Antibiotic use in companion animals contributes to resistance and affects animal welfare. Responsible prescribing by vets and adherence by owners are both essential components of good stewardship.
Antibiotic stewardship in companion animal practice serves both individual animal welfare and public health. For individual animals, appropriate antibiotic selection based on culture and sensitivity results improves treatment efficacy and reduces exposure to ineffective drugs. For public health, minimizing use of critically important antibiotics in animals reduces the selection pressure driving resistance in pathogens that affect humans. The welfare dimension is direct: animals treated with antibiotics that work experience faster recovery and less suffering than those given ineffective treatment. Welfare-centered stewardship invests in accurate diagnosis before prescribing, selects the narrowest-spectrum effective drug, and ensures appropriate duration — neither undertreating nor overtreating.