For animal owners

What you can do

1. Not all sick pets need antibiotics – only give them under veterinary supervision
2. Help reduce your pet’s need for antibiotics through routine vaccination, a clean environment and good nutrition
3. Spread the word that people and animals could die because of antibiotic resistance — we all have a role to play

• Recognise that not all sick pets require antibiotics. 
• Minor injuries and infections can heal without antibiotics, but do require careful nursing and infection control. 
• Keep your pet’s vaccinations up-to-date to reduce the need for antibiotics.
• Only use antibiotics if prescribed by a vet. 
• Keep to the dosage and treatment duration directed by your vet.
• Refer to the Australian Veterinary Association’s fact sheet about the safe handling of animals being treated with antibiotics (PDF, 111KB).
• If you produce food animals, refer to the ‘what agriculture and industry can do’ page.
• Talk to your vet for further information about antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
• Refer to the combined Australian Veterinary Association and Animal Medicines Australia’s fact sheets about the responsible and judicious use of antibiotics in companion animals, and livestock and horses.

What you should know about AMR

• Antibiotic resistance can affect pets and result in reduced animal health and welfare.
• Contact with animals with antibiotic resistant infections can transfer resistant bacteria to people, and vice versa.
• People and animals can die due to antibiotic resistance.
• Treating resistant infections can be very costly, because they need to be treated with more expensive medicines.
• Australia uses less antibiotics in animals compared to most other countries, but we can do more to prevent AMR.