Antibiotic treatment courses

If antibiotics are deemed necessary.

  • Support your vet to take samples for diagnosis.
  • Topical (ointments, lotions or drops for external use) antibiotics may be appropriate, rather than injections or tablets.
  • Only ever use antibiotics prescribed by your vet.
  • Follow your vet’s instructions carefully for antibiotic therapy – dosage, frequency and duration of administration.
  • Know the weight of your animal(s) for dosage (under-dosing can lead to ineffective treatment and development of AMR).
  • Always finish the prescribed course to ensure that infection is eliminated.
  • Never share antibiotics with others.
  • Only use antibiotics on animals for which they were prescribed.
  • Never keep antibiotics past their ‘use by’ date, as their effectiveness will be reduced, which may lead to development of AMR.
  • Inform your vet immediately if giving prescribed antibiotics is problematic.
  • Summary video.