Carissa Odland, DVM, is a swine practitioner whose antibiotic comments apply to all species. Her discussion forms a solid position for any animal health pro who engages in an antibiotic-free discussion.
There are three reasons why we use antibiotics in veterinary medicine:
- Treat disease
- Control disease
- Prevent disease
Source: PORK, July 23, 2018. Link. By definition, using an antibiotic for “prevention” is treating an animal or group of animals before clinical signs of disease have occurred. These animals are in a high-risk situation for getting a bacterial infection. This area is where most critics scrutinize antibiotic use as unnecessary.