New Equine Antimicrobial Prescribing Guidelines coming soon

21 Nov 2024
horses - equine

 

For more than 30 years, the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) has been fighting the emergence of antimicrobial resistance, through antibiotic prescribing guidelines, antimicrobial stewardship, community awareness, and the national One Health policy agenda.

On World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week, we have continued our fight, helping to raise awareness and understanding of AMR and promote best practices to reduce the emergence and spread of drug-resistant infections.

A new set of antimicrobial prescribing guidelines for equine veterinary practice is in the final stage of revisions and is expected to be released in early 2025. Developed by the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) and the Animal Medicines Australia (AMA), with additional funding from Agrifutures Australia, these guidelines are an essential resource for practitioners, offering practical, evidence-based recommendations on antimicrobial therapy for horses.

The guidelines include contributions from over 15 leading specialists in fields such as equine medicine, surgery, reproductive and neonatal medicine, pharmacology, microbiology, dentistry and ophthalmology. The project leads are two highly respected figures in the equine veterinary world:

  • Dr Leanne Begg, an equine internal medicine specialist and leading racetrack practitioner
  • Dr Laura Hardefeldt, a registered specialist in large animal medicine and current President of the Equine Veterinarians Australia (EVA).

The team of contributors includes experts such as Dr Jenni Bacquier, Dr Glenn Browning, Dr Chelsea Burden, and many others. Together, they have produced guidelines that cover 14 different body systems including guidelines on vaccination protocols and surgical prophylaxis.

A key feature of the guidelines is their digital format, which will be available for free as a searchable download. This ensures that veterinary professionals have quick and easy access to the information they need, whether in the clinic or in the field.

The guidelines span a broad range of conditions, with sections dedicated to:

  1. Cardiovascular
  2. Dentistry
  3. Dermatology
  4. Endotoxaemia
  5. Foot disorders
  6. Gastrointestinal
  7. Musculoskeletal
  8. Neonatal
  9. Ophthalmology
  10. Reproduction
  11. Lower respiratory
  12. Upper respiratory
  13. Urinary
  14. Other

Additionally, they include important content on systemic antimicrobial use, local and regional perfusion, intrasynovial and intravenous use, surgical prophylaxis, and immunisations.

For those looking for specific advice, the guidelines will include flow charts for conditions like sinusitis and vaccination protocols, as well as detailed treatment pathways for conditions such as Salmonella colitis and foal dose rates.

The AVA and AMA equine antimicrobial prescribing guidelines will be available here soon.

For more resources including the AVA-AMA Antimicrobial prescribing guidelines for livestock species and horses project, visit the following links.