Less antibiotics in veterinary care
18-24th of November is the World Antibiotic Awareness Week, a global initiative to spread knowledge about antibiotics and antibiotic resistance. Today, AniCura presents a new study on more than 23,000 dogs showing that antibiotic use at AniCura’s clinics in Europe has decreased over the past three years.
For several years, AniCura has measured the use of antibiotics in European veterinary care. The results are unique as antibiotic use for companion animals is rarely measured by authorities.
AniCura’s new study was conducted in October 2019 and included 23,429 dogs who were treated at 154 different clinics in ten countries. Looking at comparable countries, the use of antibiotics for dogs was reduced for the third year in a row, from around 14 percent of the dogs in 2016 to around 8 percent in 2019.
- I am pleased to see a solid trend at our clinics with reduced antibiotic use over several consecutive years. However, there is still a need to continue change the way we use antibiotics in veterinary care to counteract the spread of resistant bacteria, one of the biggest global threats against public health, says Ulrika Grönlund, Group Medical Quality Manager, AniCura.
The past three years, significant progress has been made at AniCura’s clinics Germany, Austria & Switzerland where antibiotic use for dogs was reduced by half over the years 2016-2019. Clinics in Norway and Sweden have consistently had a relatively low use of antibiotics of between 4-10 percent of dogs treated over the same time period.
- By working together across countries and clinics we have learned from each other and reduced unnecessary use of antibiotics in most markets, says Ulrika Grönlund.
AniCura’s study of antibiotic use in European veterinary care was carried out within AniCura's quality program (QualiCura) and is part of AniCura’s work to measure, follow-up and work towards a wiser use of antibiotics.
For further information, please contact
Maria Tullberg, Group Communications Manager AniCura, +46 736 268 886
About AniCura
AniCura is a family of well-known animal hospitals and clinics specialised in veterinary care for companion animals. Born out of the idea that sharing resources creates opportunities for better veterinary care, the company was established in 2011 as the first merger of companion animal hospitals in the Nordic region. Today, AniCura is a role model within specialised veterinary care and a valued partner for pet owners and referring veterinarians across Europe.
AniCura offers a wide range of high quality medical services covering preventive and basic health care as well as advanced diagnostics, internal medicine, intensive care, surgery and orthopaedics. AniCura also provides rehabilitation, physiotherapy and dietary advice and offers selected pet food and care products.
AniCura provides modern, high-quality veterinary care for pets at 270 European locations and creates peace of mind for pet owners through excellent access and patient safety. Every year, AniCura’s 5,500 passionate veterinary professionals attend to more than 2.5 million companion animal patients. AniCura is a trusted training and referral body.
Since 2018, AniCura is part of Mars Petcare, a family-owned company focused on veterinary care and pet nutrition.
For information on how AniCura is working to shape the future of veterinary care, please visit our website www.anicuragroup.com
Tags:
