Resistant bugs affect pets
Today’s veterinarians need to stay on top of new data and research
An antimicrobial is a drug that kills or delays the growth of pathogens (bacteria, virus, fungi, etc.).
Antibiotics are one type of antimicrobial. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) happens when a drug no longer works against a bug (or pathogen) that used to be susceptible to it. The bugs have learned to adapt and evade the drugs over time, and they are great at sharing resistance tricks with other bugs.
Surprisingly, it has been over 20 years since the development of the last antibiotic, so not much wonder that bugs have figured out our offence!
Resistant bugs don’t only affect humans, but also all animals, including our pets. It is vitally important that we protect the effectiveness of antimicrobials for both people and animals. Did you know that about 80 per cent of all antimicrobials are the same for both people and animals and the three most common types of antibiotics used for our pets are very important in people too? This means they are the preferred choice of antibiotic for serious human illnesses.
At the World Health Organization’s 68th World Health Assembly, a global action plan on AMR was adopted by member countries, meaning we have all agreed to work together to address this global threat from both the human health and animal health perspective.
What does AMR mean for you and your pet? When your pet is ill, your vet will determine whether an antimicrobial is required. Vets use experience, education, and laboratory testing to determine what bug they think is most likely to be causing a particular illness. Based on their judgement, knowledge of drug properties and experience with treatment success, they may prescribe a certain medication.
AMR is changing the success of this approach as some pathogens have adapted to be resistant to drugs that used to be effective against them.
This means that today’s veterinarian must stay on top of new data and research that looks at resistance patterns for specific bugs. It will become more common for the vet to take a swab or sample from your pet and send it to the laboratory for identification and resistance testing to improve their chance of choosing the best treatment for your pet and to avoid overuse of antibiotics and other antimicrobials. There will also be instances where antimicrobial therapy is not needed and other alternative therapies will suffice.
Healthy animals, just like people, can better fight off potential illnesses. A healthy pet lifestyle includes regular exercise and good nutrition, regular veterinary exams, vaccinations, and parasite prevention, and lots of kindness.
If your pet requires treatment, you should administer your pet’s antibiotics exactly as prescribed by your vet which includes finishing the medication, even if your pet feels better. This will help to prevent the development of resistant bugs—which is important for us all! Dr. Carolyn Sanford is Chief Provincial Veterinarian for P.E.I. The goal of the PEI Companion Animal Welfare Initiative (CAWI) is to improve the welfare of owned and unowned companion animals on P.E.I. Animal Talk appears bi-monthly in The Guardian. Members are the P.E.I. Cat Action Team, P.E.I. Veterinary Medical Association, P.E.I. Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Centre at AVC, SpayAid P.E.I., and the P.E.I. Humane Society. For more information, see gov.pe.ca/agriculture/CAWI. Readers may send questions related to the well-being of owned and unowned companion animals to askcawi@gmail.com.