Responsible Antibiotic Use in dogs and cats: what, when, how long?

All courses are included in the OVT membership (click here for more information) or can be purchased individually. After registration, the course will be immediately available and you can follow it at your own pace. 

Since the discovery of antibiotics in the 1920s, these drugs have been essential in the treatment of various infectious diseases in veterinary and human medicine. Unfortunately, due to the increasing occurrence of antibiotic resistance, these lifesaving drugs are not always effective anymore and in the last years certain common infections have become more difficult to treat. As the main driving factors behind antibiotic resistance are overuse and misuse of antibiotics, it is the responsibility of veterinarians and doctors to use antibiotics correctly and only when indicated.

This practical course has been based on the ACVIM consensus guidelines on therapeutic antimicrobial use in animals and antimicrobial resistance, published in 2015; as well as on consensus guidelines published by the International Society for Companion Animal Infectious Diseases.

Practical and concrete recommendations are given on when and how to use antibiotics in the treatment of 1) urinary tract infections 2) respiratory infections and 3) gastro-intestinal diseases in dogs and cats.

Answers will be provided to the following questions:
– What are methods to prevent antimicrobial resistance?
– When to use antibiotics?
– What type of antibiotics to use?
– Is there need for more than 1 type of antibiotic?
– How long to treat with antibiotics?
– How to follow up treatment?

The total course duration is minimal 1.5 hours. It consists of different chapters, with each chapter containing a short video of a previously recorded lecture. Furthermore, interesting literature and handouts will be provided. Questions to the teacher can be asked on the online forum.

After registration, you will have access to all videos for 3 months (OVT members have unlimited access).

Course type: Non interactive – recorded lectures/handouts/reading material/quiz
Teacher: Geert Paes, DVM, DipECVIM-ca
Duration: minimally 1.5 hours, at your own pace
EBP orde der dierenartsen (EBP/N/2022/0065): 3

Price: FREE for OVT members or €40. Not yet a member, but want to become a member? Click here for more information.

Because this course is accredited for continuous education credits you will have to successfully (minimal 60%) complete a small exam at end of the course. This exam consists of multiple choice questions, that you should be able to answer fairly easily after you have followed the training. If you do not pass the exam on your first attempt, no worries, you can retake the test until you pass it successfully.