UK Registered Charity 1122246 This website would not be possible without the kind help of Tony Martin of the “AV Martin Charitable Foundation”

What should Vets Do When Thinking About my Pet’s Treatment?

  • They need to make sure that your pet has a bacterial infection.  This is done through using specific clinical signs and if necessary doing lab tests on identifying the bacteria and checking what antibiotics will work.
  • Many vets may not use antibiotics routinely after low-risk surgery, such as small lump removal.
  • Some conditions need topical antibiotics, such as a cream that contains the medicine.
  • The dose has to be at the correct level and given for the appropriate length of time.  That’s where owners come in.  If an owner doesn’t make sure their pet gets medicines as instructed that can lead to the development of resistant bacteria.
  • Some of the antibiotics used will be older type antibiotics, such as penicillins – called ‘first tier’.  This is because they can be as effective as the more modern drugs.
  • The newer drugs can be more prone to becoming resistant and are often only used where the vet thinks that the first tier medicines won’t work.

Author – Elaine Pendlebury BA BSc  BVetMed DMS MRCVS  Senior Veterinary Surgeon (Science & Welfare) PDSA

Did you know...

MRSA and other bacteria are mostly spread by direct contact, but can also be spread by air currents or by sneezes or coughs.

Videos

View more

All about infections

GEN-bacteria-bugs-explained-header

Bugs Explained

Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is only one of a number of bacteria that can be resistant to lots of different antibiotics. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a relatively common finding in long-standing [&hellip

PC-treatments-pills-capsules-antibiotics-header

Treatments

Infections can generally be treated successfully with a single course of antibiotics, which may come in the form of creams or ointments, injections, or tablets, and many infections will even [&hellip

PC-vet-dog-ear-inspection-spotting-infections-header

Spotting Infections

Infections can generally be treated successfully with a single course of antibiotics, which may come in the form of creams or ointments, injections, or tablets, and many infections will even [&hellip

How we have Helped

Duchess was spayed and micro-chipped. Things went well until one day we noticed a dimed size spot that was bleeding and pussing around the area where dogs usually get microchipped. [&hellip

Duchess

Last month my thirteen-year-old miniature dachsund, Jenna, developed a swollen eye. I assumed that she had been bit by a spider or an ant, but after the swelling returned following [&hellip

Jill Vicino – Jenna

View more

Corporate Supporters

Educational Partners

Media Supporters

Supporters