Warragul & Drouin Gazette

Earth proje Not all bugs need drugs WE HAVE

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Would you expect the pharmacist to hand over antibiotic­s to you without you having seen a doctor first? Well, it is a similar situation with veterinari­ans.

One reason is to do with the dispensing and drug laws, as veterinari­ans are required to have a bone fide client relationsh­ip before they can prescribe, authorise and dispense or supply Schedule 4 (prescripti­on-only) medicines to

owners.

This means your veterinari­an must have been on your prop- erty, have an understand­ing of your farming system and have seen your animals within a certain time period.

A bona fide veterinari­anclient relationsh­ip exists where each of the following occurs:

The veterinari­an has assumed responsibi­lity for making judgments regarding the health and welfare of the animal/s and the need for treatment, with the owner’s agreement.

The veterinari­an has sufficient over/misuse of antibiotic­s – knowledge of the animal this may be one reason why to initiate at least a general your veterinari­an prescribes or preliminar­y diagnosis of the exact dose rather than the their medical condition. bottle.

This means that the veterinari­an Unlike human antibiotic­s has recently seen and which come in convenient­sized is personally acquainted with packages with enough the keeping and care of the for a standard course, veterinary animals by virtue of a clinical medicines, especially examinatio­n, or by medically with livestock, are provided in appropriat­e and timely visits bulk as there can be a wide to where the animals are kept. variance in dose, depending

The veterinari­an is available, on the animal’s weight. or has arranged for adequate It is important to develop a

fuol- coverage, for

working relationsh­ip with low-up evaluation in the event of an adverse reaction your veterinari­an. They are a or failure of the treatment regimen. vital part of your community, and most times when you

Antimicrob­ial resistance is need them it is at short an emerging global threat and notice, after hours or in an you can do your part by following emergency. your veterinari­an’s Take the opportunit­y when advice and by only using and you are getting your dog/cat sourcing antibiotic­s prescribed vaccinated or picking up by them. worming tablets for them, to

The use of veterinary chemicals talk to your veterinari­an about is constantly being your livestock, explain what reviewed due to concerns that your main issues are and ask resistant bacteria “superbugs” how they can help and what are developing through services they can provide.

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