Safe use of antibiotics for pets

Your pet may be prescribed a course of antibiotics to treat an infection. When we prescribe antibiotics, it is very important to follow the label instructions on how often to give the antibiotics, and for how long to continue the course. The reason this is so important, is because the inappropriate use of antibiotics can lead to the emergence of resistant bacteria which do not respond to antibiotic treatment, referred to as antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Different diseases require different lengths of antibiotic courses. Even if your pet looks better after a few days of being medicated with antibiotics, it’s important to complete the course as stopping early risks bacteria failing to be completely eliminated, which can result in the illness returning.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is such an important issue because it impacts the health and medical care of both animals and humans.

You can help reduce your pet’s need for antibiotics by keeping them up to date with regular vaccinations and parasite prevention, ensuring they live in a clean environment and making sure you feed them good-quality nutritious food.

If we prescribe your pet a course of antibiotics, you must:

Always carefully read the label instructions
Always complete the full course
Seek advice from us if you have any concerns
Together we can all do our bit to prevent antimicrobial resistance and keep our pets safe.