VETERINARIANS PERSPECTIVE ON ANTIBIOTICS

VETERINARIANS PERSPECTIVE ON ANTIBIOTICS

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
Due to personal reasons and experience, I've been on an antibiotic resistance tear of late. Here's more. Animal health, human health and the environment – they're all connected. So, when topics like antibiotic resistance arise, the National Institute for Animal Agriculture, or NIAA, takes a "One Health" approach.

Through its "One Health Initiative," NIAA, with support from Merck Animal Health, brings producers, veterinarians, scientists and government officials together to study disease transmission and antibiotic resistance across the food chain.

For humans and animals alike, health is often determined long before treatment becomes necessary. Stress and poor nutrition are leading precursors to disease.That's why Dr. Randall Spare works with clients of his Ashland, Kan., veterinary clinic to implement holistic management and health plans to give animals their best chance at success — and to reduce dependence on antibiotics. Weaning strategies, vaccinations and essential nutrition top Spare's list of management practices to ensure overall health.

However, even the best-kept herds will be faced with disease. That's when the strategic use of antibiotics is critical, Spare says — with an emphasis on strategic

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