When do cats and dogs need antibiotics?

Four new printable resources will allow AVMA members to quickly reference antibiotic prescription recommendations and communicate with clients about when antibiotics may or may not be needed.

The resources include separate client handouts tailored for cat owners and dog owners, which can be printed out to be handed to clients or serve as posters in your clinic. There also are back-office reference sheets for veterinarians, also specific to cats and dogs. All of the materials are available exclusively to AVMA members. You can download them for free and print for your clinic.

The client materials include information about common conditions and illnesses, their causes, and whether or not antibiotics are usually recommended based on those details:

• Does my cat need antibiotics?
• Does my dog need antibiotics?

The back-office guides include that information as well as antibiotic treatment recommendations:

• Does this cat need antibiotics?
• Does this dog need antibiotics?

Promoting judicious use of antimicrobials

Veterinarians have an important role to play in preserving the effectiveness of antimicrobials for both human and veterinary medicine. The AVMA has developed a suite of veterinary tools to support AVMA members and our veterinary teams in doing this in daily practice.

From stewardship checklists and pathogen resistance reports to client brochures and FAQs, the AVMA offers many more antimicrobial resources for veterinarians at avma.org/Antimicrobials.