
Tag Archives Antibiotic use in livestock

Tips for reducing antibiotic use on the ranch
Producers and veterinarians adapt to new rules around livestock antibiotic use
Beef producers used to be able to pick up antibiotics at their favourite farm supply store or local small town co-op, but things changed on December 1, 2018. Since then, Health Canada has mandated that all medically important livestock antibiotics require a veterinary prescription. While producers and veterinarians alike have dealt with some challenges that […] Read more

Facts about antimicrobial resistance
While the industry is already doing a good job, there is ongoing room for improvement
There have been volumes written on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the last several years. And it is important to remember just how good the Canadian cattle industry is doing in managing AMR and look to future changes veterinarians may make in their recommendations. For those of you craving more detailed information, there have been several […] Read more

Regulatory changes would limit farmers’ vet drug imports
Proposed Health Canada changes will affect how antimicrobials are imported into Canada
For John Prescott, a move to end farmers’ right to import certain veterinary drugs marks a significant turning point in the fight against antimicrobial resistance in Canada. The Public Health Agency announced last year that Health Canada’s Veterinary Drugs Directorate would introduce new regulations requiring veterinary oversight of antibiotics used in food animals, such as […] Read more

Landmark antimicrobial study should redirect resistance hunt
I don’t know about Canada’s consumer and government agency attitudes, but down here in the States, steam has been building for decades to take antibiotics away from livestock producers, mainly because of resistance problems in the human population. There wasn’t any evidence that some sort of resistance could be passed from animal to human in […] Read more

The AMR Dilemma: Part 2 – The impact
Finding the missing pieces to the puzzle of antimicrobial resistance
Although accurate statistics are difficult to tabulate, over two million people in North America become infected with bacteria resistant to antibiotics annually. At least 23,000 people die as a direct result of these infections. Virtually, all significant bacterial infections in the world are becoming resistant to the antibiotic treatment of choice. Health authorities in North […] Read more

The AMR dilemma: Part 1
Searching for ways to move forward on antimicrobial resistance
No issue in the past 15 years logged more space in agriculture, veterinary or public health-related press than antimicrobial resistance (AMR). No single topic appears more often on conference and seminar agendas than the one addressing prudent use and abuse of antimicrobials in humans and animals. Despite the attention AMR has received, we have not […] Read more

Tracking resistance to drugs in cattle bugs
It’s on the increase
The warning sign went up as results came in from two Alberta projects exploring the susceptibility of bacteria involved in bovine respiratory disease (BRD) to available antimicrobials. Alberta Beef Producers (ABP) administered the year-long project testing for antimicrobial resistance in feedlot cattle in order to develop an in-province screening tool. The project involved several industry, […] Read more

A new decision tree for veterinarians
The latest tool for fighting antibiotic resistance
Very recently the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association along with several partners came up with a Therapeutic Decision Cascade for Animal and Public Safety. This is a great tool for reminding all of us how to properly select drugs for any species we are treating. By considering that all we want is to look after the […] Read more