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EQUINE MATTERS
24
SPRING 2014 ISSUE
VET VIEWPOINT...
WE ASK THE OPINIONS OF OUR VETS ON THE
TOPIC OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE
Jane King BVetMed MRCVS
Westmorland Veterinary Group
Chris Lehrbach BVMS MVM Cert ES(Orth) MRCVS
Chapelfield Veterinary Partnership Ltd
Imagine a world without antibiotics. From
an equine veterinary perspective, forget
colic surgery and all the recent advances in
limb fracture repair. Wire lacerations and
kick wounds, which have become eminently
more treatable, would once again become
devastating injuries.
Even run of the mill injuries and infections,
now considered more of an inconvenience
would once again become disfiguring,
career ending and even life threatening
conditions.
Whilst antibiotics are only one tool in the
medical arsenal against bacterial infections,
almost everyone alive today grew up in a
world with antibiotics, making it difficult to
appreciate their complete absence.
Antibiotics are not a panacea for all
bacterial problems and their role continues
to evolve as new drugs and novel methods
of administration are developed. In the
equine veterinary world we have relatively
few antibiotics available. Veterinary
surgeons and owners alike should recognise
their responsibilities and avoid the
inappropriate use of antibiotics.
So, the simple answer is yes. But it is not
too late if everyone acts. Speak to your
vet about this important issue.
In my opinion antimicrobial resistance is
a problem which should be taken very
seriously by the veterinary industry and
horse owners alike.
We have come to rely on antimicrobials
or antibiotics in our day to day work,
we trust them to be effective in treating
disease, managing infection in wounds
and preventing infection during surgery.
If antibiotics no longer worked it would
have a big impact on our ability to treat
a variety of conditions in horses. More
serious would be the effect on human
health and food supply as disease
control and production in farm animals
would be affected.
All the above combined with the fact
that there are fewer pharmaceutical
companies developing new
antimicrobials means we should
encourage everybody to think twice
before reaching for the penicillin.
We have been fortunate to have these
veterinary medicines available to treat
our patients for the last 50 or 60 years,
they may not be available for the vets
of tomorrow.
Should we be worried about
antibiotic resistance?
Katie Gray MRCVS
Capontree Veterinary Centre
Antibiotic resistance is frequently in the
media due to increasing incidence in human
medicine. As vets we have to be responsible
in our use of antibiotics as our misuse can
ultimately result in global human consequences.
It is important that we choose the right
antibiotic for the right case.
As owners it is important to give the whole
course of antibiotics prescribed, even if the
problem has resolved and your horse seems
better. Giving a shorter course can create
antibiotic resistance as it is possible not all the
bacteria have been killed. Horses can be
difficult to medicate either in feed or by
injection so if you are having problems let
your vet know. Don't just wait and see if the
problem gets better without the full course.
We will often have alternative treatment options
to ensure a full course is given.