On a few occasions recently I have been examining a cat or dog and their owner has said something along the lines of “well he was looking a bit unwell so I used some leftover tablets I had from last time….”. Now this statement fills me with horror for a few reasons; what are the tablets? Are they in date? Are they indicated for this illness? And, more to the point, why do you have them left over in the first place? Often the answer is that they are antibiotics and therefore the fact that you have them “left over from last time” is even worse.

We live in an era when antibiotic resistance is a very real threat to human and animal health and there are two ways we vets can help prevent this. Firstly we can avoid prescribing antibiotics unnecessarily – that is our responsibility - and secondly we can make sure antibiotics are given for the right length of time – that is our clients’ responsibility. So if your pet is given a course of treatment you must complete that course – to make sure their illness is properly treated and to avoid the build-up of antibiotic resistant bacteria.

I realise that giving a course of treatment can be a pain – you have to remember to do it every day and tableting pets can be tricky but it is really important that you follow instructions and complete courses even if your pet feels better. If you are struggling to give tablets then let your vet know – there may be an alternative dosing method that they can use to help make sure you deliver the right antibiotic regime.