Health Canada has recently proposed changes to the Food and Drug Regulations related to antimicrobial resistance. These proposals will affect few beef producers, unless they are buying antimicrobials from outside the country through the own-use importation rule.
However, governments and society in general have expressed concerns about the dangers of antimicrobial resistance, and the use of antimicrobials in livestock is coming under more scrutiny.
Veterinarians who work with intensive beef feeding operations are aware of the risks of antimicrobial resistance, and most feedlots will have clear antimicrobial treatment protocols in place that provide specific guidance around antimicrobial use.
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Treatment protocols provide case definitions for when animals should receive antimicrobials and when they should not.
They also specify the dosage, administration and duration of therapy for each disease diagnosis.
The protocols are embedded in the computer software programs used chute side and provide specific instructions to feedlot workers and a database for treatment records.
Unfortunately, these type of protocols have not reached as far in the cow-calf industry.
Cow-calf producers tend to use fewer antimicrobials and there are low levels of resistance in most cow-calf herds. However, some cow-calf producers may reach for whatever antimicrobial is available in their refrigerators or saddle bags with no directions from a veterinarian.
Yet veterinarians can develop a guide for antimicrobial use on cow-calf herds similar to those used in feedlots. These guides can help determine which antimicrobial should be used in different situations.
Health Canada has classified antimicrobials we use into different categories, based on their importance in human medicine.
The livestock industry does not use many of the antimicrobials classified as high or very high importance to human medicine.
Most antimicrobials used in beef cattle are in the low importance category, but it is important to understand the differences when choosing antimicrobial therapy for cattle.
One possible reason for treatment failure is a wrong diagnosis. Antibiotics are only useful in treating bacterial infections. Diseases caused by viral infections, nutritional deficiencies, toxins, and parasites are not going to respond to antibiotic therapy.
For example, a case of viral diarrhea in a beef calf might be treated with antibiotics if an accurate diagnosis has not been made. Unfortunately, this viral disease will not respond to antibiotic therapy.
The phrase “Not all bugs need drugs” has been coined to promote appropriate antimicrobial use in human medicine and it also holds true for livestock diseases.
A veterinarian can help in the choice of the correct therapy.
Accurate treatment records and individual animal identification are necessary to avoid antimicrobial residues and to make decisions regarding additional therapy, should it be necessary.
There are some good software programs that will help with this, but written records on paper can suffice. I have seen outbreaks of pneumonia in young calves in which treatment records have not been appropriately kept, which makes decisions around additional therapy difficult.
We are fortunate to have valuable tools such as antibiotics to help us treat and prevent disease in our animals. We want to preserve their usefulness and be good stewards of antibiotics to minimize the development of antibiotic resistance in animals and people.
