Although some people share their beds and their dinners with their dogs, this new type of closeness, which was discovered by unwitting scientists, poses a much greater threat to human health. There is currently scientific proof that some individuals might be sharing their pets’ medications.
The scientists’ survey on the use of unprescribed antibiotics didn’t even include a question about pet medications because their use was so unexpected. However, people must have done it frequently because they included it in their responses, stating that it is one method for obtaining antibiotics without a prescription.
A recent issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy published the study. According to the co-authors, who are physicians in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine, far too many of the 400 demographically diverse adults surveyed admitted to using antibiotics without a doctor’s supervision.
In Houston, 5% of randomly chosen adults reported using antibiotics without a prescription in the previous year, and 14 2% kept them in their homes in case of emergency, and a staggering 25% 4% of respondents said they planned to use antibiotics against medical advice at some point in the future.
Only 4% of those surveyed revealed that people’s pets were not the primary source of these rogue antibiotics. The remainder came from sources that were more likely to be expected: 20% said they received them from kind friends or family, 12% said they saved them from the last time they were sick, and 24% said they purchased them abroad.
The other survey surprise was that 40% of respondents could purchase antibiotics in American pharmacies without a prescription.
“We thought that was some other country’s problems, not ours. That was an additional surprise,” said Dr. According to Larissa Grigoryan’s research on the use of antibiotics not prescribed by a doctor in other nations, Americans tend to stockpile more antibiotics than people in other countries do.
Despite being a smaller group in this survey, Grigoryan said that it was undoubtedly not a source the authors had anticipated.
Some veterinarians claimed that they had heard of cases in which clients used painkillers intended for their pets instead of themselves, and they had developed awareness campaigns and workshops to help other vets deal with the issue and be on the lookout for it. The need for antibiotics was a new one, however.
The American Veterinary Medical Association advises veterinarians to refrain from writing prescriptions that can be filled indefinitely or engaging in any other behavior that could lead to drug abuse. It did not mention antibiotics specifically.
Study co-author Dr. Barbara Trautner was not as surprised. She claimed that, despite the survey’s lack of this option, she has frequently been closely questioned by her pharmacist when picking up an antibiotic prescription for her daughter’s pet frogs, Brooke and Tiny Bubbles. She said that red leg, a type of gangrene that can be treated with an antibiotic, is a condition that frogs are prone to.
She claimed that despite having pet antibiotics lying around the house, she would never be tempted to raid Tiny Bubbles’ supply.
These medications are designed for animals, and we metabolize things differently than they do, according to Trautner.
She explained that if a patient ever questioned her about administering their pet’s medication, she would compare it to how chocolate can be safe for humans but poisonous for dogs. Similarly, taking medications designed for an animal’s system while a human could be dangerous.
However, Trautner has compassion for those who do take Fido or Fluffy’s antibiotics. She is aware that scheduling an appointment with a doctor can be difficult and expensive, but giving your pet medicine is not the solution.
Most people who admitted to taking antibiotics without a doctor’s prescription did so to treat symptoms similar to a cold. Often, antibiotics won’t even help in many of those cases. Perhaps more information about what responds to antibiotics and what doesn’t is necessary, Grigoryan suggested.
In fact, using antibiotics without a prescription or giving them to your pet can pose a serious risk to human health. According to studies, communities of people who frequently use antibiotics without a prescription are more likely to experience issues with antibiotic resistance.
Effective antibiotics, which are among the most significant developments in modern medicine, may soon become extinct, posing a threat to the entire world. That could indicate a time when common infections could pose a much greater threat to all of us, both human and animal.
The bottom line is that you should avoid touching your pets’ medications, even if they are conveniently located in your cat’s basket. Ad Feedback Ad Feedback Ad Feedback.
In fact, taking your pet’s antibiotics or using antibiotics without a prescription can be a big threat to human health. Studies have showed that communities of people who often take antibiotics without a prescription tend to have more problems with antibiotic resistance.
“We thought that was some other country’s problems, not ours. That was an additional surprise,” said Dr. Larissa Grigoryan, who has studied non-doctor-prescribed antibiotic use in other countries and found that Americans tend to hoard more antibiotics than other parts of the world.
She claimed that despite having pet antibiotics lying around the house, she would never be tempted to raid Tiny Bubbles’ supply.
The bottom line is that you should avoid touching your pets’ medications, even if they are conveniently located in your cat’s basket. Ad Feedback Ad Feedback Ad Feedback.
The American Veterinary Medical Association suggests that vets avoid giving unlimited refills of prescriptions or any other activity that might result in misuse of drugs. It did not mention antibiotics specifically.
Although linezolid resistance in enterococci is uncommon, researchers have previously found it in isolates from both humans and animals.
Hopkins continues by saying that sanitation and decontamination stopped the spread of bacteria, and scientists discovered no proof that the gene for antibiotic resistance had spread from animals to people.
When bacteria that are resistant to other antibiotics cause serious illness in people, medical professionals will prescribe linezolid.
Additionally, recent studies revealed that mobile DNA fragments may harbor antibiotic-resistant genes like optrA. Therefore, these genes have the potential to spread to other bacterial populations in both humans and animals.
The Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infections Reference Unit of Public Health England discovered that linezolid-resistant bacteria were passed from pets to pets in a small animal hospital in the U.S. K.
What are the most common cat antibiotics?
There are several of the most popular antibiotics that are recommended if your cat needs one.
FAQ
Is human and dog amoxicillin the same?
Veterinary-specific medications are the best choice, according to Mahaney, Human Amoxicillin Is Not the Same as Pet Amoxicillin. He claims that the risks of giving your dog human-grade amoxicillin include the possibility of exposing your dog to drug components that are “inappropriate” or “possibly toxic.” ”.
What happens if a human takes animal antibiotics?
Researchers warn that administering antibiotics to animals may increase the risk of drug-resistant bacteria getting into humans either directly or by transferring “resistance genes from agriculture into human pathogens.”
Can humans take cephalexin 500mg for dogs?
Cephalexin can be helpful in treating skin, respiratory, and urinary tract infections in canines and felines. The FDA (U. S. This medication has been authorized for use in humans and dogs by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), but it has not received official approval for use in other species.
What happens if a human take dog medicine?
Products intended for animal use are probably formulated differently from those intended for human use. Animal medications may contain active ingredients of varying potencies, dosage forms, or excipients (non-active ingredients), including substances that may cause allergic reactions in some individuals.