Veterinarians commonly use animal antibiotics in the treatment of infectious diseases in the animal kingdom. Thus, this article will aim to educate on the antibiotics in Veterinary medicine and their use.
The root causes of these diseases are a result of factors such as microorganisms and bacteria.
Antibiotics are categorized into many different types. Some of these include:
- Aminoglycosides
- Cephamycins
- Cephalosporins
- Macrolides
- Penicillins
- Sulfonamides
- Tetracyclines
- Quinolones
Some of these animal antibiotics are broad-spectrum based, meaning they can be used to combat a variety of infections, others are more targeted at specific diseases and are referred to as narrow-spectrum antibiotics.
The Four Principles of Animal Antibiotics
The effective treatment of antibiotics to combat diseases are based on the following four principles:
- Diagnosing and identifying the agent that causes the disease, and then choosing the appropriate antibiotic treatment and drug.
- Applying specific doses of the antibiotic for a pre-determined amount of time.
- Selecting the rate, the intervals, and the administering method of the dosage.
- Using the treatment to decrease the animals’ chances of contracting the disease again and any symptoms associated with the disease.
Antibiotic Resistance
The manifestations of bacteria that have proved to be resistant to the current antibiotics available on the market are very concerning, to say the least. When this happens, drugs that were successful in the treatment of the condition previously are no longer effective.
This means that new drugs would have to be developed to this effect. When the prescribed antibiotic is administered and the instructions followed to a tee, this can aid in the contribution of the manifestation of antibiotic-resistant diseases and conditions.
The use of antibiotics in veterinary medicine, specifically in livestock farming, is potentially dangerous and leads to an increase in bacterial resistance, putting the lives of animals and people at serious risk. Veterinarians and farmers use antibiotics not only for treating infectious diseases based on a proper diagnosis, but also for prophylactic purposes in healthy animals, and some have even been used to stimulate weight gain. That is why the European Union banned the use of antibiotics for weight-gain purposes in 2006. An FDA review on antimicrobial resistance published in 2012 shows that 70% of medically important antibiotics in the US are consumed by animals and only 30% by humans on a yearly basis.
What Does Uncontrolled Antibiotic Use Cause?
The main problem with uncontrolled antibiotic use lies in antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR occurs when certain bacteria develop resistance to one or more antimicrobial agents they are exposed to. While AMR is a natural phenomenon, persistent exposure of microorganisms to various antimicrobials enhances the process. Limiting antimicrobial intake in both humans and animals can make this process reversible.
Some antibiotics have a greater importance in human medicine than in veterinary medicine. That is why in January 2017 the FDA banned the use of these medically important antibiotics for the promotion of growth in livestock. Manufacturers also agreed to put a special label on each antimicrobial drug used in veterinary medicine to limit their use. Apart from growth promotion, the use of these antibiotics is still limited even when treating illnesses, and it requires strict supervision by a veterinarian.
WHO Guidelines
During World Antibiotic Awareness Week, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched guidelines on antimicrobial use in food-producing animals. They state that medically important antibiotics should only be used when an illness has been diagnosed, under strict veterinary supervision, and that active agents that are not on the medically important list should be used instead. The WHO suggests that modern farming should fight disease with improved hygiene principles and better use of vaccination: prevention rather than treatment.
Articles on Animal Antibiotics
At iloveveterinary.comm we have written many different articles on the different types of antibiotics. Subsequently, we thought to add all of them to this article collectively for an overview.
Cefpodoxime for Dogs
This antibiotic is used to treat canines and trades commonly under the brand names Simplicef and Vantin. It is a broad-spectrum antibiotic that is bactericidal, meaning it kills the cell wall of the bacteria.
It is effective in combatting the following bacteria:
- Staphylococcus species
- Pasteurella species
- Streptococcus Canis
- E. Coli
Doxycycline for Dogs
Doxycycline is part of the Tetracycline group of antibiotics to treat animal diseases with. It is a broad-spectrum drug that can be used for many different infections in both cats and dogs.
Canine diseases that can be treated with this antibiotic is Borrelia, Bordetella, and Chlamydia amongst others.
Some of the most common diseases that can be treated with a course of Doxycycline are:
- Ehrlichiosis (a tick-borne disease)
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever (a tick-borne disease)
- Anaplasma (a tick-borne disease)
- Lyme disease (a bacterial disease)
- Leptospirosis (a bacterial disease)
- Heartworm disease (a parasitic disease)
- Toxoplasmosis (a parasitic disease)
- Mycoplasma
- Chlamydia
- Severe respiratory infections
- Severe urinary tract infections ( recurrent or non-responsive to other antibiotics)
- Infected wounds
Metronidazole For Dogs
This strong antibiotic drug is used to treat conditions such as inflammation of the large intestine and protozoal infections in canines. It operates on the premise of destroying and preventing the creation of DNA in infectious organisms.
It is also great to treat diarrhea and many other gastrointestinal upsets in dogs. Dogs rarely have any negative side effects as a result of consuming Metronidazole.
However, this does happen sometimes and mild cases of symptoms such as vomiting, drooling, anorexia, lethargy, and changes in urination might occur.
Baytril For Dogs and Cats
Baytril is part of the Enrofloxacin family and is used to target bacterial infections in both dogs and cats. It’s effective in combating both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterias.
Some fungi and bacteria types it fights include:
- E. Coli
- Salmonella
- Pseudomonas
- Staphylococcus
- Mycoplasma
Conclusion
To read more about the history of antibiotics and other interesting information, you can read our article on Antibiotic Awareness Week on our blog.
If there are any specific antibiotic drugs that you would like information about, please don’t hesitate to drop us a message and we will gladly assist. We value input from our readers, after all, this blog is for you!
