Metronidazole in the prophylaxis and treatment of dogs and cats

Abstract

Ever since their discovery, antimicrobials have helped in controlling and treating infections in both humans and animals. The control of infectious diseases is endangered by the rise of microorganisms that are resistant to this group of drugs. Limited availability of authorized veterinary drugs leads to prescription of human approved drugs. The aim of our study was to describe metronidazole use patterns and its accordance with scientific literature in Serbia. Results have shown that majority of prescriptions were written to dogs, while 27.1% prescriptions were for cats. Most common general conditions were dental and digestive disorders. Our study shows that metronidazole is available in oral and injectable form, while cats were only treated with injectable formulation. Even though pre­scription of human approved drugs for companion animals is allowed by Law, there is no official record of data on the extent or nature of off-label use in Serbia. Such information is essential for guiding antimicrobial use policy in small animal veterinary practice as well as for assessing the risk of transmission of antimicrobial resistance to humans. Recognizing the importance of antimicrobial resistance and ensuring more judicious use of antibiotics are key elements to any strategy for maintaining the usefulness of antimicrobial drugs in animals and humans.

Keywords

• antimicrobials
• antimicrobial resistance
• cats
• dogs
• metronidazole