Until now, certain antimicrobial medicines used in dogs and other animals have been available over the counter. That ends this month. As of June 11th, all antimicrobial medicines for animals that are also important in human medicine must be prescribed by a veterinarian, says the Food and Drug Administration. The move is aimed to ensure judicious use of these drugs and retain their effectiveness in both our dogs and us.
The change probably won’t affect the way you give medicine to your dog. It is mostly farmers and ranchers overseeing livestock who buy antimicrobials over the counter. But your dog — and you — will still be better off for the new restriction. The more indiscriminately antimicrobials are used, the more the bacteria they attack are apt to mutate, limiting the
drugs’ effectiveness.
