The topic of antimicrobial resistance is hot, hot hot. AMR is no joke and the importance of keeping these important antibiotics/antimicrobials in our clinical arsenal is of utmost importance. Unfortunately we have gone a slight bit crazy as a society when it comes to when they are given. I remember as a kid any visit to the doctor elicited that super tasty banana medicine (amoxicillin I think it was).

Thing is, not everything that makes us sick requires (or is even treated with) antibiotics. Treating a viral disease with antibiotics,…sorry to break it to you but it is not going to kill that virus. Treating even bacterial causes is not as simple as just throwing antibiotics at the disease. Not all bacteria are alike, some are tough as nails. Knowing bacterial sensitivities and which antibiotics are best going to do the trick is why we like to recommend culture and sensitivity tests.

As clinicians we unfortunately sometimes bend to the pressures of our clients. If a pet is ill, but the owner doesn’t feel comfortable putting samples through more testing to better target which antibiotic will work, veterinarians will use their clinical experience and knowledge to prescribe antibiotics that have historically worked. This obviously isn’t ideal because what worked in the past isn’t a guarantee for future performance.

Antimicrobial resistance comes from bacteria that have mutated in such a way that they no longer are susceptible to the mechanisms that antibiotics usually work. It is thought that a good way to get these super mutants is to a) use antimicrobials not meant for the job (won’t kill the target organism but helps other bugs hanging around develop a tolerance of sorts) and b)not fully completing courses of antibiotics. (any left over bugs, the toughest ones, are ready to multiply and create more tough ones).

Some things to consider the next time you bring your pet in:

• Don’t pressure your veterinarian to prescribe antibiotics, unless otherwise discussed, your pet may not need them
• be open to running tests like culture and sensitivity
• when given a prescription, follow the label and finish the entire prescription, don’t just stop when you think you your pet is better
• give unused drugs back to your veterinarian to dispose of properly

If you’re up for some fun reading check this stuff out. Joking, that’s boring government stuff. Check out this fun video explaining superbugs! or this one! Now aren’t you glad you read this post to the end?!