Antibiotics are medications that target and destroy disease-causing bacteria.
How do they work?
- Horse gets exposed to bacteria
- The horse becomes infected and the bacteria spread
- A veterinarian treats the horse with antibiotics
Veterinarians often use antibiotic medications to treat:
- Eye infection
- Respiratory infections such as pneumonia
- Certainly infected wound
- Diarrhea caused by gastrointestinal bacteria such as Clostridium
Antibiotics can be delivered:
- Orally via pills, paste, or powder
- By intravenous (in the vein), subcutaneous (under the skin), or intramuscular (in the muscle) injection.
- Topically
If your veterinarian suspects your horse is battling an infection, he or she should:
- Examine the horse to make a diagnosis
- If necessary, perform a bacterial culture and e sensitivity profile to identify the bacteria involved
- Determine which antibiotics are most effective against those bacteria
- Choose the most effective administration route for that drug
- Monitor the horse’s treatment response to be sure the drug is working
WARNING: Bacteria can develop resistance to the drugs created to destroy them.
Why does this matter?
It can lead to treatment failure and life-threatening infections in both horses AND humans.
Here’s how you can do your part to prevent antimicrobial resistance:
- Reserve antibiotics for bacterial infections only; they are NOT effective against nonbacterial microbes: viruses, fungi, or parasites
- Follow your vet’s advice on dosing, duration, administration route, and frequency
- Never use one horse’s antibiotic on another
- Never skip doses
- Never use expired antibiotics Know that just because your horse has a cough, fever, or wound doesn’t mean he needs antibiotics
- Give the full antibiotics course unless otherwise directed by your veterinarian
Take-Home Message:
Work with your veterinarian to bring your horse back to health as quickly and safely as possible.
This information is powered by TheHorse.com
