If Symptons Persist, Call Your Vet?
“If symptoms persist call your veterinarian.” Many years ago this was the by-line of a radio advertisement of a popular over-the-counter antibiotic for farm animals. Calling the vet only when the animal disease symptoms persist despite treatment with that antibiotic is a take-off from similar advertisement of OTC medications for humans. This action, however; doesn’t work in the same manner as it does in human patients.
Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs preparations for animals can contain anything that has been so-called “approved” to be marketed and used for “backyard” animal farms. Almost all of these OTC preparations contain varying amounts of antibiotics, which by the way are quite restricted if not entirely prohibited in OTC drug preparations for humans.
There have been volumes of literature (technical and popular) written and published about the danger of indiscriminate use of antibiotics in animals to human health. While many countries have been quite successful in enforcing restriction of antibiotics and certain other drugs for use in farm animals, we are still far from doing the same.
In fact, there’s a brand of a fluoroquinolone antibiotic that is currently advertised on the radio as an OTC drug; the advertisement suggests that the antibiotic should be given to pigs with cough. This simply gives a false indication that the drug is an anti-cough medicine, which it is not. This fluoroquinolone was originally approved and indicated for use under the supervision of a veterinarian and should be used only in animals that have been diagnosed as having the kind of infections against which the drug is known to be effective. Because of expedience of higher profits, some drug makers and distributors risk changing or violating important principles of proper use of medications in farm animals.
The principles of medicine is basically the same in both veterinary and medical practice, but the practice of medicine differ quite significantly in treating farm animals and human patients. One of the most frustrating and discouraging aspects of treating farm animal patients to veterinarians is the number of times with which they are called only in time to perform the last rites. This happens usually with treating “backyard” food animals. However, there are still semi-commercial and commercial-scale farms that do not employ veterinarian services.
When animal raisers decide to seek the services of a veterinarian, they usually do it too late. Many reasons are given. “I didn’t realize my animal was sick until this morning” or “I thought it might get better.” One of the most frustrating reasons is when the owner or farm manager had self-medicated the animals and when the medication didn’t work, they call the vet. “Well, Doc, I knew it was a little off so I gave it penicillin, some sulfa, and a good old-time dewormer or vitamin injection last week but that didn’t help so I thought I’d give you chance to see what you can do.”
All too often the animal is so far gone by then that the poor veterinarian has no chance at all and neither does his patient. Too often the end result is that death ends the animal’s suffering and Doc gets the blame! The only benefit, if there is one, from this kind of situation is that the owner can ease his or her conscience that by proclaiming to all who will listen that, “Well I called Doc to look at my pig but it was a waste of money because it died anyhow. I guess that vet isn’t too sharp.”
Every practicing veterinarian has found himself or herself in this position many times. But the animal owner is right; employing veterinary service in this manner is a waste of time. The earlier the disease is recognized and properly treated the more probable a satisfactory outcome will be.
Most animal diseases are preventable, but despite everyone’s best efforts, problems will occur occasionally. The effects of these problems can be minimized if they are recognized early and an intelligent judgment can be made as to what condition may be and what degree of treatment may be required, don’t delay calling the vet.
The oldest “drug” in history is tincture of time but it doesn’t always work!
