Pet Owners and Antibiotics: Knowledge, Opinions, Expectations, and Communication Preferences

Despite the important role of antimicrobial use in companion animals in the global challenge presented by antimicrobial resistance (AMR), very few studies have quantified pet owner factors that can contribute to suboptimal veterinary antimicrobial use. We conducted an online survey of pet owners, as...

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Autores principales: Ri Scarborough, Laura Hardefeldt, Glenn Browning, Kirsten Bailey
Formato: article
Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: MDPI AG 2021
Materias:
dog
cat
Acceso en línea:https://doaj.org/article/caaa6a08e9e44f199d22f14c94f2c410
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spelling oai:doaj.org-article:caaa6a08e9e44f199d22f14c94f2c4102021-11-25T16:22:53ZPet Owners and Antibiotics: Knowledge, Opinions, Expectations, and Communication Preferences10.3390/antibiotics101113262079-6382https://doaj.org/article/caaa6a08e9e44f199d22f14c94f2c4102021-10-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/10/11/1326https://doaj.org/toc/2079-6382Despite the important role of antimicrobial use in companion animals in the global challenge presented by antimicrobial resistance (AMR), very few studies have quantified pet owner factors that can contribute to suboptimal veterinary antimicrobial use. We conducted an online survey of pet owners, asking about their experiences with veterinarians, their opinions on antibiotic use and knowledge of antibiotics, and their communication preferences regarding judicious prescribing. Just over half (54%) of the 558 pet owners had received antibiotics for their pet at their last non-routine veterinary consultation and most owners were happy (83%) with the antibiotic prescribing decision of their veterinarian. A quarter (25%) indicated that they had been surprised, disappointed or frustrated when a veterinarian had not given their pet antibiotics; 15% had explicitly requested them. Owners placed a higher priority on their pet receiving the most effective treatment than on treatment being cheap or convenient. Most respondents recognized the limitations of antibiotic therapy and the risks associated with antibiotic use, but 50% believed the risks were confined to the treated animal; only a minority was aware of inter-species transfer of bacteria. Pet owners indicated that they would find judicious prescribing messages focused on the direct risks of antibiotics to their pet more compelling than those about public health. Our findings suggest that veterinary communications about responsible antibiotic use should focus on pet owners’ priorities and address or bypass their gaps in understanding regarding antibiotic resistance.Ri ScarboroughLaura HardefeldtGlenn BrowningKirsten BaileyMDPI AGarticleantimicrobialresistanceveterinarydogcatownerTherapeutics. PharmacologyRM1-950ENAntibiotics, Vol 10, Iss 1326, p 1326 (2021)
institution DOAJ
collection DOAJ
language EN
topic antimicrobial
resistance
veterinary
dog
cat
owner
Therapeutics. Pharmacology
RM1-950
spellingShingle antimicrobial
resistance
veterinary
dog
cat
owner
Therapeutics. Pharmacology
RM1-950
Ri Scarborough
Laura Hardefeldt
Glenn Browning
Kirsten Bailey
Pet Owners and Antibiotics: Knowledge, Opinions, Expectations, and Communication Preferences
description Despite the important role of antimicrobial use in companion animals in the global challenge presented by antimicrobial resistance (AMR), very few studies have quantified pet owner factors that can contribute to suboptimal veterinary antimicrobial use. We conducted an online survey of pet owners, asking about their experiences with veterinarians, their opinions on antibiotic use and knowledge of antibiotics, and their communication preferences regarding judicious prescribing. Just over half (54%) of the 558 pet owners had received antibiotics for their pet at their last non-routine veterinary consultation and most owners were happy (83%) with the antibiotic prescribing decision of their veterinarian. A quarter (25%) indicated that they had been surprised, disappointed or frustrated when a veterinarian had not given their pet antibiotics; 15% had explicitly requested them. Owners placed a higher priority on their pet receiving the most effective treatment than on treatment being cheap or convenient. Most respondents recognized the limitations of antibiotic therapy and the risks associated with antibiotic use, but 50% believed the risks were confined to the treated animal; only a minority was aware of inter-species transfer of bacteria. Pet owners indicated that they would find judicious prescribing messages focused on the direct risks of antibiotics to their pet more compelling than those about public health. Our findings suggest that veterinary communications about responsible antibiotic use should focus on pet owners’ priorities and address or bypass their gaps in understanding regarding antibiotic resistance.
format article
author Ri Scarborough
Laura Hardefeldt
Glenn Browning
Kirsten Bailey
author_facet Ri Scarborough
Laura Hardefeldt
Glenn Browning
Kirsten Bailey
author_sort Ri Scarborough
title Pet Owners and Antibiotics: Knowledge, Opinions, Expectations, and Communication Preferences
title_short Pet Owners and Antibiotics: Knowledge, Opinions, Expectations, and Communication Preferences
title_full Pet Owners and Antibiotics: Knowledge, Opinions, Expectations, and Communication Preferences
title_fullStr Pet Owners and Antibiotics: Knowledge, Opinions, Expectations, and Communication Preferences
title_full_unstemmed Pet Owners and Antibiotics: Knowledge, Opinions, Expectations, and Communication Preferences
title_sort pet owners and antibiotics: knowledge, opinions, expectations, and communication preferences
publisher MDPI AG
publishDate 2021
url https://doaj.org/article/caaa6a08e9e44f199d22f14c94f2c410
work_keys_str_mv AT riscarborough petownersandantibioticsknowledgeopinionsexpectationsandcommunicationpreferences
AT laurahardefeldt petownersandantibioticsknowledgeopinionsexpectationsandcommunicationpreferences
AT glennbrowning petownersandantibioticsknowledgeopinionsexpectationsandcommunicationpreferences
AT kirstenbailey petownersandantibioticsknowledgeopinionsexpectationsandcommunicationpreferences
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