and, potentially, cause sickness.
To promote good health across the board, Prof Norris suggests thinking of a home as a shared ecosystem. The environment of the household and any changes to it – like a gastrointestinal bug, antibiotic treatment and even AMR – can affect companion animals and their owners alike.
Michelle Fincke is a Melbourne-based freelance journalist and editor. She has spent the last two years working with case studies and writing in the public health space.
