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